Starting from scratch with a gaming set-up

[Le Roi]

Hey guys,

If you were starting from scratch with a gaming set-up, what would you do?

My priority is emulating PS1, DC and MAME. I'm interested in some, but not many, new games. I'll list them later on.

Other key information: an all-in-one solution would be ideal, depends on time and cost. Also, I'm not tech-savvy.

Currently it seems like these are my options:

1. Preloaded Raspberry Pi

This was my preferred option, but I've just been scammed for a couple of hundred quid, so I'm wary.

2. Build my own Raspberry Pi + buy old PC

I'm wary of downloading viruses from ROM sites. I've bricked a couple of laptops in the past by clicking on dodgy links I wouldn't use my current laptop for downloading due to all the personal info on it. I'd buy an extra, cheap one.

Extremely time-consuming option and potentially not cost-effective.

3. New PC

My max budget would be £500-ish. All-in-one solution, but maybe not best value. Wouldn't outperform PS4 Pro on new games. I'd need to pay for Windows, as I'm not comfortable with Linux. Also very time-intensive.

4. 2nd hand PC

For retro emulation only. I don't know the min spec or budget required for DC emulation.

5. Combination of consoles

PS4 Pro + Psp + Wii

I already own a soft-modded Wii. I can buy a cheap preloaded SD card to take care of 16-bit ROMs. Easy.

PS4 Pro takes care of new games. Not a priority, but would be nice.

PSP would be for PSX emulation. Not sure how it handles MAME. Can't emulate DC.

Interesting 'new' games

This is just to give you a better idea of my gaming tastes. I prefer pick-up and play or short games, with some exceptions as per below.

Persona 5
Nier Automata
Spiderman
Kingdom Hearts 3 (maybe)
Fifa...
Indie 2D platformers, shmups and run-N-gun games.
FFVII remake and GTA VI;)

Any help would be massively appreciated.

[buckoa51]

Go the PC route.

If you want decent emulation of PS1 DC and Mame, especially the entire MAME romset you will need to go PC. Even some of the later games in Mame probably won't emulate within budget.

For some ideas for components to match or even power past PS4 pro on a budget have a look at blog.logicalincrements.com/2017/02/build-a-pc-or-buy-ps4-pro/

I've bricked a couple of laptops in the past by clicking on dodgy links

You can't "brick" a laptop by clicking on a dodgy link. Worst case you have to format and reinstall. Even then you'd have to be pretty unlucky. Learn some basic best practise security like not running as admin.

[davyk]

Has to be PC. Simply nothing more flexible.

If you want a project - a Pi is a good companion - very cheap and can be fitted easily into a wide range of form factors.

[mick_aka]

With todays prices, if I was just starting out I would go full on PC and emulation.

[Le Roi]

Thanks guys. This place never let's me down

A few more questions, then:

Will the spec Bucko posted run DC games like original hardware?

Any thoughts on buying refurbished gaming PCs?

And any tips for getting Windows 10 cheaper (legally)?

[mick_aka]

1) Yes.

2) You can get a lot of bang for your buck, especially if you're not too fussed about running brand new releases.

My main rig is an almost 13 year old wokstation, Two Quad Core 3GHz Xeons with 32GB RAM and a modernish GPU (GTX 970), only other thing I added was a PCIe USB 3.0 card. It runs pretty much anything up to some new releases, some more demanding new games do really show the bottlenecks though (Battlefield V) It cost around £400 (£150 for the workstation + Graphics card and USB 3.0)
Its mainly for work which it really excels at, 3D work and video editing is very smooth.

3) eBay, I got a licence with COA sticker for £15 when I upgraded my mums laptop.

[buckoa51]

If your target res is 1080p then older hardware will do well enough but if you're after powering past something like a PS4 pro it's going to cost you a little more.

[Le Roi]

OK, much appreciated. In case anyone's interested, it seems more cost-effective to build my own rig than buy refurbished.

I've come up with two options. No. 1 takes care of emulation and current games at 1080p or 720p.

The question is whether that will handle the min requirements of next gen games (Cyberpunk, FFVII Remake). If not, No. 2 looks like it will.

Neither option has a good upgrade path, as I prefer a mini build with an APU instead of GPU. Thoughts welcome.

Option 1 - £325

APU - Ryzen 2200G 3.7 ghz Vega 8 - £85
Motherboard - Gigabyte B450M Micro ATX - £60
RAM - 2x Corsair 4GB 3200mhz - £50
Power - EVGA 500W - £40
SSD - SanDisk 480GB - £50
Case - Small build - £40

Potentially upgrade the motherboard for +£35.

Might struggle with later MAME, but if it can play Garou flawlessly, I'm fine.

Option 2 - £460

APU - Ryzen 2400 3.7 ghz Vega 11 - £125
Motherboard - As Rocks B450 - £120
RAM - 2x 8GB Corsair 3200mhz - £90
Power - same - £40
Case - same - £40
SSD - same - £50

Could buy some parts 2nd hand, but need to research more.

[buckoa51]

I think you'd need to throw in some kind of GPU to that mix to play modern games. Are you targeting 1080p or 4k?

[Le Roi]

Apparently the APUs can handle most games today at 1080p or 720p. 4K is a massive leap in budget, so I'll pass.

The 2400G seems to offer more potential to add a GPU later. I'll need to review the rest of the system to see if that's possible.

I want the form factor(?) to be small so it fits on a specific shelf in my living room Extra fans etc for GPU might prevent that. This is why I don't go on PC gamer forums.

[Yart]

Yo, if you're gonna go the APU path, wait a few months. AMD is supposedly coming out with something new soon, and their new APUs are probably going to be better than the current ones. Their new chips will work on current boards too.

[Le Roi]

Cheers mate. I read about the upcoming upgrade, but I'm going to stick with the 2400G. Prices are in a sweet spot right now, so the timing just seems right. Also, a few months is a long time

I managed to find a good motherboard for £70 and Ram for £80. Total build is now £405.

Apparently the Vega 64 is a feasible GPU upgrade. Too expensive now, but it hopefully offers a fairly simple solution in a few years.

[eisenmann]

If you want to play newer games, too, then desktop pc is the way to go. I always prefer to buy a above average system which will last a couple of years rather than a budget solution. If emulation is your priority and if you prefer playing on the TV / couch, I recommend retropie or getting an older gaming laptop and connect it via HDMI to your TV. I can clone the desktop and even close the laptop display. Xbox or ps4 Controller via USB/Bluetooth and you are good to go. Did this with an older laptop for 16 bit emulation and it works great. You can even search for laptops with broken batteries because you won't need it. Got an old HP Elitebook under 100€ on eBay. Works as a steam machine, too.