FPS issues with FFX

[Irdamage]

Hi folks, I've been searching and testing for a solution to my issue now for a few hours and hope to find some advice from the experts (Any help will be greatly appreciated). So lets get to it! Ive been having FPS troubles with FFX NTSC (via ISO) as the title describes, during the initial load up and menu screen I am easily able to hit 59-60 fps consistently, however when the first FMV and game-play section loads this drops to about 20-30 FPS and is just a bit too slow to play with comfortably. Here is my current set up, and the steps I've already taken.

PC/Video card
Windows XP Service Pack 3
Intel Pentium x2 CPU 3 Ghz
1022 Mb Ram
Direct X 9.0c
NVidia GeForce 9500 GT 512mb Driver: nv4_disp.dll version: 6.14.12.6724

PCSX2 0.9.8

















Also: Automatic Game fixes checked in the system drop down. and my EE is @ 90%+ and GS is @ 40-50%

So I have currently been trying different combinations of native resolution, x3 Native scaling, and adjusting the Speedhack levels to find a combo of the 3 that will work, so far no luck . If any one has any suggestions or needs more detail of my setup please feel free to ask and thank you in advance for your help!

[Rezard]

Hello.

First things first: What exactly is that CPU? Is it a Pentium 4 w/ HT (2 logical cores, not physical)?

Second thing: Try not to increase the resolution too much. Your GPU isn't too powerful, so x3 scaling would often be too much and cause slowdowns (especially is certain situations, like casting a spell like Fire). Consider sticking to Native for now, and you may also consider not exceeding x2 in general.

Now, it's time you configured some things.

You can set GSdx to use the "Direct3D10 (Hardware)" renderer. Your GPU can support it, and it usually will work better. And again, check the native box (at least for now).

You can also go ahead and try increasing the EE Cyclerate and/or VU Cycle Stealing more. FFX takes to hacks quite well (some games don't). Also, the mVU Block hack shouldn't hurt. Give it a try.

---

When all is said and done, see where you're at. If this doesn't help much, then I seriously suspect your CPU is not a physical dual core. Please do look into that, because the EE% is indicating that your CPU is quite slow and would be your bottleneck.

[Irdamage]

Thanks for the speedy response !, Yes pardon me,the cpu has hyper-threading and is fairly old (PC is a Gateway 820 GM just to give you an idea of how old lol). After changing to the settings you've recommended and lowering the resolution a bit it seems to have improved to the 30-40 fps range on average (except of course the menus which are still full 60) so that's some excellent progress. After installing a few dll's for Gsdx10 w/direct 3d10 I notice it still doesn't appear as an option in the plugin settings menu, a little research seemed to reveal that it can't be used on XP, unless I'm mistaken. Is there any kind of work around for that? as it may be the missing puzzle piece. Also would I be able to set some kind of cpu priority to running this (hopefully without overclocking as I don't trust my current cooling system with that lol)

[Rezard]

Forgive me. I've seem to of had a brain fart. It had totally slipped my mind when I got to replying that you did say you were on XP, and was more focused on the fact that your GPU does indeed support DirectX10. The workaround is upgrading your OS, since XP is limited to DirectX9. It can make a difference, but no where near as substantial as having the right kind of hardware for the job (more than 1 physical core).

A Pentium 4 processor is the real issue. It is indeed slow for PCSX2 in general, so consider applying more (or even max) to the EE and VU sliders in the Speedhacks. Overclocking is usually most benefial, but that CPU isn't going to benefit as much as a more ideal one would. It still could be worth doing if you could get at least 3.5Ghz or more out of it, but it better be done safely and comfortably (trustable cooler). Every little bit counts in your situation.

[Irdamage]

No worries at all, thank you for the advice and the help. It looks like I'll have to do some upgrading in the near future and for now maybe just have a few drinks to bring my brain speed down to the 30-40fps range .