PC build thread

[TSTR]

yeah x360ce is super simple and should solve it

once I set it up, it's all set right? Like I won't need to launch x360ce everytime I boot the box?

Haven't messed with it in a bit, but I would assume there is an option to launch on startup.

[noiseredux]

so so so, I figured I'd mention the arcade shelf Steambox build I'm working on now. The goal was to use as much components that I already had in possession as I could. And for it to "just work" with an arcade stick. As far as games, I wanted it to be able to run Street Fighter V. I think that's the most demanding game on my list.

So here's a breakdown of the parts I already owned...

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor
*Normally I'm an Intel guy. But I salvaged this beast out of a rig I rescued from a thrift store last year. It's far more powerful than the spare Intel CPU I had around. So it made good sense to use this one.

RAM: Corsair XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
*Salvaged from the same rig. 8GB is probably overkill for this build actually, but SF5 does call for 6GB min. Anyway, the fact that it's 4 sticks, and the fact that I went w/ an AMD CPU means that a new mobo is one of the only items I'd need to buy for this build.

SSD: OCZ Vertex 2 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
*For fast boot. 120GB is probably even enough to hold a bunch of arcade-style games. (I'll be using this thing for fighters, shmups, puzzlers, etc).

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
*I have a bunch of spare HDD's. This one's pretty big.

PSU: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Salvaged from that same build above.

OS: I have a Win8 key that I'll just update to Win10. Doesn't really matter though as my plan is to just have this launch into Steam Big Picture Mode at boot anyway. I did consider going the SteamOS route as it's free, but then realized that I lot of games that I want to be able to play still aren't supported on Linux/SteamOS.


Planned: I have a mobo and case on the way.


Undecided: I have several optical drives to choose from. Not sure this build even needs one. I think I'm gonna use a little USB dongle I have for wifi, as it's not really in a good spot to get wired. But the big question is really about GPU... I've been kind of jumping around between a GTX 750 Ti (~$100), a 950 (~$150) and a 960 (~$200). Again, using SF5 as my high water market... Capcom recommends the 960, though I've read it runs on 950 just fine, and if I can confirm the 750 can handle it then that's even better.

[isiolia]

You can get a 2GB 960 for $160 or so on eVGA's b stock page, if that bridges the gap some.

Kinda wonder about markdowns and stuff in a few months though, since presumably we're actually going to see a new generation of cards.

[noiseredux]

You can get a 2GB 960 for $160 or so on eVGA's b stock page, if that bridges the gap some.

I neglected to mention that this is going in a fairly small case, so the particular models of those cards I'm looking for are small, single fan ones.

[noiseredux]

How would a Radeon R7 250 2GB compare to a GTX 750 Ti? Think the 250 could handle Street Fighter V?

[Ziggy]

That's one huge reason why I was heavily considering the 750 Ti a few pages back. I love the size of it and the low power requirements.

[noiseredux]

Arcade Bookshelf build update:

Got in the mobo for this build on Friday. I went with an MSI 760GMA-P34... because I'm an idiot and put the wrong one in my cart. Haha. To elaborate, I was between this board and an Asus - and had decided on the Asus because it had four RAM slots vs. the two in this board. Since I had four sticks of 2GB Crucial RAM already in my possession, this made sense. But like I said, I managed to click buy on the wrong board. I'm too lazy and impatient to return this thing, though. I'm really really hoping to have this build done by Thursday (which is when Deathsmiles hits Steam). So I'll throw in 4GB now and plan to upgrade it soon if I feel I need more power. A big goal of this build has been to use as much parts as I can rather than buy new stuff. I'm aiming to make it as cheap as I possibly can. And Street Fighter V actually lists 6GB as a requirement, though Steam forums seem to say that 4GB is fine. We'll see.

Of course part of the waiting has to do with parts getting to me. I still don't have the case or the GPU.

And I also hit another snag. It occurred to me that every build I've ever done for myself was based around an Intel CPU. This is the first time I'm doing an AMD build. I stripped this Phenom II from a rig I found at a thrift store. However, the cooler in that thing was a beast. And it's super dirty and gross. So I realized I don't have a cooler for this build. So I ordered a cheap Thermaltake, but the issue is that PCPartPicker couldn't seem to tell me for sure that this (or any) cooler was going to fit in this case or not. Kind of frustrating.

If I really can't make the AMD setup work, I've got a fall-back Intel G2020 and MSI mobo combo I can use. But the Intel is a dual-core 2.9Ghz vs. the AMD's six cores @ 3.4Ghz so it'll be a step down.

[noiseredux]

another update...

I got in the rest of the parts I was waiting on.


Case: Apevia X-QPACK3-BL



Went with this for size and because y'all know I like my rigs to be blue. It's a cube with blue windows that'll house a micro-ATX board nice and comfy but has room for a small GPU as well as an SDD, HDD and optical drive. This will technically fit inside my bookshelf cupboard, but I'm now having second thoughts and might just leave it out to the side as it's really snug and I worry about heat.


GPU: MSI Radeon R7 250 2GB

Honestly, I went with this over the GTX 750 Ti because it was on sale for like half the price. I'm a sucker for cheap. And a GPU is something easily upgraded later if I feel the need. Upgrades (RAM as well) will be dependent on Street Fighter V's performance really. This build should handle all other arcade style games I want to play just fine. If I find myself really wanting an upgrade then I'll bite the bullet and go for a 960 or something.


Cooler: Thermaltake CL-P0503

It was cheap and I trust Thermaltake.


So there we go. I've got everything I need. Have burned a Win10 ISO and have a key ready. So I should have time to assemble tomorrow night.

[noiseredux]

alright so I built this rig last night. Went well. I like this case a lot. I'm impressed by how much you can cram in it, and how (relatively) easy it is to build in it. I say relatively because I'd suggest anyone who uses it to NOT use a modular PSU like I did. It's really tight.

I did a clean install of Windows 10 using a Win8 key I had. No problems. This Radeon R7 250 is friggin LOUD tho! Win10 even found drivers for the USB wifi dongle I had connected. Updated the AMD drivers. Set it to launch straight into Steam's Big Picture Mode.

Now I had mentioned previously about my 360 HRAP not working with BPM because it's not Xinput. Others had suggested x360ce, but as far as I've figured out reading through Steam forums, I don't think this solution works because you need to put the x360ce DLL file into the folder of the EXE that it's going to be working with, but Steam will just overwrite it. There may or may not be workarounds, but as it was getting late I decided to just plug in my PS2 Hori (fake-HRAP) via USB adapter - which does recognize as Xinput - and was able to just confirm that BPM was working.

As a side note, I'd much prefer to be using 360 stick(s) so that the buttons correspond and because if I'm not mistaken, the 'Xbox button' can be used for BPM menu(?). The problem is finding reliable info on which 360 sticks are in fact Xinput or even a list of sticks confirmed working with BPM's interface. I always loved those "little Hori" 360 sticks - I forget the exact model - there was one branded w/ Dead Or Alive 4, though. I'd be able to fit two of those on this shelf comfortably for instance. There's also those cheap Mayflash sticks out there, which I'm pretty sure have both dinput and xinput modes, though they look like they wouldn't be *great* to use. Any opinions there from experience?

I downloaded Mushi to test it out but it launched into a windowed mode and didn't recognize the controller... and it was way too late to troubleshoot.

Anyway, I like the way the build is going and I'm hoping I'll get to play some Deathsmiles tonight.

[TSTR]

all 360 peripherals are XInput