Read first: Will PCSX2 run fast on my computer?

[Oemenia]

Does anyone know if having quad-cores helps even without the MTVU hack enabled. Im sure having less OS resources on the cores being used must free up some resources for PCSX2?

[Nobbs66]

it's more useful for software mode.

[ssakash]

Does anyone know if having quad-cores helps even without the MTVU hack enabled. Im sure having less OS resources on the cores being used must free up some resources for PCSX2?

software mode + 3 threads....

[tbx59]

Few questions here:

I'm going to build a budget computer in the next couple weeks and will put a g3258 in and overclock --- 60fps and native resolution shouldn't be much of an issue for most games, right? Can I get them to HD? How about video card? Does a 270x seem like a good card to pair with the g3258? How about ram, any gain going from 4gb to 8gb to 16gb (thinking about just putting in 4gb to start and then adding 4 more a bit later to free up money to spend on a video card)

Do I just use imgburn to rip isos of my games, or do I need to do anything specific?

I'm going to put an SSD in, since the ps2 had a slow dvd drive, I'm guessing there won't be much - if any - gain by putting the isos on the ssd - is that a correct assumption.

thanks

so:
g3258, z97 board, 4-8gb ram, 270x, 120gb ssd, 1tb hd - how does that look?

[ssakash]

well, you could also take a look at my sig which i mentioned for a cheap budget pc in order to play pcsx2, but, if you have got more money then , you can probably add a ssd to the list and a better ram, hdd. and, there isnt much gain using ssd on pcsx2, if you are going for it , it will help a lot in pc gaming though.and for gpu, even a gt640 will be enough unless you are playing above 4x native, if you want a good graphical performance with vsync, fxaa get atleast an gtx650 or gtx750.and 4gb ram is good enough for most things.

[tbx59]

thanks, any benefit getting nvidia over amd video cards in pcsx2?

[ssakash]

thanks, any benefit getting nvidia over amd video cards in pcsx2?

well in case of pcsx2 there isn't any merit but, in case of efficiency nvidia is better than amd because they have less consumption of watts and preferable for a low budget psu. but, AMD is also a good choice, if you are using nvidia gpu in the recent revs you should use the nvidia hack for it specificaly. so, if your psu isnt a problem go for amd. but, note this nvidia has a lot of features such as g-sync, shadow play which could be used to record your games for no lag at all. but it's your choice.

[karasuhebi]

Few questions here:

I'm going to build a budget computer in the next couple weeks and will put a g3258 in and overclock --- 60fps and native resolution shouldn't be much of an issue for most games, right? Can I get them to HD? How about video card? Does a 270x seem like a good card to pair with the g3258? How about ram, any gain going from 4gb to 8gb to 16gb (thinking about just putting in 4gb to start and then adding 4 more a bit later to free up money to spend on a video card)

Do I just use imgburn to rip isos of my games, or do I need to do anything specific?

I'm going to put an SSD in, since the ps2 had a slow dvd drive, I'm guessing there won't be much - if any - gain by putting the isos on the ssd - is that a correct assumption.

thanks

so:
g3258, z97 board, 4-8gb ram, 270x, 120gb ssd, 1tb hd - how does that look?

Yes, you should be able to get most PS2 games to HD resolutions without much of a problem with this build.

A 270X is plenty in my opinion, specially since emulation is mostly CPU driven. A 270 is slightly more powerful than even what the PS4 has for a video card, so trust me when I say a 270X is WAY more than enough for emulation lol.

I totally agree with your idea of getting a 4GB stick first and then springing for another 4GB stick later if you feel like you really need it.

As far as ripping your game discs, ImgBurn will do you just fine.

I wouldn't recommend putting the images on your SSD since you want to conserve that valuable space for things that actually need the speed. Also I've seen reports here on the forum that running .iso files from the same disk as your OS can cause lag issues. So I would suggest keeping your .iso files on your 1TB HDD.

It looks like you're on the right track for a great budget gaming PC! One thing I would like to mention though is that you don't need a Z97 board to OC the G3258, some manufacturers have BIOS updates for their B and H boards that let you OC that sucker. So if you don't have a Micro Center near you to take advantage of the G3258 + MSi Z97 board $100 bundle, going with a cheaper board will save you some money. Here's a list of some non-Z boards than can OC that puppy: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2389948

Also don't forget to get a nice cooler so you can OC that thing to its limits. I've heard great things about the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO and that's what I'm going to be getting for my budget PC, which is pretty much the same as yours (except for I'm not going to be buying a video card for it just yet).

Good luck man and game on!

[Oemenia]

it's more useful for software mode.

software mode + 3 threads....

I get that but I'm saying in hardware mode since less of the two/three cores being used will go to OS demands.

I was reading on the Dolphin forums (pure dual-core emulator) that a quad-core runs 10-20% faster.

[ssakash]

I get that but I'm saying in hardware mode since less of the two/three cores being used will go to OS demands.

I was reading on the Dolphin forums (pure dual-core emulator) that a quad-core runs 10-20% faster.

well, it actually depends on the game whether it's favourable to hardware or software mode, some games can only be played on software mode , and some runs better in hardware mode. so it varies according to the game i guess