Hardware requirements. Recomendations?
#1
So i recently started loading up my media center which was really meant for movies with emulators. I have been able to run everything i have thrown at this computer untill i found your emulator. =) Anyway i wanted to know what video card would get the job done. Here are my specs.

AMD Phenom triple core. 2.1ghz (overclocked to 2.5GHZ)
4GB DDR2 memory.
Gigabyte 780G motherboard with ATI radeon 3200
ATI Radeon 512MB 3450+3200 running Hybrid Crossfire. HDMI overclocked both cards to 680MHZ.
two 1.5tb drives running as single 3TB drive.
300watt PSU
Windows Vista Ultimate.
Latest drivers and updates.

Anyway I know that $30 3450 with 3200 hybrid crossfire just won't cut it. But i also know that an ATI 4350 and 4550 probably won't be much better considering it would be two cards vs one. It seems the ATI 4670 would be a big bump over what i got and i think my 300watt psu can handle that. What do you guys think? anyone using the 4670 or have any other recommendations that will not overwhelm my PSU?

i watched my framerates in psx2 (final fantasy XII) games at 640x480 hover around 32-43 fps and seem playable but you see the slowmo from time to time. When i put it at 720p (1280x720) it was even worse of course. I just want something that will handle that resolution. So far all the other games i run like playstation games and call of duty 4 run ok i just have to lower the settings.

Oh btw i was using the beta of psx2 if that helps peformance at all.
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#2
An ATI 4650 or 4670 would be good enough and not needing much extra power, 4550 would be too low to be an improvement really. Both the 4650 and 4670 are very good for the money (the 4650 costs about 10-15 bucks less while being about 10% slower but I'd probably take the 4670 just for a little more power). Higher cards than the 4670 would probably need you to change your PSU.

FFXII is a game that needs good CPU and GPU (mostly GPU tho) you'll have to use some speedhacks if you want improved speed. Grab the latest PCSX2 beta and enable the "x2 cycle rate" and "VU Cycle Stealing" set to moderate specially.

http://forums.pcsx2.net/thread-3716.html
Core i5 3570k -- Geforce GTX 670  --  Windows 7 x64
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#3
Thanks for the advice i think it really is my only choice without getting a better psu. I am using this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811108092
Its a sweet little case(for media center) but as you can see i think it uses a micro atx psu or something so a normal psu would not fit.

So with the settings you mention you think i could run god of war smooth or FFXII at 1280x720? Since this is a HD TV i am really aiming for at least 720p. 1080P might be too much.
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#4
With new card using speedhacks and DirectX 10 hardware yeah, not full speed all the time due to your CPU but very playable.
Core i5 3570k -- Geforce GTX 670  --  Windows 7 x64
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#5
(07-25-2009, 08:12 AM)Shadow Lady Wrote: With new card using speedhacks and DirectX 10 hardware yeah, not full speed all the time due to your CPU but very playable.

How does it run for you? a 9600gt is close to the same as a 4670 in performance right? what resolution do you run? I guess pcsx2 is not multi core its mainly just about the mhz? i could try to squeeze out a few more mhz in overclocking. tho i am trying to avoid increasing the voltage. want to keep heat down in this little case.
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#6
You shouldnt need to up the voltage Tongue

I can run FFXII very well with speedhacks, my CPU holds me back a bit too I get some slowdowns specially in some scenes down to 45fps but never less (at least that I remember Tongue) and usually I get full speed, it's been some time since I actually tried to play the game more than 20mins tho xD

As far as resolution I always run 1536x1536 on games and in FFXII except for the menu I dont remember getting any slowdown ingame due to my resolution.
Core i5 3570k -- Geforce GTX 670  --  Windows 7 x64
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#7
right on that makes me feel better. It sounds like a 4670 will get the job done. I am scouring the internet for the best deal. I found a 4670 for $58 but i found an even better deal a 4830 for $56! the problem is that i see it uses a pci express connector and uses more power so my 300 watt may not cut it. Here is a link to the power consumption of the cards.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/15752/8

Think i might be able to sqeak by with a 4830 on 300w psu? doesn't seem too much more than 4670 and for the same price i get quite a bit more performance.

However if i have to buy a 400w psu to run the 4830 for $30 then i don't think its worth. This pc i am building is a gift for a friend. =P
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#8
Looks like too good a price on the 4830 but I dont think that PSU would do well when it gets to power peaks.
Core i5 3570k -- Geforce GTX 670  --  Windows 7 x64
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