Which CPU for PCSX2 emulator?

PCSX2 requires a lot of tweaking if you're using a weaker CPU. I started out with around 30-40 FPS to being always 60 FPS in FFX. Don't be discouraged if when you start it up it shows a measly 40 FPS, but then again your i7 should have no problem with it. My CPU is a piece of junk


@LaptopNut
How is Dolphin? I've seen it on Youtube but I was always skeptical of a Wii emulator already working... Is it CPU intensive like PCSX2?

 

I didn't use frameskip though, that's why it will drop to 40-50 sometimes, it will be kept at 60 if I do frameskip, but I don't like frameskipping.

 

Dolphin is even worse than PCSX2, It can only utilize 2 cores just like PCSX2. I can get many PS2 games perfectly playable(FFX, FFX-2, etc) with my p8400 overclocked to 2.8 Ghz.

I tried a few gamecube(resident evil series) games with Dolphin, the result was not pretty, in some area I got full speed, but in places where there are lots of lighting, which is very common, the FPS dipped below 20, sometimes even 10 FPS in cutscenes. Soon I gave up trying. I guess you will need a 3.5Ghz+ dual core if you want to play some common gamecube/wii games with dolphin.

 

I have only played The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker GameCube on it so far. It doesn't seem to be so CPU intensive so far although the config gives you the option of splitting up tasks into multiple threads (not recommended apparently) or using Dual Core (recommended). It ran with perfect sound, perfect graphics at 30 fps although I had speed set to auto. Disabling that it would run around 35-40 fps but I have it running at my native resolution with hi resolution textures enabled. Works well with my Wireless Xbox 360 Controller.

Edit: A new version 2.0 public release of Dolphin came out April 12th 2010 so it is worth trying again.

Noticed Turbo Boost going up to 2.8 Ghz sometimes with this one.

 

The question remains, will the i5-430M in the MSI GX640 be 'nuff to run either emulator well?

 

@LaptopNut:
I recommend you use RealTemp / i7 Turbo (see here) for monitoring Nehalem CPUs. It will give you all the information you need.

 

i have PCSX2 - i used it with my old Lptop with Q6600 ran perfect on most games -FF12 was a pain and had to use various methods and tips to get better performance out of it

 

@ lackofcheese

Thanks, thats what I also use to monitor all of my CPU info and display temps in the Taskbar etc.


@ fzhfzh

If you run HWMonitor while your CPU is under load from the PCSx2 emulator, what does it say for the Processor wattage under Powers processor?

 

i have a T9400 so i feel better.. so do u need a PS2 controller to play ? Also how do u configure it and load the game if u have it?

 

Heres the website if anyone needs it PCSX2 Playstation 2 emulator - News

 

You don't need a controller really, but it'll take a while to know all the buttons...
I use my Xbox 360 controller for it, which works quite nicely. Any controller should do though.

To configure it you have to just basically try out different configurations in the options (there are many options to play around with). Often times there will be configs done by other people that worked best for them, but sometimes that might not be enough. To load the game, simply take your PS2 game disc and pop it in your CD drive. Should work just like that.

@fzhfzh
I didn't use frameskip either. Frameskip bothers me... I used that VU hack thingy. Worked for me lol

 

I use a PS2 wireless Action Controller when I play. Will some one test out Fight Night 3 on the emulator. If anyone does, please let me know what fps and CPU you have.

 

Bump for i5-430m playability?

 

you DONT needa controller, but for me its better, i use my 360 controller and it was simple as pressing a button on the screen and then pressing the button on the controller that you wanted to be assigned for that button, very easy until you get to using both analogue sticks then it had be hit and miss so a bit of trial and error is needed but still nothing too painfully hard or anything

 

You already got several answers... you should ask on the pcsx2 forum for further information. It will be enough for some games (FF X for sure), for other games that demand a strong CPU you won't get full speed without hacks (FF XII).

 

FF12 can be a REAL pain to get running just right, i should know i have spent ages with different plugins to make it work better and een now it can still stutter in big battles, the Videos can be a pain to get right as well

 

For perfect speed don't forget to check out the PS1 emulators as well. I recommend Epsxe simply because it has high resolution graphic plugins that take advantage of your GPU, OGL and D3D. For the best compatibility, PSX 1.3 is great but lacks the eye candy.

Edit: Project 64 1.6 / 1.7 is another emulator that plays many titles perfectly and is not to be missed. I just tested out Zsnes again using high native resolution and some other filters and it is great too.

 

i use ePSXe as well, works great with the few FF and CB games that i play on it

 

Are you using the ePSXe Frontend (ePSXecutor) with it?

I find it very useful since you can store individual configs for each game with it.

 

I already know that the older emus are not spec-heavy. Only thing that troubles me is the PCSX2 and Dolphin, because they're newer and spec-heavy. I've used Project 64 since 2002, and no problems even on old desktop CPUs like AMD Athlon XP 1600+, Athlon 64 3200+, and Turion X2 TL-58.

Just kinda wanna know a little more about i5-430m, as I have no friends/relatives who have (gaming)notebooks. Everyone I know who has one has a macbook or a dell, lol.

But as always, Thanks for the help and support you've given me

 

If you need more info on your questions you should go here....I would think they would be more informative...: ..:: PCSX2 Forums ::..

 

Gotcha thanks!

 

Is there any way to tell how much of your CPU it uses, so I might know which CPU I should look at purchasing/upgrading to, if the most demanding program I'll be using is this emulator (cuz SC2 won't be as much a CPU hog as PCSX2)? I'm hoping that it won't require more than what the i5 series offers.

Thanks!

 

Please delete

 

Posted in the PCSX2 forums, no reply.

 

Here is a CPU benchmark that uses the well known slow Final Fantasy X-2 FMVs

Here are some of the posted results straight from the official pcsx2 forums so far to give you an idea!

Note: No speed changes with AMD Phenom II X2 if unlocked to 4 cores.


Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission (NTSC-J)
53.16 FPS - SLPM 65478 - AMD Athlon II X2 245 - 3.6 GHz OC - CKL
41.78 FPS - SLPM 65478 - AMD Athlon II X2 245 - 2.9 GHz Stock - CKL

I will be adding my results once I check whether I still have a copy of that game lying around.

Edit:

This improved the consistency of my frame rates in Ps2. It is regarding Core parking and I read about it the other day but dismissed it until Quadzilla mentioned it at another time.

Check here for a great selection of Gamecube, Psx and Ps2 emulation on the mobile i7 620m

Both the PCSX2 and Dolphin running Silenthill SH at the same time

 

As an upgrade to a 2.66ghz c2d, looking at the HP Envy 14, as in here, which just went on sale today.

This comes with an option of 2.4ghz Core i5-520M or one of several Core i7 Quads (720M, 740M, 840M). Anyone know which combination would be the best for PCSX2? I'm thinking the 520M since it's a dual-core but not sure, so though I'd ask before actually deciding.

Also, if anyone has any experience running PCSX2 with the 520M (or anything clocked lower, like the 440M), please post your experience here. I'd like to know how these procs hold up to more demanding PCSX2 games like GTA3, NFS Underground and Burnout 3.

 

I tested a 1.73 Ghz (2.8 Ghz Dual Core Turbo Boost) mobile i7 820qm Quad Core Vs a 2.66 Ghz (3.06Ghz Turbo Boost) Dual Core mobile i7 620m and there was absolutely no difference in frame rates in PS2 and Game Cube emulation.

I found that the Quad only Turbo Boosted to around 2.6 Ghz most of the time where as the Dual Core was on 3.06 Ghz constantly. By the looks of it, the background processes were taken care of with the Quad so maybe it didn't need as much Turbo Boost as the Dual Core did.

However, if you are only interested in PCSX2 and other emulation, you should just go with the Dual Core. If you are interested in playing GTA IV or other future games that may need a Quad as well as emulation then you might want to consider an i7. The mobile i7 does not lose out to a higher clocked Dual Core at all because it's Turbo Boost in Dual Core mode provides the clock rate and its extra Cores potentially frees up more CPU power that can be used for the emulation.

With the Dual Core, despite the number of threads and higher clock rates, you still only have 2 Cores for emulation as well as having to deal with all of the OS background tasks so slightly less CPU time available for emulation but with the Quad, it may be a slightly lower clock rate but you have more CPU time available for emulation.

 

That's a fair analysis and makes perfect sense, thank you. I'm curious about the 520m specifically since there is no option (bizarre as it may seem) for the 620m or even the 540m on the Envy 14. From what I HEAR there is little difference between each of these since they all turbo-boost, but still I can't help but wonder whether the 520m at 2.4ghz will cut it for the more challenging PCSX2 games, or even provide a decent upgrade from my 2.66ghz c2d.

I'm not much of a modern PC gamer; I prefer to stick with the emulated stuff, so Dolphin and PCSX2 are probably the most I'd ever challenge the CPU/GPU.

 

@Shoegazer, As I've discussed privately with LaptopNut, my old desktop which has an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ single core + 1gb Ram + ATI Radeon 9600PRO 256mb runs Dolphin (Ikaruga, Mario Kart DD, F-Zero GX, SSBM) at max 15fps. That would prolly translate to you not needing such an expensive CPU after all. If you lurk on youtube, you'll see vids of people playing PCSX2 on an i5-430M+5650 with no issues at all. Dolphin would require even less if you're playing NGC games only. If you're playing Wii games though, a 520M would most likely be a luxury to upgrade to.

Additionally, I remember about 5 years ago, I tested PCSX2 on this computer with God of War 2, and it was like 1-2fps But remember that this is a hella old comp, with hella old CPU+GPU+only 1 gb ram. So you should be fine with 450M in the ENVY14. Personally I'm gonna go for 520M (or 580M if it comes out) though.

 

I went for the 520m and I hope to hell it works with Shadow of the colossus. 'cause...c'mon. I want it to work with that one.

 

LOLz. I have plenty of PS2 games sitting inside an external plugged into my PS3 but have no time to play. Prolly cuz I'm always tired after work. Hopefully I'll have time to play them on the E14 during grad school.

 

I have plenty of ps2 games sitting in a certain hdloader on my ps2.


but...well I waited too long to try SotC. can't play it on the ps2 'cause well..something seems off (drops below 30fps disc or hdd 'cause well...it has slowdown)

 

Awww. That's lame. Have you upgraded to Open PS2 Loader 0.7?

 

on the ps2?

no. I could try though.


or I could try it on a newer ps2 that isn't like a v4 or something. I have a slim and the game disc.

I just put it off since it had some horrible horrible slowdown for some reason.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I use Dolphin and PCSX2 all the time and find those games you mentioned to play just fine on my current c2d 2.66ghz - even God of War. What I need to know is - what about the more challenging games to run? Games like Conduit (Wii), Metroid Prime 2 (GC), GTA3 (PCSX2) etc. Will the 520m be a step up, and if so how much? Could I expect those games to run at fullspeed with this CPU?

 

Google Open Ps2 loader, I'm not sure about ps2 slim compatibility though. Make sure you have SM3.6 or 3.8+ also. It could be that certain games you're playing aren't fully compatible?

 

It's not that simple, because the CPU cannot have four cores active while operating above 2GHz. Assuming you're reporting a figure from RealTemp, the calculation there is the average multiplier over time, rather than the instantaneous value; RealTemp does this because the multiplier in a Core i CPU can fluctuate very quickly, and so reporting an instantaneous value is often inaccurate. If we go by your assumption that the CPU is using four cores some of the time, the figure of 2.6GHz approximately suggests that the CPU spends 3/4 of its time running on two cores with a 2.8GHz boost, and 1/4 of its time on four with a 2GHz boost.

If we assume that the CPU is making full use of the cycles available - which isn't necessarily the case - then this is equivalent in processing power to a 3.1GHz dual-core. These calculations would put the i7-820QM quite close to the i7-620M in emulation performance. I'm doubtful that the CPU actually makes full use of all 4 cores 25% of the time - that seems very excessive simply for background work - but this estimate will suffice if we keep in mind that it may err on the side of the quads. On the other hand, if we use the same figures for the i7-720QM, that only equates to a 2.67GHz dual-core - this is consistent with the i7-720QM having roughly 15% lower clock speed than the i7-820QM across the board.

The price of the i7-720QM is far closer to the 620M than the 820QM is, and it's clear that the i7-620M should offer better emulation performance. However, the question is whether you really need this much power - the Core i5s aren't far behind in clock speeds. I haven't tried it on my i5-430M yet, but once I buy myself a controller I intend to.

As for tasks other than emulation, most benchmarks I've seen suggest the i7-720QM will perform roughly equally to the i7-620M if all four cores can be utilized. Your GTA 4 test seems like an exception (though it was done with the 820QM), but I'd like to see more testing with graphs from more people before I'd call it conclusive In terms of clock cycles available, assuming the cycles are equivalent due to both being Nehalem CPUs, the i7-720QM has 1.73 * 4 = 6.933GHz, while the i7-620M has 6.133GHz. That's only a 13% advantage in raw power, so I don't see how the i7-720QM would have much of an advantage at all.

 

Well, I need to actually thank you, lol, for confirming that c2d 2.66 works fine. Does it run at 2.66ghz when emulating?

Regarding MP2, I think you just need to have the correct configs. Check the Dolphin wiki. Also for PS2 games, you will need to set some speedhacks I think. Same with Wii games if need be. The wiki's should cover it though.

i5-430m should be fine. 520m is prolly overkill IMO, when considering I can technically run those emulators on my dinosaur.

 

I'm just using hdloader 0.8c which should be compatible with more or less anything.


I think it's just my ps2 is old as the hills and SotC (like GoW 2) are really demanding.


never tried GoW1 or 2 on the fat ps2 'cause well..I got the GoW collection for the ps3

 

Ya, it's prolly the game then. Anyhoo, 430M should be fine for everything.

 

*has 520m for overkill* alright then.

 

I'm still gonna get the 520M though, just in case, cuz I dont know about the Wii emulation.

 

yeah. though I have a wii that runs fine.


not so sure how you'd emulate (or just hook up the sensor bar) to work well with a laptop.

edit: yeah I know it's just a couple infrared lights but still.

 

Oh, for the Wiimote, you use the mouse.

 

I did not know that.

cool.

 

yeah any dual core with at least 3.06ghz (core 2 duo or better generation tech)
will run any emulator fine except for those that obviously dont work such as the xbox emulator. i use the ps2 emulator just fine on my laptop with perfect or so near perfect frame rate it doesnt matter. the wii emulator/gamecube works just fine also but for a few games you might need a few extra mhz to play perfect. ive tried games like wii sports and the legend of zelda windwaker and they both ran fine.

a quad will be worthless for the ps2 emulator as of now as its only optimized for a dual core (maybe in the future it will utilize more then two cores but i highly doubt it as that would mean a near or complete emulator recode)

i will admit i dont have much experience with the wii part but the ps2 i do have lots of experience with and i can guarantee you that the higher the ghz for a dual core you get the better it will be for it just dont forget you also need at least 8600gt desktop level graphics for it with ideally a dx10 compatible product as its much more compatible and optimized.

with the wii emulator if you have windows 7 the bluetooth drivers natively support the wiimote so thats a no brainer there. for the sensor bar if you dont wanna build one or mod a wired version then just buy yourself an wireless sensor bar sold for the wii and youll be

 

When you mention c2d 3ghz+, how does the i5 series compare?

 

The 520M is a barely perceptible step up over the i5-430M. Your decision should also depend on the upgrade prices involved.

 

Yah, very good advice indeed

Might end up going 450M, cuz the youtube videos seem good with the 430M for PCSX2.