775 Console PC

[EddWills95]

Hey guys,

Anyone had much experience in creating a console-esque pc?
I'm in a situation where i had to sell my pc to go travelling, but i've now been allowed free reign of the old pc we had sitting around.

So i've got a q8300 and an old acer board (from a standard pc world pc) with a 5450 (which i desperately need rid of i know)

just wondering if i should just go with a standard windows 7 install, or if there are any other viable alternatives. SteamOS getting anywhere?

and if windows is the best way, what sort of things am i going to need or is it literally as simple as firing up steam and grabbing an xbox controller ? Or is there anything that i can skin windows with to turn it into more of a media/console centre?

Cheers

 

[shambles1980]

depends really.
if you want AAA titles you are going to need windows (probably 7 or 8) for your directx games.
Not so sure about the latest windows but with xp you were able to change pretty much everything even the boot up image. with just a few apps. (boot skin was one)
you could also go arround dissabeling all kinds of stuff.

when i had my xp based mame system i did that and had windows explorer shut down and all the stuff i didnt need and then the front end would load.
my front end was just a little window with a selection of games and emulators i could start..
With your plan to use steam "i assume big picture"
you shouldn't need to do much really. it really should be a matter of tell steam to start with windows and to go straight to big picture mode.

and a 360 controller should work straight off the bat but maybe some games wont be controller compatable..

oh and you seem to mention having a 5450 gpu.
I would really want a absolute 100% cant go any lower than this HD 5770 as a minimum.
6950 probably better. and anything above that may be a bottle neck but im sure a 7850/70 would be fine too.

Any way thats all the advice i have. and some of it may be frowned upon. but thats my position on it.

 

[EddWills95]

Might just go with that steam, big picture mode. That way i can keep playing the AAA games that you mentioned and still just have it run straight into it

Yeah i know what you mean about the GPU, i've been keeping an eye on a few on ebay, stuff like the 7850s and seeing if i can stretch any further. Any ideas of getting a low powered 750ti would be worth it ?