Today I went hardware shopping and build planning. I'm helping a friend build their MAME/Emu cabinet - namely the hardware side.
Since it'll be built with an LCD monitor for practicality, using HLSL was certainly a requirement. Other emulators are more GPU friendly, so we needed something not too expensive since cost is a factor in the build. There'll also likely be newer fighting games, so we don't want to go too old. The LCD will be using Freesync, so AMD was necessary. After seeing Phil's video on the AMD RX 470D, I was curious. $133 AUD on AliExpress? What a bargain. But of course, I was sure there was a better to be had.
I found one locally on Gumtree for $99 AUD, which is a nice saving. They are China-specific models though, so of course they had to be available in China.
In the end, I gave them the link and they bought one for $55 AUD on Taobao. Then I bought another one for myself.
Now with a lot of my unusued Retro hardware sold and the hardware I'm keeping packed in boxes for the most part, moving house on the horizon and free time due to winding up work as housing matters taking the forefront and a $50 GPU on the way, I thought about a little project to occupy my time so I don't go crazy.
I set myself a challenge - build a sub $500 AUD HTPC/Gaming PC that can actually do things. A modern (8th/9th gen) overclockable processor, 8GB 3000MHz RAM minimum. Z370/Z390 motherboard that is actually good at doing said overclocking. I have spare non-core components to make it possible. With $55 taken up by the GPU, I had a budget of around $450 for a CPU, Motherboard and RAM.
It looks like I'll be getting something similar to the following:
Intel i3-8350k (easy 5GHz) - $250.
Motherboard: Lots of options in the $140-$180 range thanks to eBay 20% off.
RAM: Best I can get with whatever is left.
I've reached out to a few people selling second hand boards and RAM to save some money there.
Either way, was a fun day hunting. Would rather have been playing with retro hardware but it's better packed and ready to move than having to pack it all at the last minute. 🤣