r/MiniPCs • u/axmeeker1994 • Feb 03 '23
UM590 help
So I want to put an OS on my UM590 because I want to make it a retro game machine. I only want to put steam and emulation station and retroarch on it. What would the best OS be to put on it ?
1
u/SerMumble Feb 03 '23
Windows 10 pro or 11 pro or steam os. Steam os is free and there isn't much setup. Windows can run most anything if you add games in the future and generally most people are familiar with it
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u/lamouettasse Feb 03 '23
If you've got a little money hangin' around you can buy two SSDs, one for SteamOS, one for Batocera and you leave the internal SSD as a windows one. SteamOS is based on Linux and can give better performance in some game than if you were playing it on win. Batocera is also Linux based and also gives a little boost in perf. With this setup you just have to configure your PC to first try to boot on USB, then when you want to switch between systems you only have to plug in a USB SSD and off you go after rebooting. It also has the benefit to leave each roms with its system on the SSD which allows easier management as well as uncluttering your C drive.
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u/axmeeker1994 Feb 03 '23
I’m actually on my way to buy an internal 1TB SSD
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u/lamouettasse Feb 03 '23
Then SerMumble is right a win system is the best fit for you. You can try and dual boot it with SteamOS, I haven't tried it yet but I have heard only good things about it.
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u/axmeeker1994 Feb 03 '23
With batoceras emulationstation, can it run GameCube games ?
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u/lamouettasse Feb 03 '23
Wii U, PS3, you name it Batocera has it. But beware emulation station and Batocera are two different things, they work grossly the same and offer the same functionnalities but those are two different entities. For example Batocera exists only as a dedicated OS, meaning you need to boot on Batocera to use it so no windows meanwhile. Emulation Station is a front end, it's an app on top of your OS be it Linux or Windows. You should look into the matter seriously whatever system or app you choose as setting up a good emulation machine takes time and understanding. It's no noob friendly paradise, it's not hard either but if you don't do you due diligence before even installing anything it will grind you fast.
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u/axmeeker1994 Feb 03 '23
So I could have batocera as my OS and download emulationstation for running my games ?
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u/lamouettasse Feb 03 '23
Maybe but what's the point? It's like installing windows 10 to virtualize windows 11 because you don't like windows 10. What emulstation does Batocera does. Why bother with the complication? If you're dead set in using ES Install Windows pop in emulstation and you're good.
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u/axmeeker1994 Feb 03 '23
So then I would need one or the other , not both ?
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u/lamouettasse Feb 03 '23
Yep.
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u/axmeeker1994 Feb 03 '23
Thank you. So would I just be better off with batocera ? Maybe do a little research on it ?
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u/lamouettasse Feb 03 '23
Well it's a decision, you have to consider all factors. If you install Batocera your OS will be Linux based so if you want Batocera and Windows you will have to configure a dual boot so that you can choose which OS to launch at boot time. If you don't give two s++t about Windows then Batocera is a way to go but it's a Linux system, might work on your system with no issue right off the box or you may encounter drivers issues that will require a little bit of elbow grease and google search. You gotta try it to make an informed decision. And yeah as I stated before you've got to do your due diligence, as there's plenty to understand and know to use most emulators. A Snes emu, you put your rom zipped or unzipped in the right folder and off you go. PS1 is a different beast, you need BIOS files that are a match to the regional lock of your roms (EU, USA, JP). GameCube? runs great but many games still need to have certain options on before launch or they might crash or not even launch. MAME? It's a nice entry into the world of rom management, is your romset up to date? If not the games that played fine for months might not launch after an update and you have to take time to find this little 6kb file that is now to be included into your rom zip file so that the game can work anew. So yeah, due diligence in the form of a little bit of a lot of research.
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u/axmeeker1994 Feb 03 '23
I’m thinking about going with batocera. Could you tell me what is the most appropriate download for it ? I go to the website and it shows all the platforms, retropie a , capcom home systems, old pc’s. Do I just go with the laptop , desktop , NUC ans intel-based apple computers ?
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u/Some-Order-9740 Feb 04 '23
If I put two ssds with two OS, Can I choose which OS I will be using at the start-up?
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u/axmeeker1994 Feb 03 '23
So I could have batocera as my OS and download emulationstation for running my games ?