Will PCSX2 run at full speed on my pc if...

[Meth]

I hope you mean Intel Core 2 Duo and not the Pentium D... Either way getting to 4gig isn't an easy task ;o

[xebian13b]

At 4ghz your set for pretty much any game pcsx2 is compatible with. I wouldnt recommend such a high overclock if your new at overclocking though. Depending on the games you want to play 3.5-3.6ghz would probably do the trick.

So I found a new 3.2 ghz AMD Dual core gigabyte motherboard with upgradable 8gb ram max for sale for a pretty good price. I started researching on it, and found youtube videos of ppl playing complex games like silent hill 3 and grand turismo 4 with only a 3.2 ghz dual core cpu, and of course a high speed graphics card. They did have to turn on some speed hacks, but the games appear to play at full speed and smoothly.

Your right, if possible id rather not have to overclock because I dont wanna risk damaging anything. Does this sound like a better option to get the games at full speed?

[jesalvein]

youtube videos aren't reliable, because accelerated to full speed most of the time.
That AMD 3.2 Ghz is quite good, but overclocking an MAD is kinda hard.

[xebian13b]

One of the things I found out recently in my many hours of recent research (Which im sure all of you already know), is that a 32 bit OS can only recognize 4 gb of ram max. I have Windowx XP 2005 media center edition SP3 32 bit, and I plan on building a new computer, but I wish to reinstall XP from the boot disc.

This is a problem, because I plan on installing about 8 gb of ram, but if Xp will only recognize 3-4 gb, would ram end up being a bottle neck for PCSX2 on more complex games even if I have a 3.5-4.0 ghz cpu and an nVidia Geforce 9800GT gpu?

Another thing, being that PCSX2 doesnt fully support 64 bit OS's, how do people who have over 4gb of ram actually use all of it on this emulator?

[ilovejedd]

Another thing, being that PCSX2 doesnt fully support 64 bit OS's, how do people who have over 4gb of ram actually use all of it on this emulator?

I don't think I've ever seen PCSX2 use more than 500MB of RAM. The additional RAM usually isn't for PCSX2. It's for other stuff - Photoshop, heavy multi-tasking, etc.

[xebian13b]

Hmmm I see. So having more then 500 mb of ram will not benefit pcsx2 at all, but your saying that if I were to run other programs at the same time like firefox, AIM, youtube etc, the extra ram I do have will prevent a computer slowdown, and I may even still be able to continue pcsx2 at full speed?

[ilovejedd]

Hmmm I see. So having more then 500 mb of ram will not benefit pcsx2 at all.

Not necessarily. The operating system still requires a good amount of RAM to function smoothly. The minimum requirement for Windows 7 64-bit is 2GB, I believe. From experience, though, you really do want around 3GB or more for a smoother experience. 4GB (2x2GB) is the sweet spot if you're budget constrained. Otherwise, now's actually a good time to move to 8GB (2x4GB) given RAM prices.

If you're building a new PC, why not go with Windows 7? It's able to use resources more efficiently compared to XP.

[xebian13b]

I may end up actually going with 4 gb of ram, because when I decided to go with 8 initially, I just found the cheapest ram for 100 bucks without knowing anything about it. I also subscribed to an overclocking forum so I can get help from the experts, and somebody recommended If I want to go to 4ghz on a budget, I go with a 4 gb (2x2) a very specific model and brand for almost $100.

I wondered why it was so expensive compared to the 8 gb I found for not much more, and after a while I started to understand it.

I am on a tight budget and really don't want to buy windows 7, even though I agree with you that it is better. Right now, I'm actually using pcsx2 on windows xp, and i'm dual booting with Ubuntu 10.10 and is my main OS.

I really dont care much for XP, I'm only using about 60 gb from my hard drive and this is strictly for games. Ubuntu has the remaining 400gb, and has all the bells and whistles my xp will never have lol

[ilovejedd]

$100 for 4GB RAM? Seriously? While that may have been the norm a year ago, nowadays, 4GB kits cost ~$50. While you do want to get DDR3 1600, you needn't spend that much on RAM.

Something like the following should work just fine:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600, $109.99 (was $90 after coupon just a few days ago)
CORSAIR XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600, $114.99

If you're sticking to XP, then there are a number of inexpensive 4GB DDR3 1600 kits available. Don't spend $100 on one.
4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600

[xebian13b]

I dont mind spending $100 if I can get 8 gb, that'd be awesome. One thing I heard was that if one plans to build a 4 ghz cpu, it is desirable to have ram that has a lower voltage and a lower cas latency.

Maby im over thinking things, but I def dont wanna fry my cpu or ram beacause im using the incorrect type for an extreme overclock, ya know?

What you recommended there looks like a nice deal, im gonna research that. I def wouldnt mind installing 8 gb of ram, because I do plan on reinstalling Ubuntu 10.10 64 bit which will recognize all of it. Maby with 8gb ram and a 4 ghz cpu I can get pcsx2 games to play at full speed in Linux and I can forget about Xp, that'd be nice