Running on lower-end hardware

[emilk]

I'm looking at several solutions for a budget HTPC solution that can handle arcade emulation - even ePSXe and 'higher end' emulation.

Does anyone in here know how various emulators runs on the lower-end hardware, such as the ION 330/230 processors and the AMD Fusions? (all really popular for small and quiet HTPC boxes)

This* is all I could dig up regarding performance on the ION platform, but I am curious as to what other people have experienced.

Would the Zbox HD-ND22, powered by the Intel Celeron SU2300 be a better choice for a good HTPC that can run most emulators without issues?

Any thoughts - or has anyone in here tried something similar?
Thanks!

*=http://www.yameenmusic.com/blog/2010/01/building-a-cheap-energy-efficient-htpc-classic-gaming-emulator-box/

[Dekar]

You should have no problem at all running most MAME games on lower-end CPUs. There's really only a few 3D-games that require powerful hardware, so most games should run just fine on the hw you describe. The same with NES, SNES and most 8/16 bit systems, as they aren't particular resource-hungry.

[emilk]

Thank you for the reply

I've managed to buy an Asrock 330HT on the cheap, and I'm currently in the process of setting things up.
So far, it's been running every emulator I've thrown at it at full speed. (Neo Geo / SNES / N64 / etc)

PSX took a bit of time setting up right, but I've found that using the *P.E.Op.S. Soft GPU video plugin, makes things run at full speed, even in 1280x720.

*=http://www.pbernert.com/html/gpu.htm#SOFTWIN

[Dekar]

Sounds cool! Are you planning on using it on a PC monitor or a TV set? I recommend the latter by utilizing your graphics card's video out port, so that you can get smooth 50hz scrolling (PC LCDs are locked to 60hz, which will cause stuttering).

Keep us updated!

[emilk]

I'm running it on my old Samsung 27" TV, small - but fine for my small apartment.

At some point in the future, when I'm in a bigger apartment or house, I'll probably look into buying an HD capable projector, and run things through an amplifier so I can use both the projector and TV for the Asrock.

I'll probably make a video/write-up once I've found a nice front-end for the games, and got everything setup HTPC-wise.