Recommended Steam/Cave Hardware?

[famitsu1]

Hi,
like the title says basically. I'm utterly ignorant when it come to pc gaming but I can no longer ignore the amount of Cave goodness available on Steam. Ideally I would like a hardware solution which can play Cave Steam games at their optimum and can also sit under the TV (so a desktop/laptop is out) and which makes as least noise as possible whilst doing so. Would some kind of Intel NUC solution work or would I need something more powerful with a dedicated graphics card? What sort of money would have to part with? Any info/help/wisdom would be massively appreciated

[Guspaz]

If you've got computers in a place that allow a cable run, you can get HDMI up to around 100 feet without extenders (requires either very thick HDMI cable or active cables like Redmere), or around 300 feet via HDBaseT extenders. Controllers can either be wireless, or you can run run USB extenders. Those get you around 80 feet with standard extenders (which could also be used to get a wireless controller receiver closer without actually reaching), or around 300 feet with Cat6-based extenders.

If you don't mind a hit in latency/quality, then Steam Link boxes are currently $35. They let you stream the game over your home network from a computer elsewhere in the house, and also give you a place to plug in a controller. Last I heard, they add around 70ms of latency.

NUCs are tiny, but can be rather loud, a consequence of cramming so much power into such a small chassis: you need a fast fan to dissipate all that heat. I would imagine that most HTPC solutions would work for you. Many of them have room for at least a low-profile graphics card (the fastest of which is, I think, the GeForce 950), and some have room for full-height cards (often at a 90 degree angle).

EDIT: When considering HDMI extenders, avoid any that mention any sort of support for actual Ethernet networks, because those will add latency by compressing the video and transmitting it as IP packets. Basically, if it says it supports ethernet switches, avoid it. Stuff that just uses Cat6 for the wiring, or something like HDBaseT, those are fine.

[orange808]

With the new Alienware Alpha out, you might be able to get a bargain on last year's Alpha. It certainly isn't a powerhouse, but it is designed for the living room.

It's got a console size footprint and uses Kodi.

Looking at the specs, you'll be playing the next batch of games at 720p with the first Alpha, but it should run 2d shooters just fine--at 1080p.

Looks like they go for about $225 used. Plug and play.

[famitsu1]

Thanks for all the info fellas.
Would the new Skylake i5 Nuc with Iris 540 GPU be able to play Cave games at their optimum with 16BG of DDR4 ram?
http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2016/0 ... uc-review/
I figure sticking this inside a passive/fanless case would suit my needs if the board is up to scratch in the graphics front.

[Drachenherz]

Thanks for all the info fellas.
Would the new Skylake i5 Nuc with Iris 540 GPU be able to play Cave games at their optimum with 16BG of DDR4 ram?
http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2016/0 ... uc-review/
I figure sticking this inside a passive/fanless case would suit my needs if the board is up to scratch in the graphics front.

Yes, absolutely. Very good choice!

I was running mushimesama on my HTPC with an i5 2400 and an nvidia gt 210 on 1080p with no problems. Graphics wise, the Iris 540 is better than the gt 210 and should have no problems with any steam CAVE game.

Good choice of a computer. Sleek, stylish and rather powerful given that small footprint. It should even hold up rather well for some 720p gaming with modern games:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=prM7lMbajoQ

[Xyga]

Even the i3-6100u with 4Gb RAM would be more than enough.

My laptop's i3-4030u w/ Win 8.1 and 4GB RAM runs Steam Mushi flawlessly on its HD 4400 (it's when I switch to the nVidia 820m that I get skipped frames, even though it's more powerful)

EDIT: in regards to the NUC offers though, I still find them expensive considering you have to provide the RAM, OS etc.
If as orange808 said, something like the Alienware Alpha really can be had for as low as $225, then it's a significantly better deal.

[famitsu1]

Thanks again for all the info everyone.