Downgrading and physically downsizing?

[MunkyTOS]

Hey OCers,


Let me begin by saying I'm sorry if this isn't allowed in general but i'm looking more for input and not any attempt to actually "sell" anything.

So for the past 10 or so years I've always had a custom rig and upgraded as I saw fit but as of late I've been playing less and less graphic intense games and more of the indie and retro genres. I was wondering if anyone could give me input as to best ways to do so as far as reliable places to sell used equipment, some site that is vaguely stuck in my head has something to do with burn or heat or something of that nature but I don't know if thats more for parts in general versus entire rigs.

Ideally I would like to have something thats small form factor with the ability to handle emulators ranging from NES/SNES up to Nintendo 64 maybe up to playstation 1/2. Streaming video over the network to a wifi ready smart tv would also be ideal but not completely necessary. I've looked into a little bit of the raspberry PIs but don't know what else is out there if any of its competition or just another companies similar version. Also are these pocket sized PCs capable of being safely run 24/7 or are they better off shut down when not in use. It would most likely be used on a daily or every other day basis.

Budget would come out of selling what I currently use but obviously cost effective is +++.


Any and all input would be greatly appreciated and I'm sorry if I left out any key information.

 

[\dev\goat]

Hey OCers,I was wondering if anyone could give me input as to best ways to do so as far as reliable places to sell used
equipment,

The classified section of this very forum! All my stuff sells relatively quickly.

some site that is vaguely stuck in my head has something to do with burn or heat or something of that nature but I don't know if thats more for parts in general versus entire rigs.

You're thinking of heatware, and that's a site where people can post a positive or negative review of a seller/buyer on other websites, such as this one, or anandtech, or Hard, or whatever.

Ideally I would like to have something thats small form factor with the ability to handle emulators ranging from NES/SNES up to Nintendo 64 maybe up to playstation 1/2.

For PS2 emulation, your current system in your signature is about as low as you wanna go. One of my favorite things in the world is playing Gran Turismo 3 & 4 on PCSX2 and my 2600k and GTX570 still stutter/lag at various points in the game.

Streaming video over the network to a wifi ready smart tv would also be ideal but not completely necessary. I've looked into a little bit of the raspberry PIs but don't know what else is out there

raspberry PIs will perform 1080p video streams half decently if it's in certain formats (h.264), but you won't be emulating n64 or dreamcast or ps1 or ps2 at a playable framerate on a raspberry pi, and you will be disappointed with its overall performance. What else would you expect out of a $35 unit.

I think building your current components into a small form factor case and hooking them up to the TV would be a much better solution overall for what you're intending to do. Raspberry Pis and other SoCs are mostly toys that are fun to goof around with, but not something that would cause you to sell your main PC

Think about grabbing a mini-ITX motherboard like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157374

and a mini-ITX case like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352027

and making yourself an awesome little mini-cube for the living room! With your current processor (which is still great) and your current video card (which is also still great)... and all the rest of the components you already have!

I think you'll be a lot happier with that than you would be with some little piece of garbage based on a SoC that's made for grandmas and grandchildren.

Here's a picture of some dudes living room that bought that case for a HTPC. It's not my living room

 

[MunkyTOS]

Thank you goat for the in detail reply, once I get home I'll take a look into those parts. Would definitely be nice to have a much smaller case, this full tower takes up so much space :lol:

 

[MunkyTOS]

I like the board, I seem to have been having luck with my asrock. As far as chassis was thinking maybe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345016 but curious to hear feeback from anyone who worked with one.

 

[MunkyTOS]

Just realized after looking around and looking up some more information that is 4th gen socket. Also I think my biggest concern with mini itx is size constraints. Is there an ideal PSU that will fit and be easy to work with inside such a small form factor? Also for someone who's never made custom cables, is it a high learning curve to safely accomplish?

 

[Lvcoyote]

Getting a modular PSU will cure a lot of the space and tidiness issues when working with a mITX case.

 

[MunkyTOS]

If I got the goats suggested route of a rebuild then i'd be able to use my OCZ which is fully modular. My only concern with it though is I personally had some issues with managing all of the cables with their length so i'm very interested in the idea of custom length cables but I lack the personal experience. From what i've seen around in enthusiast sites too they seem to get extremely pricy and are set lengths instead of exactly what i'd need.

 

[MongGrel]

The classified section of this very forum! All my stuff sells relatively quickly.



You're thinking of heatware, and that's a site where people can post a positive or negative review of a seller/buyer on other websites, such as this one, or anandtech, or Hard, or whatever.



For PS2 emulation, your current system in your signature is about as low as you wanna go. One of my favorite things in the world is playing Gran Turismo 3 & 4 on PCSX2 and my 2600k and GTX570 still stutter/lag at various points in the game.



raspberry PIs will perform 1080p video streams half decently if it's in certain formats (h.264), but you won't be emulating n64 or dreamcast or ps1 or ps2 at a playable framerate on a raspberry pi, and you will be disappointed with its overall performance. What else would you expect out of a $35 unit.

I think building your current components into a small form factor case and hooking them up to the TV would be a much better solution overall for what you're intending to do. Raspberry Pis and other SoCs are mostly toys that are fun to goof around with, but not something that would cause you to sell your main PC

Think about grabbing a mini-ITX motherboard like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157374

and a mini-ITX case like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352027

and making yourself an awesome little mini-cube for the living room! With your current processor (which is still great) and your current video card (which is also still great)... and all the rest of the components you already have!

I think you'll be a lot happier with that than you would be with some little piece of garbage based on a SoC that's made for grandmas and grandchildren.

Here's a picture of some dudes living room that bought that case for a HTPC. It's not my living room

View attachment 139168

That was pretty impressive Goat you did almost covering everything in one swoop.