About 3 years ago I shoved a computer into an NES as an HTPC/Steambox (built around the same time Big Picture mode was released, much to my good timing). I built it fairly low-end, not wanting throw too much money at the idea and so I didn't get a powerful APU that would overheat inside a plastic box. Unfortunately, I went too low, and a lot of games were pushing below 30 FPS, even on my 720p TV. Luckily, my Steam library is full of low-spec indie games, so I just kept the high-spec games on my desktop and waited for a new line of APUs that would give me a substantial boost. A couple months ago my fiance wanted to build a PC to replace her ancient Vista-running desktop, so I figured I could toss her the guts of the NES and my desktop's GPU and upgrade both over Black Friday.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD A10-7800 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $119.99 @ SuperBiiz |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard | $89.98 @ OutletPC |
| Memory | Mushkin Stealth 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory | $41.99 @ Newegg |
| Storage | Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | - |
| Storage | Western Digital Scorpio Black 750GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $89.99 @ Amazon |
| Case | NES | |
| PSU | picoPSU-160-XT + 192W Adapter Power Kit | |
| Optical Drive | Xbox 360 HD DVD Drive | |
| Other | Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter | |
| Other | Steam Controller | |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $341.95 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 20:27 EST-0500 |
I spent a bit of time deciding on which APU to get. I settled on the A10-7800 since it ran more efficiently than the newer A10-7870K, meaning less heat and less chance of overwhelming my PSU. The choice of motherboard was simpler: the placement of the APU had to be the same to match the vent holes for the fan. It's still a bit off center but i got damn close.
It mostly looks the same as in the original photo set, but here are a few new ones.
And no surprise, I'm getting much better performance. I haven't bought many recent games, so I'm still working on stuff like Deus Ex: HR, Saint's Row the Third, and L.A. Noire. But games that were running at 20-30 FPS on Medium settings at 768p are getting 40-50 FPS on Ultra. I'm hoping to Family Share Fallout 4 soon so I have a bleeding-edge game to test. On the emulation side I was able to run both Gamecube and Wii games running at 720p. However, Super Mario Galaxy wasn't hitting full speed and I had to dial it back to native resolution + some AA, but that's a very intensive game to emulate.
Submitted by MisterQwert Xbox 720 Release Date 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment