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I admit this might be teetering a bit too close to the "does my computer run pcsx2 blabla" thread, but anyway:

I'm trying to figure out which part of my computer is bottlenecking PCSX2 from running well. The more demanding games (Xenosaga, etc) are running at about 30FPS maximum, whereas Namco x Capcom (which one would hope would run at 60FPS, being a 2D game) runs in *some* places at 60FPS, and some at less than 30. (Certain stages, such as the one with the Gesellcraft in the background, work at 25FPS or so). That doesn't make much sense, given that the only difference between 60FPS parts of the game and 25FPS parts is the background on a battle screen.

The relevant components of my system are thus:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 6420 2.13GHz
Graphics: ASUS EAH3850 (Powered by ATI Radeon HD 3850) 1GB
RAM: 2GB
OS: Windows XP

EDIT: PCSX2 settings would probably help, wouldn't they?

Running at x2 cycle rate (PCSX2 0.9.6, not r1888, at the moment...)
Using GSdx with DirectX 9
All the other speed hacks (INTC, IOP, Wait cycles) enabled


I had initially thought it was the graphics causing the problem, but at the moment, I'm inclined to think it's the CPU - judging by what I've read in certain parts of the forums about PCSX2 being more CPU than GPU dependent, but I'm not sure. Dishing out £150 on a 3Ghz dual core processor won't seem very smart if it turns out not to help, seeing as this'd be the only thing I'd run on it. Suggestions?

Some input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Its both your CPU and GPU, but cpu can be overclocked and it should help to run games at least at native res so-so..

If you're using the GSdx included in pcsx2 0.9.6 only it may be causing extra slowdowns for your card, try updating to the latest beta and latest plugin package:
http://forums.pcsx2.net/thread-3716.html

Edit: Huh could have swear I linked the right one...

Actually a HD 3850 can play PS2 games, almost all, just fine i have been using that for a long time(until my 5750). It is most probabaly your CPU.

As most people said, it's probably your CPU. I can runs most games pretty well on even my old 4350, which is an extreme bottleneck. I get some slowdown on certain demanding games and situations even at native resolution. Sometimes, the CPU usage goes up to 99% in these instances, signaling a weak GPU. Yours is far superior to mine. My bottleneck can't be the CPU, it's sufficient enough to play most games pretty well.

So yeah, see what you can do about your CPU. If you can get it somewhere around 2.8ghz or higher (maybe around 3ghz or so), you should definitely be able to play most games pretty well.

In other advice, definitely update to beta1888. I've never used the official release 0.9.6, but from what i hear, 1888 is far faster. I know the latest unofficial SVN's aren't supported here, but you might try those out too, they're getting really stable and usable now. I've not gotten a single crash with using the newer ones. Fast too. At the very least, make sure you're using the graphics plugins with support for your CPU's best instructions, that can speed things up.

I had 3870 before this which is better than his 3850, there were too many times when card couldn't keep at my 1600x1200 native resolution. On 1024x1024 or lower card should be mostly "ok" with regular slowdowns in few games in anything but "native".

Well you were running it at very High Res. I only play it at 1440x900 on my games or 1024x1024

I haven't tested a lot of games on my laptop, the ones that I did I managed to get running 100%, and thats with whatever components I have in it (check sig). However, I know I played a lot with my CPU at 99%, but its a laptop card so eh. Also, I agree with r1888, and the latest plugins, I think somebody posted the link, the latest plugin pack was 12/30/09 i believe. It has always helped.

Does PCSX2 benefit from dual graphics cards running in SLI?

(01-26-2010, 12:09 PM)Isamu Wrote: [ -> ]Does PCSX2 benefit from dual graphics cards running in SLI?

You would know if you bothered reading the FAQ (No)