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[TGMIII]

Anyone have experience with low-end laptops?.

Family are asking me to have a look at some lower end laptops for pretty basic browsing around the £200-300 range and it's just an area of the market I have no idea about. They're dead set on a laptop, they've got a fear of tablets and obviously I've told them they won't be getting much for that price but it's most likely for a younger family member doing simple stuff so enough power to browse youtube, facebook, watch DVDs is all that's needed. Any recommendations would be really helpful.

 

[SLV]

Got rid of raid, reinstalled the SSD on AHCI, no more stutter and microfreezes, on the other hand now though, i got 5 drives lol... And no redundancy, oh well, better that than stuttering in games

 

[Maaseru]

So a couple of questions. Here are my specs:
i7-2600 3.4GHz
8GB DDR3 1600MHz
sabretooth mobo
just got a gtx 670 4gb to replace use with my old 560TI

I had my old Viewsonic 24" 3D monitor go bad. It has an image just no light, it may be the baclklight or just bad capacitors,(i hope its this). I'm gonna get it fixed if I find a place, but right now I thinking on a new one. I am currently using my Vizio 42" TV, also 120Hz, to play on my PC use it, but a 720p since its far and 1080p loks to small(still game on 1080p no prob). My questions is what is the best monitor/TV I could get right now for 700 max.

I'm leaning towards one ACER 27" 120Hz 3D monitor, what other better alternatives do I have at that price range. Any biggger, better. Anoother TV maybe 36", but what do you think are the pros, cons between these.

Also I would like to get the other 8GB of RAM because it is on the cheap, but the corsair heatsink I have kind of block one of the slots on my board. ANy other better heatsinks? Or is removing the memory sink safe?

 

[barnone]

Trying to build a PC for less than $600 for a buddy to play Guild Wars 2. Using the original post as a guide, here is what I set up:

• (CPU) intel i3-3220
• (motherboard) ASUS p8h61-M
• (RAM) Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3
• (HDD) WD Blue 500GB
• (Power Supply) Antec VP-450 450W
• (Case) Rosewill Challenger ATX Mid Tower
• (Graphics) EVGA GTX 560
• ASUS DVD burner

Thoughts? Total will be around $550 with rebate on the graphics card. If I could upgrade anything for around $40 what would it be? This is for GW2.

 

[legacyzero]

Pics or it didn't happen

pics plz.

Its part of the fun of this thread.

Sorry so late

Still working on some cable managment. The MOBO cable and the 6 pin and 8 pin GPU cables are not long enough to run behind the board. I need to find some extentions =/

Also, I dont have any lighting yet inside the case. I'm leaning towards GREEN

 

[Infinite Justice]

Sorry so late



Still working on some cable managment. The MOBO cable and the 6 pin and 8 pin GPU cables are not long enough to run behind the board. I need to find some extentions =/

Also, I dont have any lighting yet inside the case. I'm leaning towards GREEN

jacknicholsonnod.gif


thanks for that as its great to see and some cable management would help it some more (if you can get it to work out)

 

[legacyzero]

I could try to run the cables as they are, but it would cause some pull on the parts and the seating of the plugs. Dont want to risk that =/

It has WAAAY more cable management than my previous case. This case is SO good.

 

[Echoes of Pink]

I have a question for PC GAF. My current computer is starting to have to run games at medium settings instead of high. I've been thinking about building a new computer after the new year, but I'm thinking that upgrading might be more cost effective for me at the moment. I'm saving for a house, so another 1k would go a long way.

My current machine is:

AMD Phenom II x3 720 BE
4 GB 1066 DDR 2 ram
Nvidia GTX 260 216 Core
1080p Monitor

I'm pretty sure that the best bang for my buck is just upgrading the graphics card. My question is which cards should I be looking at to run games on high/ultra at 60 fps? As a heads up, my motherboard only supports PCI 2.0 which might handicap some of the faster cards (I may be off in my understanding).

Associated questions:
Should I upgrade the other parts as well as the graphics card?
Should I just wait till the new year and build a complete machine then?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Finn of Ooo]

So I just put together my pc, for anyone with a radeon hd 6870, do I need to install drivers or do anything special before I can use the hdmi ports, because I tried booting for the first time using that port and I just got a black screen showing no signal.

 

[MrBig]

So I just put together my pc, for anyone with a radeon hd 6870, do I need to install drivers or do anything special before I can use the hdmi ports, because I tried booting for the first time using that port and I just got a black screen showing no signal.

You'll probably need to boot from the iGPU using the mobo inputs and switch the display device to PCIe

 

[Ceebs]

Man, The price on the 830 has dropped another 40 bucks from when I bought mine a few months ago. I may just go ahead and order a 2nd one instead of fooling with replacing this 500GB mechanical drive considering how awful prices are on those at the moment.

 

[DeadRockstar]

Man, The price on the 830 has dropped another 40 bucks from when I bought mine a few months ago. I may just go ahead and order a 2nd one instead of fooling with replacing this 500GB mechanical drive considering how awful prices are on those at the moment.

I just added a second 256gb 830 for raid 0 since TRIM works in raid now. There's almost no tangible benefit but the extra space for the price is great. I paid literally twice as much for the first 830. Now my only mechanical drives are in the NAS. Best of both worlds.

 

[mkenyon]

Today i got a PC (for free) with the following specs:

AMD Dual Core with 2,6GHz (dont know the real Name of the CPU yet)
Nvidia Geforce 8800GTS
6GB DDR2 Ram
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

How much do you think will this PC improves the gaming experience for GW2 and DOTA 2 at the same Resolution? I have no idea how good or bad that PC is, i just now that canyourunit says i have the recommended specs for the games. Thanks in advance

Probably not great at all.

Your Current Specs: New Computer
Budget: 0-1000 USA (Price Range Flexible since my needs might not be obtainable at that price point)
Main Use: Light Gaming-1, Gaming-5, Emulation (PS2/Wii)-5, Video Editing-5, HD Streaming-2, 3D work-0, General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)-2.
Monitor Resolution: Whatever is recommended for TV set up
SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Is Crysis 2 on High still the benchmark?
Looking to reuse any parts?:NO
When will you build?: Dec 2012 to Jan 2013
Will you be overclocking?: NO
Case: Would like a Horizontal case for all of this if possible (Want to hook it up to the TV along with the Game Systems.

Sadly this is about as much as I can supply.
I've been looking at this thread for awhile now, and just can't by myself figure out what would work best especially with emualtion in mind. However building the PC wouldn't be a issue since i'll be having help from friends in that regard. Also No SSD for me.

I'd appreciate any help on this project. Since getting a new PC which to me can feel more like a game console is something I've wanted to do for awhile.

Before I start recommending specific parts, I want to make absolute certain that Video Editing is indeed a '5' in importance to you. If that is the case, what software are you currently using for it? Premiere? Vegas?

That'll have a fairly significant effect on suggested parts.

So a couple of questions. Here are my specs:
i7-2600 3.4GHz
8GB DDR3 1600MHz
sabretooth mobo
just got a gtx 670 4gb to replace use with my old 560TI

I had my old Viewsonic 24" 3D monitor go bad. It has an image just no light, it may be the baclklight or just bad capacitors,(i hope its this). I'm gonna get it fixed if I find a place, but right now I thinking on a new one. I am currently using my Vizio 42" TV, also 120Hz, to play on my PC use it, but a 720p since its far and 1080p loks to small(still game on 1080p no prob). My questions is what is the best monitor/TV I could get right now for 700 max.

I'm leaning towards one ACER 27" 120Hz 3D monitor, what other better alternatives do I have at that price range. Any biggger, better. Anoother TV maybe 36", but what do you think are the pros, cons between these.

Also I would like to get the other 8GB of RAM because it is on the cheap, but the corsair heatsink I have kind of block one of the slots on my board. ANy other better heatsinks? Or is removing the memory sink safe?

For 120hz monitors, the best are the BenQ XL2420T if you want super responsiveness and precision or the Samsung S23A700/750D if colors and a gloss screen are what you want.

I have a question for PC GAF. My current computer is starting to have to run games at medium settings instead of high. I've been thinking about building a new computer after the new year, but I'm thinking that upgrading might be more cost effective for me at the moment. I'm saving for a house, so another 1k would go a long way.

My current machine is:

AMD Phenom II x3 720 BE
4 GB 1066 DDR 2 ram
Nvidia GTX 260 216 Core
1080p Monitor

I'm pretty sure that the best bang for my buck is just upgrading the graphics card. My question is which cards should I be looking at to run games on high/ultra at 60 fps? As a heads up, my motherboard only supports PCI 2.0 which might handicap some of the faster cards (I may be off in my understanding).

Associated questions:
Should I upgrade the other parts as well as the graphics card?
Should I just wait till the new year and build a complete machine then?

Thanks in advance.

There's some endemic issues with AMD processors and games where the hard data has recently come to light. It's that AMD processors suffer from what is called 'frame latency', which leads to a lot of the stutters that people experience in playing games.

That being said, you'll want to upgrade your whole system. If you're not one who really wants a totally fluid experience, then you could probably get by until Haswell is released early next year.

Going with a new GPU is certainly the best way to go about a large upgrade, but you'll still feel those stutters fairly often, and won't see a huge improvement in games where processor is the bottleneck. As far as what card you should buy, get the best that you're willing to buy. The only one really held back by PCI-E 2.0 right now is the 690.

I just added a second 256gb 830 for raid 0 since TRIM works in raid now. There's almost no tangible benefit but the extra space for the price is great. I paid literally twice as much for the first 830. Now my only mechanical drives are in the NAS. Best of both worlds.

I agree with *everything* in this post.

 

[Gunharp]

My new PC is up and running and things have been great, even updated the BIOS fine.

Is there a guide out there for how to set up the ASUS P8Z77-V LK? I just have the BIOS set to optimized default. I did install the ASUS utilities and then uninstalled them. I don’t need to overclock or monitor fan speed.

Also installing every driver was a bit of a mess. Can anyone verify if this list of stuff is correct for that motherboard? Nothing in device manager is flagged any more, just trying to keep things lean.

• Intel Chipset Driver
• Realtek Audio Driver
Question: Did I even need to do this? I disabled the system tray it introduced.
• Intel Graphics Accelerator Driver
Question: What is the difference between this and the Intel VGA Driver?
• Intel Management Engine
• Realtek LAN Driver
Question: Did not install the Realtek Ethernet Utility, should I?
• Intel USB 3.0 Driver
• Asmedia USB 3.0
• Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver
• Intel Rapid Start Technology
NOTE: This would not install. I don't have an SSD, I assume that's why?
• Lucid Logix MVP
Question: I have no idea if I need this. I read the anandtech articles on it and it seams neat, but I am thinking I should uninstall.

Lastly I would like to pick out the right graphics card. I am moving on from an 8800GT and play at 1080P. Given the 1080 resolution, I don’t think I need to spend $400 dollars. I play A LOT of DOTA 2, but own graphics heavy games like Battlefield 3, Codemaster racing games, Witcher 2, Crysis 2, Metro, etc.

The cards I am comparing are:

GeForce GTX 660 Ti. GeForce GTX 670, Radeon 7870, Radeon 7950

 

[MrBig]

Uninstall Lucid MVP. Don't install anything else unless there is something that doesn't work as it should.

660ti would be great for you at 1080.

 

[Echoes of Pink]

There's some endemic issues with AMD processors and games where the hard data has recently come to light. It's that AMD processors suffer from what is called 'frame latency', which leads to a lot of the stutters that people experience in playing games.

That being said, you'll want to upgrade your whole system. If you're not one who really wants a totally fluid experience, then you could probably get by until Haswell is released early next year.

Going with a new GPU is certainly the best way to go about a large upgrade, but you'll still feel those stutters fairly often, and won't see a huge improvement in games where processor is the bottleneck. As far as what card you should buy, get the best that you're willing to buy. The only one really held back by PCI-E 2.0 right now is the 690.

Thanks for the advice. I didn't know about any of the issues about AMD processors. To be honest, I've never noticed the stuttering myself. Do you have any links where I can read up on it?

Anyway, I might adjust my plan and buy a graphics card for my current system then move it to a new build early next year. I was looking at the newly released GTX 660 cards. $230 fits in my price range at the moment.

 

[Jarate]

So i've been looking around the internet to build a new pc, but I want as much help as possible when making these choices

Budget: 0-800USA
Main Use: Light Gaming 2, Gaming 5, Emulation (PS2/Wii) 5, Video Editing3, HD Streaming5, 3D work1, General Usage 3 (Word, Web, 1080p playback).
Monitor Resolution: 1080P
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: I want to be able to run any Wii/Gamecube/PS2 game I throw into it at the highest settings. Also, Borderlands 2, Skyrim (at highest settings)
Looking to reuse any parts?: no
When will you build?: I can wait a month or two, but my pc is falling apart right now and idk how long it will last
Will you be overclocking?: no (although, if someone can tell me why I should, please post here)

 

[JambiBum]

Is there any way I can get my pc to auto switch to my astro mix amp when I turn it on? Right now I always have to go into my audio options and change the default device to the mix amp. With my laptop I don't have to do it. It detects it automatically.

 

[Dark Octave]

The HDD in one of my old PCs is IDE and the one I'm building is SATA. Is there anything I can do to retrieve the info from my old HDD? Old PC is busted.

 

[Gunharp]

Uninstall Lucid MVP. Don't install anything else unless there is something that doesn't work as it should.

660ti would be great for you at 1080.

Will uninstall, thx! Got any answers for my other questions?

Also just decided on a GPU today, the GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670

10% off and a game I was going to buy anyways It's a bit overkill but I did hit my under $400 target...fucking cant wait to finally replace my 8800GT.

 

[Ceebs]

The HDD in one of my old PCs is IDE and the one I'm building is SATA. Is there anything I can do to retrieve the info from my old HDD? Old PC is busted.

They make little adapters that you can probably use to transfer the data. Once you get it off, just junk pile the old IDE drive.

 

[mkenyon]

So i've been looking around the internet to build a new pc, but I want as much help as possible when making these choices

Budget: 0-800USA
Main Use: Light Gaming 2, Gaming 5, Emulation (PS2/Wii) 5, Video Editing3, HD Streaming5, 3D work1, General Usage 3 (Word, Web, 1080p playback).
Monitor Resolution: 1080P
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: I want to be able to run any Wii/Gamecube/PS2 game I throw into it at the highest settings. Also, Borderlands 2, Skyrim (at highest settings)
Looking to reuse any parts?: no
When will you build?: I can wait a month or two, but my pc is falling apart right now and idk how long it will last
Will you be overclocking?: no (although, if someone can tell me why I should, please post here)

Go for the enhanced build. ezpz

Is there any way I can get my pc to auto switch to my astro mix amp when I turn it on? Right now I always have to go into my audio options and change the default device to the mix amp. With my laptop I don't have to do it. It detects it automatically.

Disable your onboard sound in BIOS.

Thanks for the advice. I didn't know about any of the issues about AMD processors. To be honest, I've never noticed the stuttering myself. Do you have any links where I can read up on it?

Anyway, I might adjust my plan and buy a graphics card for my current system then move it to a new build early next year. I was looking at the newly released GTX 660 cards. $230 fits in my price range at the moment.

http://techreport.com/review/23246/inside-the-second-gaming-performance-with-today-cpus

 

[cackhyena]

Just installed my 670 and everything went fine. Except the fact that now my computer isn't reading my extra HDDs. I don't know what to do as they aren't showing up in Disk management either?

 

[suffah]

Looking for a clean, simple looking case.

Any deals better than this one right now for $64 shipped?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154

 

[scogoth]

Just installed my 670 and everything went fine. Except the fact that now my computer isn't reading my extra HDDs. I don't know what to do as they aren't showing up in Disk management either?

Check to make sure the controller they are connected to is in AHCI or IDE depending on what it was before. When I installed my new 680s that somehow got reset to IDE mode for me.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Just installed my 670 and everything went fine. Except the fact that now my computer isn't reading my extra HDDs. I don't know what to do as they aren't showing up in Disk management either?

maybe a connector was loosened when you were connecting the Graphics card? try to see if the cables are secured firmly or just disconnect then reconnect the affected drive.

 

[Legit`]

Make sure to watch Amazon warehouse deals. I picked up a GTX 680 for $260.

 

[cackhyena]

My bad, guys. I went back in and it turns out I somehow disconnected two of them in the process of hooking up the GPU. They were just sitting there disconnected. Unreal. Thanks anyway. Loving the giant leap forward with this 670!

 

[Infinite Justice]

Make sure to watch Amazon warehouse deals. I picked up a GTX 680 for $260.

that's a hell of a deal :O

My bad, guys. I went back in and it turns out I somehow disconnected two of them in the process of hooking up the GPU. They were just sitting there disconnected. Unreal. Thanks anyway. Loving the giant leap forward with this 670!

Yep, it can happen. At least it was that and not something worse.

 

[mkenyon]

Looking for a clean, simple looking case.

Any deals better than this one right now for $64 shipped?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154

ATX only? Would you mind spending a bit more for a better one?

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

Radeon HD 8xxx series?

http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=2
http://read2ch.com/r/jisaku/1347605134/ID:hKcZJDn

 

[mkenyon]

Some goods deals on NCIX Fall Clearance, the ones that stuck out to me:

BitFenix Raider $70

Define R3 Silver $75

Assorted Spectre Pro's (this one is white) $7.99

AX 650 $110 after $10 MIR

Lots more here

 

[Ceebs]

That Raider case looked really nice when I got mine. A shame it was shattered to bits during shipping since it's mostly plastic. Had that really cool feeling finish on the outside as well.

 

[suffah]

ATX only? Would you mind spending a bit more for a better one?

Actually my mobo is a mini itx. I wouldnt mind paying more.

 

[Link0080]

Going to be building a new PC in about 2 weeks and I've picked out the parts and looking for feedback/suggestions. PC will be mainly used for gaming at 1920x1080.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
HDD: WD Blue 1TB
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower
DVD Burner

Total with shipping is $951

I switched out an i7 for the i5 to bring down the price.

 

[mkenyon]

Actually my mobo is a mini itx. I wouldnt mind paying more.

Is this not plain enough?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345017

This is significantly more, but pretty sweet as well

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112339

This is also a fairly small case, ITX compatiblity.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345013&Tpk=bitfenix outlaw

*EDIT*
Others worth checking out: Fractal Define Mini, Fractal Arc Mini, both $100. Lian Li PC-A04 is $80 on newegg right now.

Going to be building a new PC in about 2 weeks and I've picked out the parts and looking for feedback/suggestions. PC will be mainly used for gaming at 1920x1080.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
HDD: WD Blue 1TB
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower
DVD Burner

Total with shipping is $951

I switched out an i7 for the i5 to bring down the price.

Swap motherboard with one of the Z77 boards in the OP.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

What do you guys think of this Gigabyte 670 for $360 shipped (with Borderlands 2, which I'll be selling)?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16814125423

 

[mkenyon]

The Gigabyte Windforce is the best 670 cooler. #1 rec for a 670 by far.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

The Gigabyte Windforce is the best 670 cooler. #1 rec for a 670 by far.

Oops, I put MSI in there. Ok, bought. Going to get rid of my 660ti and 7950 for it.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Before I start recommending specific parts, I want to make absolute certain that Video Editing is indeed a '5' in importance to you. If that is the case, what software are you currently using for it? Premiere? Vegas?

That'll have a fairly significant effect on suggested parts.

I'd be using Sony Vegas.

 

[Link0080]

Swap motherboard with one of the Z77 boards in the OP.

I added BIOSTAR TZ77B LGA 1155 Intel Z77

I'm kind of worried that the GPU might not fit, it should fit ok though right?

 

[jsrv]

Just a heads up: Gigabyte 670 discounted down to 359.99 USD in Amazon, I think Newegg also has the same price

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

Hi buddies.
I have a question.

I'm crossfiring 2 6950s and everything is working well, but my #1 gpu is running way hotter than my number 2. I'm getting into high 80s on #1 and mid 50s on #2.

I read somewhere that it might be that card 2 is blocking the airflow for card 1 and that if i could i should use a pcie slot that's further away from card number 1.

I have the Asus p8z77-v LK motherboard, and it does have 3 pciex16 slots, but it says that the bottom one operates at 4x.

So I shouldn't use that one? Why is it called a pci-e x16 slot if it operates at x4? Wouldn't that make it a x4 slot?

I'm really confused.

 

[Hazaro]

To emphasize.

Just a heads up: Gigabyte 670 discounted down to 359.99 USD in Amazon, I think Newegg also has the same price

Best GTX 670 for $360 on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080I06WQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Hi buddies.
I have a question.

I'm crossfiring 2 6950s and everything is working well, but my #1 gpu is running way hotter than my number 2. I'm getting into high 80s on #1 and mid 50s on #2.

I read somewhere that it might be that card 2 is blocking the airflow for card 1 and that if i could i should use a pcie slot that's further away from card number 1.

I have the Asus p8z77-v LK motherboard, and it does have 3 pciex16 slots, but it says that the bottom one operates at 4x.

So I shouldn't use that one? Why is it called a pci-e x16 slot if it operates at x4? Wouldn't that make it a x4 slot?

I'm really confused.

The physical slot is x16, but the bandwidth is limit to 4x speeds. There shouldn't be that large a performance hit if you drop it into the 4x and you keep the xFire connector on. Having two close cards sucks. :/
That said upper 80's is acceptable for temps, though I'd personally run the fan higher or have bought twin fan style coolers to bring the heat down.

 

[Infinite Justice]

To emphasize.

Best GTX 670 for $360 on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080I06WQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The physical slot is x16, but the bandwidth is limit to 4x speeds. There shouldn't be that large a performance hit if you drop it into the 4x and you keep the xFire connector on. Having two close cards sucks. :/
That said upper 80's is acceptable for temps, though I'd personally run the fan higher or have bought twin fan style coolers to bring the heat down.

if i had a extra 360 dollars i would get this but alas

 

[HoosTrax]

I think my X-Fi (old XtremeMusic model from years ago) just died :\ . I booted up Windows, heard the start of the audio clip at the login screen, which cut out midway through. Now only the SPDIF output is showing up -- the regular audio out is gone.

I guess I should be looking at ASUS cards if I want something with an integrated headamp?

 

[legacyzero]

What do you guys think of this Gigabyte 670 for $360 shipped (with Borderlands 2, which I'll be selling)?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16814125423

The Gigabyte Windforce is the best 670 cooler. #1 rec for a 670 by far.

To emphasize.

Best GTX 670 for $360 on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080I06WQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

It's running FANTASTIC for me. DO EEEEET!

 

[rabhw]

Hey all, looking for a bit of advice, this might be a long-ass post but I'll try to keep it succinct.

I am looking to build a PC for the living room, mainly for 1080p mkv video playback, along with game emulation up to N64/PSX-era games, and some Steam gaming -- indie titles, and maybe some new ones at low-details. I realize getting emulation for Dolphin will push it way beyond my budget, so I'm stopping at N64/PSX.

Since this is for the living room, case size does matter, I'm probably going to need mini-ITX, but i might be able to get away with mATX depending on how small/discreet the case is.

Budget: Max $450 - 500, the lower the better though - I do have plenty of 3.5" hard drives lying around, so that should save a bit of budget space. The pc would be streaming media from a NAS, so large on-board storage isn't necessary, just enough for OS / some games.

Now, I'm looking at a few options....

Option 1
Zotac AD04-U (E-450 based)

Option 2
Take the lowest-budget PC builds from the OP, and modify the motherboard/case to fit into a mini-ITX form factor...

Option 3
Salvage an old PC I have with:
Q6600
Gigabyte P35C-DS3R (ATX )
4gb DDR2 800
etc.

The problem with this option is that I'd need to buy a mini-ITX socket 775 motherboard, and case, and graphics card, so at that point it might not be worth it to invest in the dated 775 platform for the sake of using the q6600 :/

-------------------------------

Any suggestions welcome, I can't really find benchmarks on how the e-450 would even handle N64 emulation, but I'm itching to play OOT / MM with my girlfriend, so that's a must!

 

[Stubo]

Now, I'm looking at a few options....

Option 1
Zotac AD04-U (E-450 based)
!

Looking on that page the form factor is tiny and it looks pretty convenient, however I looked at the one review on the page and it doesn't seem promising for 1080p playback.

Used as a HTPC and running XBMC. It's a bit slow and tops out with 720p .mkv files (1080p files stutter on playback)

It depends just how small you'd like your build to be but there's been a few nice cases posted in the last week or so.

Hopefully someone else will be able to give you much better advice for a small build with actual experience behind it

 

[rabhw]

Looking on that page the form factor is tiny and it looks pretty convenient, however I looked at the one review on the page and it doesn't seem promising for 1080p playback.

Strange, I actually didn't read the review on NCIX, I read reviews of e-350/e-450 on anandtech, and they seemed generally positive. They did note that 1080p stuttered using YouTube/Flash, but that isn't really what I'd be using it for. But if that owner is having trouble with 1080p mkv, maybe I just scratch that option altogether.

I wonder how hard it'd be to fit Hazarro's cheapest build into mini-ITX, hmm.