(10-23-2014, 06:46 AM)karasuhebi Wrote: 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!
Thank you. I'm lucky to have a microcenter not too far away, so i'm going to grab that combo. And, yea, that cooler seems to be a good one, probably throw that in, maybe drop the video card down a bit. thanks again