Hardware PC strong enough to emulate Wii/GC/PS2 yet using low watts?

[alonzondavis]

Im looking to prehaps getting a pc that can emu wii/gc/ps2 with less electricity use as possible.

Is there such thing? Desktop laptop etc dont matter which.

 

[jt_1258]

well, the stronger the pc, the less of a hard time it has running, the cooler it runs, the more efficient it is, which should roll into less energy consumption maybe with it not having to work as hard, are you just trying to watch your electric bill or are there harsh limitations on energy consumption rate for your house?

 

[migles]

nowadays computers are very efficient...
if you going with desktop, invest money in a good Power Supply, if you realyl care about spending the least ammount of possible get a platinum or higher 80+ rated...
for wii and gamecube, you are set with a recent intel, with onboard graphics..
however for ps2, you will need a gpu, because my integrated graphics in the kaby lake go nuts with the ps2 emulator (graphical glitches in a lot of games)
you probable are set with some low\medium range gpu...

ignore the facts people get 800+ (or even higher than 700) watts power supplies for 1 gpu, they are just dumb

a laptop probably will be a better choice... since their power supplies are usually around the 90 watts (or they were)
and since laptops are designed to save battery and in plenty of cases they have very low power cpus, and switch from onboard graphics to the real gpu only in gaming

 

[jt_1258]

nowadays computers are very efficient...
if you going with desktop, invest money in a good Power Supply, if you realyl care about spending the least ammount of possible get a platinum or higher 80+ rated...
for wii and gamecube, you are set with a recent intel, with onboard graphics..
however for ps2, you will need a gpu, because my integrated graphics in the kaby lake go nuts with the ps2 emulator (graphical glitches in a lot of games)
you probable are set with some low\medium range gpu...

ignore the facts people get 800+ (or even higher than 700) watts power supplies for 1 gpu, they are just dumb

a laptop probably will be a better choice... since their power supplies are usually around the 90 watts (or they were)
and since laptops are designed to save battery and in plenty of cases they have very low power cpus, and switch from onboard graphics to the real gpu only in gaming

or were planning for the future when we add in new stuff that may need more power, more ram, more cpus, sli 10 1080's, more power we will never use, mwahahaha

 

[Armadillo]

kabylake i5 and 1050ti based system would be pretty low load. Probably less than 200W & capable for the task.

ignore the facts people get 800+ (or even higher than 700) watts power supplies for 1 gpu, they are just dumb

Maybe they want the extra headroom for later upgrades. System will only draw what it needs.

 

[alonzondavis]

Well yea the eletric bill is a concern at the moment. Me and my friend only game on Wii U and using nintendont for gc games but with a pc itll open more ways to play other games too especially since our favorite controller is the wii u pro.

A laptop uses less energy than a desktop right? Theres no low energy desktops?

Well it looks to be a laptop but might cost more to buy it. I dont care for upgrades just something thatll run wii/gc ps2 on low settings (none that hd enhancement stuff nether) thatll play fine on the pc. Im have it connect via hdmi to a tv with two connected wii u pro controllers to the pc if thatll also add to the energy costs.

 

[LightyKD]

Well yea the eletric bill is a concern at the moment. Me and my friend only game on Wii U and using nintendont for gc games but with a pc itll open more ways to play other games too especially since our favorite controller is the wii u pro.

A laptop uses less energy than a desktop right? Theres no low energy desktops?

Well it looks to be a laptop but might cost more to buy it. I dont care for upgrades just something thatll run wii/gc ps2 on low settings (none that hd enhancement stuff nether) thatll play fine on the pc. Im have it connect via hdmi to a tv with two connected wii u pro controllers to the pc if thatll also add to the energy costs.

You could make a low energy desktop. I'm only using a 275w power supply. My GPU (GT 1030) uses 30w and my CPU (i5 2400s) uses 65w. Overall I haven't seen much of a jump in my electricity bill if any. I also have 7 fans inside to keep things cool (not to mention it's next to the AC lol).

 

[Fishaman P]

For top efficiency you'll want the latest and greatest tech, which happens to come out for desktop first.
Desktops consume more power than laptops only because people usually tune them for top performance without regard to power. Set your power settings right and it's stay very low.

If you actually calculate even a ridiculous constant 500W load for a system, it should come out to a neglibible amount on your monthly bill. I see you live in the US, do you live somewhere with ridiculously expensive electricity?

 

[CMDreamer]

For Wii and GC, I'd use a real Wii. An all included system is a better choice, even more when such system doesn't emulate.

For PS2 games I'd use a Laptop, a decent one, that is.

 

[james50a]

just get a ryzen 2400g, low power and not terrible built in gpu with 65w total tdp. can get away with running a 400w psu and build the entire system for under 550-600$ cad

 

[DarkRioru]

get an intel g4600... I run wii games perfectly here's my video with xenoblade chronicles:

 

[souler92]

im not trying to be a jerk.
but you probably be better of with buying a new fridge or freezer to reduce energy bill.

the power consumed by a desktop is somewhat neglectable, as it is not at constant peak of cunsumption.
usually the pc is on for a few hours and that it.

 

[Originality]

The biggest power consumers are things like vacuums, electric heaters, kettles and toasters. Fridge... depends on the fridge.

Also, check if you’re using energy saving light bulbs. That can save a lot in the long run.

As for the question, laptops are tuned to be far more energy efficient, however you pay for the portable form factor and the U series CPUs will always be underpowered compared to desktop CPUs. If you’re worried about your electricity bill, don’t buy either. The money you spend on a desktop or laptop will usually be far higher than the electric bill itself.