Problem with GSDX hardware settings in Gust games
#1
Hi, regardless of the speedhack options (or complete deactivation), when using DX11 Hardware mode or DX9 hardware mode or even Opengl Hardware mode, in games like ar tonelico or Atelier Iris for example i keep getting frame drops when:

-at the main screen selection i go in to system and when i exit as well i get a drop of 10 FPS regardless of the region of the game (For instance if i use Grand Phantasm PAL version i get a drop from 50 FPS to 40, if i use the NTSC version i get a drop from 60 FPS to 50 FPS), if i run the game uncapped (no fps limit) i get a drop from approximately 300 FPS to 134 FPS which mind fu... me why it happens when i cap the game....

-same as above happens when accessing the ingame menus.

Now as i said for PCSX2 itself i tried every possible combo, default settings, speed hacks combinations of all sorts and even no speed hacks at all.

When using DX 11 software mode this does not happen but unfortunately i get slowdown at some of the effects, which is understandable since i'm probably lacking in processing power.

As far as GSDX settings go i'm using native, blend set to auto, and everything else unchecked.

PC specs are as follow:

CPU: AMD FX 4300
Mobo: Asrock n68c GS-FX
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: RADEON 6850 1024MB GDDR5

OS: WIndows 8 X64
Reply

Sponsored links

#2
This is normal. Rama explained it recently. When the Gust games load a menu or a portrait, it hits the GS thread incredibly hard. On some systems, hard enough to cause a full stop for half a second.

Config->Audio->Plugin settings, change Timestretch to Async mix and you won't even notice it.

Or change to software mode, where it doesn't happen, and since Gust games upscale like ***** anyway. (You can set 2 extra rendering threads in Config->Video->Plugin Settings to make it be full speed for you)
[Image: XTe1j6J.png]
Gaming Rig: Intel i7 6700k @ 4.8Ghz | GTX 1070 TI | 32GB RAM | 960GB(480GB+480GB RAID0) SSD | 2x 1TB HDD
Reply
#3
[I've noticed that some game menus are inexplicably hard on hardware. I normally do not notice when running in a custom resolution of 1080p, but when I set it to 3840x2160, games like FF XII will run relatively fine [about 45 frames a second] but sharply drop below 20 when in my menu. Blyss' advice seems far more solid and scientific, but it's also worth trying to lower your resolution a little to see if that makes an impact on those menus for that particular game]
Asus Sabertooth Z77
Intel Core i7 3770K
EVGA Superclocked GTX 660 2 GB
Sound BlasterRecon 3D Fatal1ty
Samsung Evo 840 120 GB SSD
Seagate 4 TB HDD | Seagate 3TB HDD | Seagate 2 TB HDD
Reply
#4
Yeah, the thing you are speaking about with the menus is related to this issue. See here also: http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-FFX-minor...ne-changes

As for Ar tonelico, and because my system is similar to OP, I can say it does it even at native resolution in hardware mode, especially the first time a portrait loads.
[Image: XTe1j6J.png]
Gaming Rig: Intel i7 6700k @ 4.8Ghz | GTX 1070 TI | 32GB RAM | 960GB(480GB+480GB RAID0) SSD | 2x 1TB HDD
Reply
#5
(11-22-2014, 03:41 PM)Blyss Sarania Wrote: Yeah, the thing you are speaking about with the menus is related to this issue. See here also: http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-FFX-minor...ne-changes

As for Ar tonelico, and because my system is similar to OP, I can say it does it even at native resolution in hardware mode, especially the first time a portrait loads.

[Oh wow, even at native res? That's kind of intense o.o and hey, thanks for the link! I read it with keen interest. I should like to know if you ever resolved the issue entirely]
Asus Sabertooth Z77
Intel Core i7 3770K
EVGA Superclocked GTX 660 2 GB
Sound BlasterRecon 3D Fatal1ty
Samsung Evo 840 120 GB SSD
Seagate 4 TB HDD | Seagate 3TB HDD | Seagate 2 TB HDD
Reply
#6
The only way to resolve that issue(in the FFX thread) completely is to run with software mode.

However, with async audio, it's a lot better. 90% of the time the slowdown is so minor and brief that you don't notice it visually, you hear it. So async audio solves that. The other 10% of the time, it seems like the emulation stops completely for about 200 ms. Async makes that less noticeable, but it's still there.

Even still, I finished that playthrough of FFX, and with async set, it's a very minor annoyance.

So, options:

Software mode, nasty graphics, no hiccups
Hardware mode, async audio, pretty graphics, very tiny hiccups.

I think most of us would choose the latter option.

Now, of course the more powerful the PC, the less noticeable it will be. The AMD FX series is certainly less than optimal for PCSX2, and while I've always been able to get any game I wanted to go full speed with enough tweaking, I suspect issues like the FFX one would be less noticeable or even gone on a more powerful CPU.

As for the Ar tonelico issue though, vsub gets this slowdown even with an Intel i7 4771. So brute force really doesn't help here, unfortunately.
[Image: XTe1j6J.png]
Gaming Rig: Intel i7 6700k @ 4.8Ghz | GTX 1070 TI | 32GB RAM | 960GB(480GB+480GB RAID0) SSD | 2x 1TB HDD
Reply
#7
[Unfortunate. Such is the life of emulation though. Always awesome when you finally get an issue fixed! That release of endorphins!]
Asus Sabertooth Z77
Intel Core i7 3770K
EVGA Superclocked GTX 660 2 GB
Sound BlasterRecon 3D Fatal1ty
Samsung Evo 840 120 GB SSD
Seagate 4 TB HDD | Seagate 3TB HDD | Seagate 2 TB HDD
Reply
#8
Edit: Replied to wrong thread
[Image: XTe1j6J.png]
Gaming Rig: Intel i7 6700k @ 4.8Ghz | GTX 1070 TI | 32GB RAM | 960GB(480GB+480GB RAID0) SSD | 2x 1TB HDD
Reply
#9
Thank you very much for a bit there i was starting to think its something on my end since i kept hearing its one of the games that requires less to emulate. Using Async mix made actually using software rendering a better alternative since the effects that caused FPS drops lasted just an instance. Though since i got my CRT TV back today and i'm going back to use the PS2 to play, since its less of a headache Tongue2. Anyway thank you very much for the assistance ^^.
Reply
#10
There's one thing i forgot to add in case someone else with similar PC processing power stumbles upon the same problems, using Async Mix for Timestretch method with DX11 software rendering made all Gust games i tried work great, with Async Mix the FPS slowdowns that appear due to some of the effects go unnoticed since it seems that they appear only for a fraction, actually in Grand Phantasm for example if i didn't kept a close eye on the FPS counter, i wouldn't even notice it happened (if i ran it in fullscreen and just played it was unnoticeable). The only exception i found so far that needs some extra work is Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia, i had to use a 4XXX svn build to get this game to run at a good speed, GSDX builds after ~svn 5XXX struggle at some effects. The reason seems to be that newer GSDX builds are more accurate reading and displaying some effects, while older ones do it faster at the price of accuracy, i tested this out in Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia near the beginning of the game where you encounter the first virus when Shurelia does the virus scan on the newer GSDX builds i had a drop down till 16 FPS, with the 4XXX SVN there was no impact on performance at all (because the effect wasn't displayed properly/fully). I compared this using my PS2 as well and i can say for sure that the newer GSDX's are accurate with the effect. But if speed is what you need then go with the older versions, i guarantee that unless you know what to look for you wont notice what effect is and isn't properly displayed.
Reply




Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)