Looking to build a HTPC/Emulation dedicated system that can play up to PS2/Gamecube

[Mr Rex The Great]

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next couple of months

Budget Range: ~$600 total

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Emulating games

Are you buying a monitor: No, I will be using a HDTV

Do you need to buy OS: No, I have Windows 7

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com works best for me

Location: Cedar Rapids, IA

Parts Preferences: No Prefrence

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Using various HDTVs, so doesn't matter
Additional Comments: I am really looking for the best performance I can get, for the lowest price.

 

[Intel Celeron]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6hQhvK

A dual core hyperthreaded will be enough for ps2 and gamecube (and possibly xbox 360) emulators since PCSX2 will only utilize 2 cores at the moment.. I added a dedicated video card because I am really doubting the power of the Intel HD graphics especially on the latest ps2 games. The only thing that bothers me is the RAM modules being dominantly red. You could get a dominantly black module with red accents to match the color scheme. If you eventually want to run ps3 emulators it's a simple process of replacing the i3 with an i5. I'm confident with the 260x's performance to emulate ps3 games (possibly watch dogs on all low.) 4gb is also enough since actual ps2 hardware didn't reach even a gb of RAM. And you can easily switch to 8gb by buying another 2x2gb set.

EDIT: The DVD drive was there since I'll know you'll stick one of your ps2 games in there.

 

[Mr Rex The Great]

Wow, thanks for the fast response. I appreciate it. If anyone else has any input I would gladly hear them as well.

 

[greens]

You cannot compare consoles to desktops so freely.
Like, your example of Watch Dogs is the prime example. Watch Dogs is not optimized for PC, like at all.
Runs like crap, yet a PS3 can run it fine due to the way it is designed.
THAT SAID.
Take a game NOT optimized for PC, being run on an EMULATED system, and you're going to get poor, poor results.
The N64 has laughable hardware, that doesn't mean emulating it was possible until decades after its release.

You're going to need a machine with waaaaaay more power to emulate a different machine.

 

[Mr Rex The Great]

Bump

 

[greens]

Im going to assume youre not a troll.

If you'd like to emulate a ps3 or 360 you're going to wait another decade or so, then buy the best hardware you can source. You're talking thousands of dollars (a decade from now). They don't work like you think.

If you'd like to make a gaming computer, we can talk about that.

If you'd like to emulate SNES or game boy that can be done with an embedded solution for well under $100.

Again, ps3 and Xbox 360 emulators do not exist, and may never; they don't work the same as PCs.

As far as emulating a PS2 and Xbox you're talking a very high end system that will cost waaay more than a PS2 or Xbox would be at the pawn shop.

 

[mlga91]

Take a look at this, it exceds a bit your budget, but it will work fine:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC HTPC-KT28B HTPC Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $614.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-13 13:41 EDT-0400