Hardware in 2018, what would the best laptop/notepad/light device be for running dophin?

[Tac 21]

I have a samsung series 7 with i7 2675QM CPU... not great. but I can run games like smash bros melee, mario kart 64, project m on dophin, PSCX2 gundam games and a modded verison of 1964 that runs the rare shooters quite well at 720HD with no issues. it gets the job done..

but man the laptop (the non gamer verison too) is really heavy to always carry.

If I wanted something lighter but can run these games and this what could I invest in that would work?

 

[TotalInsanity4]

I have a samsung series 7 with i7 2675QM CPU... not great. but I can run games like smash bros melee, mario kart 64, project m on dophin, PSCX2 gundam games and a modded verison of 1964 that runs the rare shooters quite well at 720HD with no issues. it gets the job done..

but man the laptop (the non gamer verison too) is really heavy to always carry.

If I wanted something lighter but can run these games and this what could I invest in that would work?

Are you looking to just RUN Dolphin, or do you want to run it above native resolution?

 

[Tac 21]

Are you looking to just RUN Dolphin, or do you want to run it above native resolution?

slightly above would be nice... as that is what mine can do. doesn't have to be super powerful

 

[TotalInsanity4]

slightly above would be nice... as that is what mine can do. doesn't have to be super powerful

Is price a factor? I'd imagine that any of the 8th Gen i5-based thin-n-lights would be able to handle it just fine, especially since they actually have 4 cores now. Try looking at the 2018 LG Gram, see what you think of that

 

[Tac 21]

a little bit yeah... I just want to see whats available and what works.

looking at surface pro 4 but those are super expensive and maybe not the best...

 

[TotalInsanity4]

a little bit yeah... I just want to see whats available and what works.

looking at surface pro 4 but those are super expensive and maybe not the best...

Absolutely not, unless you're looking at... like... hobby-level digital drawing or something

 

[Tac 21]

Absolutely not, unless you're looking at... like... hobby-level digital drawing or something

haha ok I figured... a girl I dated was really into that and it looked nice.. but thats not what I'm after

basically just a kick ass ultrabook that can run dolphin really well and is super portable/light.. LG gram looks ok but a partly it has issues

my series 7 while old and non gamer, can take anything I throw at it quite well

 

[TotalInsanity4]

haha ok I figured... a girl I dated was really into that and it looked nice.. but thats not what I'm after

basically just a kick ass ultrabook that can run dolphin really well and is super portable/light.. LG gram looks ok but a partly it has issues

my series 7 while old and non gamer, can take anything I throw at it quite well

What's your issue with the Gram, just to get an idea of what we're looking for here?

 

[Tac 21]

What's your issue with the Gram, just to get an idea of what we're looking for here?

the first video review said that gaming isn't as good... and its expensive on amazon. but something like that is a great idea

 

[TotalInsanity4]

the first video review said that gaming isn't as good... and its expensive on amazon. but something like that is a great idea

All right, take a look at this one: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/acer-nitro-5-spin

If that one leaves you wanting more, click through the survey at the bottom of the page, it'll narrow down your options for you

 

[lampdemon]

I have a 2 year old laptop with a GTX 960m and an i7-4700HQ that runs Twilight princess pretty well, and Wind Waker flawless.

I only tried Native resolution, and didn't get very far in either game but WW would go over 200 fps with uncapped fps.

So, anything better than that would be good.

 

[Tac 21]

I have a 2 year old laptop with a GTX 960m and an i7-4700HQ that runs Twilight princess pretty well, and Wind Waker flawless.

I only tried Native resolution, and didn't get very far in either game but WW would go over 200 fps with uncapped fps.

So, anything better than that would be good.

for sure it would, again my series 7... is from like 2012, which is old but it runs great! best I can do is 2X res but I'm happy with 1.5 on my processor

I can't find that acer around... alittle high for price

damn! this one looks alright https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...1715R&linkId=39b1dc41e23d81a793adb4d995970395

 

[Originality]

That nVidia MX150 is like a step above the integrated graphics packaged with Intel CPUs, but it's not a GTX 1050 or anything serious for gaming. It's about the best you can expect in most ultrabooks.

If price is flexible, the best laptops for your needs would be either a gaming laptop with a nVidia Max-Q graphics or Intel's new G-series processors with built in AMD graphics (e.g. i5-8305G) like the Dell XPS 15-9575.

 

[1vanchom]

maybe I coud suggest a gpd win 2

it is a windows pc with a nintendo 3ds xl size with a 6 inch screen... intel core m3 7y30 (as powerful as core i5 6200u)... and gaming buttons and with qwerty keyboard.. but it will cost 650 $us (it will be available in august)

or its predecessor... the gpd win 1... it has the same 3ds xl design... but the processor is an intel atom x7 (it runs almost all gamecube games... but I don't think it can handle pcsx2) it costs linke 330 $us

those are pocket pc... I have the first gpd win and I am really enjoying it... I recomend them totally... of course if you look at a that really small pc...

 

[felix.200]

I have a samsung series 7 with i7 2675QM CPU... not great. but I can run games like smash bros melee, mario kart 64, project m on dophin, PSCX2 gundam games and a modded verison of 1964 that runs the rare shooters quite well at 720HD with no issues. it gets the job done..

but man the laptop (the non gamer verison too) is really heavy to always carry.

If I wanted something lighter but can run these games and this what could I invest in that would work?

I suggest you get this laptop. https://m.newegg.com/products/N82E16834316369
It's got the latest processor from Intel and a fairly capable Nvidia MX150 and isn't that heavy especially for a 'gaming' laptop.

 

[Tac 21]

I suggest you get this laptop. https://m.newegg.com/products/N82E16834316369
It's got the latest processor from Intel and a fairly capable Nvidia MX150 and isn't that heavy especially for a 'gaming' laptop.

no way this thing is almost as heavy as my series 7.... looks like my laptop may even be better then this one minus the graphics card (old AMD 6550)

here is my current rig... I love it and picked it up for a 3rd of the price used. I lovebut 5 pounds for a 15.6 is just too heavy to backpack with long term- actually the mate who sold it did so cause of the same reason. https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/samsung-series-7-chronos

what do you guys think of this model? https://www3.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-700-series/Ideapad-720S-14/p/88IP70S0833

its expensive but I wouldn't buy this right now... more so in the winter

 

[TotalInsanity4]

no way this thing is almost as heavy as my series 7.... looks like my laptop may even be better then this one minus the graphics card (old AMD 6550)

here is my current rig... I love it and picked it up for a 3rd of the price used. I lovebut 5 pounds for a 15.6 is just too heavy to backpack with long term- actually the mate who sold it did so cause of the same reason. https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/samsung-series-7-chronos

what do you guys think of this model? https://www3.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-700-series/Ideapad-720S-14/p/88IP70S0833

its expensive but I wouldn't buy this right now... more so in the winter

"Starting at 3.4 pounds"

I really don't think you're going to get a quality laptop at much less than 4 pounds unless you're really willing to pay for it, like that one

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

If you're looking for just emulation and less so PC gaming:

https://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-700-series/Ideapad-720S-13-AMD/p/81BR003PUS < Try this. It fits your "weight" requirement, is relatively small, and packs a fairly decent amount of power.

I got an HP laptop ~a month ago with the same Ryzen 5 2500u APU, and the Ryzen APU is super great at emulation. I'm able to play Twilight Princess HD on Cemu at 30fps, with only occasional drops during heavier graphical moments. As a test, I also ran RPCS3 and got Demon's Souls running around 20-25fps, which is super impressive

For Dolphin, this should handle TP at 2x native res and 2x MSAA, and most other games run great at 3x native res (I've played through Pokemon XD with 0 slow down issues).

PC gaming, on the other hand, isn't all that great with this particular APU because of the Vega 8 GPU. You can get most games from ~3+ years ago running just fine at 1080p and low-medium settings on average, but anything above and you'll need to lower the res to 720p and deal with lower quality.