Advice on this buy

I'm going to buy a new PC since my current single core 2.5ghz CPU system just isn't cutting it these days with HD video and so on. I've got my eye on this Windows 7 Core 2 Quad Processor unit with 3GB Ram. The hard drive is pretty small but that's OK because I have a 500GB and 250 GB in the PC I'm using now so a quick swap is easy.

Here are the details.



My main use of this PC would be for HD video editing and watching and Blue Ray as well as some nice Model 2 and 3 Arcade emulation. I'm not a PC gamer and never will be, that's what my consoles are for. Will this PC be a good buy for HD video editing? Will it be fast enough to support Model 3 emulation?

The price is 28'000 yen which isn't bad as far as Japanese prices go. Would you buy this system?

Yakumo

 

I tried out Supermodel on an E6600 with a Geforce 8800 Ultra and it ran pretty nicely. Processor wise the Q6600 is a better cpu with 4 cores compared to the 2 of my E6600, plus you should be able to overclock a bit as well, the core2/4 family are great at getting a bit extra performance with stock cooling. The graphics card is relatively entry level for the hardware generation, I'm not sure it will hold it's own on Model 3 emulation, but it might. I'm not sure how bad hardware prices are in Japan, but if you can afford it I'd say throw a video upgrade in there and you should be good to go.

For comparison here are the stats on my system



edit: I just tested Lost World in Supermodel just to check the FPS and supermodel reports it is holding a solid 60fps on this setup

keep in mind that MAME will run 3d games mostly unplayable no matter what, they don't utilize hardware acceleration like system-tailored emulators do

 

Thanks for the comparison and advice derekb. From looking at your set up and reading about how Supermodel ran at a solid 60fps, I think I'll take the plunge on this PC and upgrade the graphics card at a later date. I may import the graphics card though from the states. Japanese PC hardware prices are way more expensive than the states and even Europe.

Yakumo

 

Just a second mention that I should have said in original post, Supermodel runs Lost World at 60fps, but alot of the games do NOT run at full speed. You gotta consider that the emulator is still only one release out though, I'm sure it will get better as long as it doesn't wind up abandoned (source was released atleast). It might run all games at full speed on some super high end PC but that is probably far outside the price you want to go into.

Fighting Vipers 2 claims to be running at 60 fps but is clearly not rendering that high, I'd say it's maybe at 20 or 30 at the most, feels like you are playing in slow (albeit smooth) mtion.

Scud Race is mostly playable but the FPS dips to what I'd judge as around 40-45 fps alot of the time, judging from the ingame counter ticking down at less than one second per in-game second

Emergency Ambulance or whatever is like 5-10 fps with severe graphic glitches (ie ambulance not even showing)


http://www.trzy.org/Supermodel/About.html has the current Supermodel compat list, half of the model 3 games don't even work

on the whole though I think you will be happy once you replace the graphics card, Q6600 is still a good CPU and with upgraded graphics you will have a very good PC

 

PC tech is fairly expensive in japan from what I understand, core2 is old tech but if it fits his budget and needs I think he'll be happy

 

hmm, never knew about the i range. I'll take a look on Yahoo auctions now for them.

 

Hmm, taking a look at i3, i5 and i7 has made me re-think my ideas. You see, I'll be using this set up for years (I'm still using a single core 2.5Ghz) so maybe a newer tech may be the way to go.

I found an Core i3 3.1Ghz 2100 (2 core 4 thread) with 4Gb of memory and a 500Gb Hard Drive brand new for 35'000 yen (Shipping in). While this is more than the set up I was looking at it is newer tech and better spec BUT no OS. I have Win XP though so will probably use that for the time being.

Yakumo

 

ah, yeah if you want something to last you a long long time, deifnitely look into the iX series, i7 is like driving a ferrari strapped to the starship enterprise compared to what you have right now

 

I would but to do it cost effectively I'd have to import everything. After adding shipping and so on would it be worth it ? Hmm, I'll go away and have a think about this. Any recommendations for good importers?

derekb, I love this

Just a shame the prices are too in this country.

Yakumo

 

Yeah no idea on a good PC parts importer, I have a friend in JPN who I will ask he might have some ideas. i7 really is a huge leap, I look forward to being able to upgrade soon tho it seems doubtful

 

Yakumo:

You can try the BSEL mod on your q6600. It's as simple as putting a piece of tape over on of the pin/pads on the bottom of the cpu so that it breaks contact with the socket.

I've been doing this on my E7500 (stock 2.93ghz) and it now runs at 3.66ghz. Been over a year since I did the mod and it's been rock stable. Stock cooler too.

I forget what yours goes to with just tape and no tweaking. Google BSEL q6600 or tape mod q6600.

 

i5 here and haven't looked back. Though that's inside a sexy MacBook Pro. These days my recommendations are i5/i7, SSD and as much RAM as you can afford

 

Get an i3 or better for editing HD video. It'll do the job (I currently have a Core2Duo 4gb of ram and 5770) but it's a pain in the ass and will take a while to render (20 mins for 3mins HD video I've found) More ram would certainly be welcomed (look at my 4gb of ram) and I've found I received a boost to rendering when I got my 5770.

 

If I had to upgrade, I'd go all out. Get a 6-core i7 (Intel), or a 12-core Magny (AMD). Should last you a very long time. (^_^);

 

That would be an ideal way to go but in Japan PC parts are not cheap. I may build my own since I already have HDD Drives, Optical drives and a case. The thing is, the last time I built a PC it only came out slightly cheaper than buying one already made. Maybe things have changed by now so I'll have to look in to it. An i7 sep up may not be affordable ATM. i3, no problem but I'd like i5 after checking a few set ups online.

Yakumo

 

Yakumo I have been advised by a friend living in Japan that you should pricematch through kakaku.com

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll give that a shot. I've decided to go with a i5 set up with 4GB of Ram. That should last me a good few years :nod:

 

Bottom line.

If you are a mainstream user, go with Sandy Bridge.
The i3 2nd gen is a cheap and powerful processor that gives you room to upgrade to an i5 or i7 if needed in the future.

For your GPU, Don't go with anything less than a GTX460 1GB(not the SE verison) or higher and/or an equivalent AMD 5xxx series or higher for modern games.


You can get Sandy bridge mobo's for decent prices and you can get a good i3 for less than 130$ (us dollars) And a GTX 460 if you look around in the right places goes for GOOD prices for the dollar/performance ratio. (I got a 460 1GB for 140$ used and it plays everything maxed up to 1080p. Except for a few extremely demanding games.)

Ram is cheap these days too. You can get 4GB DDR3 for around 40us$ and you will save a ton on your system by re-using old speakers/sound cards/keyboards/mice/optical drives/spare HDD's etc.

I know that you live in Japan, but is it possible to order from say a NA or European website and ship it international?(don't have a lot of experience with international stuff other than a small few games from japan)


With having a powerful computer you can also get into PS2 emulation with superb upscaling to High Definition Resolutions. Much better than the PS3 does by far.

Now if only SSF had hardware filtering/upscaling and stuff. It's already a great emulator as it is.