For PCSX2 emulation which of the two processors is the best?

[wiser13]

Which of the two processors is the best to emulate PCSX2? i5-7400 quad-core 3.0 GHz [str = 1957] or i3-7100 dual-core 3.9 GHz [str = 2227]?

By MTVU would it be wiser to get the i5 to use 3 cores? Or the STR is more important and because of that, would it be wiser to get the i3?

I use the emulator currently in a notebook with a 2.2 GHz dual-core i5-5200u [str = 1401], most games run at a good speed (like the final fantasy, castlevania, PES, Onimusha, Resident Evil), but others do not run very well (Rogue galaxy for example) and in these the percentage "EE" usually stands at 100% or even more. I have never had problems with the other percentages, and I will always run the games in the native resolution, aiming for the best performance.

UserBenchmark: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Int...3886vs3891

i3-7100 STR = https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu...Hz&id=2924
i5-7400 STR = https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu...Hz&id=2929

[weirdbeardgame]

The i3 in this case str is the most important factor with an emulation typically

[TkSilver]

Even with MTVU the largest bottleneck in emulation is the main thread that has to convert code specific to the PS2 into code that can be run on an x86 platform. Yes multiple threads can sometimes help, but that is assuming that the main thread is running at the same speed. If the extra threads have to wait to get instructions they understand you could have 1 or 1,000,000 of them and they would still contribute nothing.

Either of these processors are going to vastly improve your PCSX2 experience though since you are comming from a processor below the recommended for most games level (passmark stp 1,600) to the recomended level for more demanding titles (passmark stp 2,000). Add in that these are not U processors which usually have lower power and heat limits leading to sub optimal performance, and you end up with a pretty good upgrade.

This being said, unless this system is only going to be used for emulation, the multi-core advantage of the i5 might be more useful for everyday tasks and other things you may use the system for. This is more dependent on what tasks you want the system to handle.

[wiser13]

Even with MTVU the largest bottleneck in emulation is the main thread that has to convert code specific to the PS2 into code that can be run on an x86 platform.  Yes multiple threads can sometimes help, but that is assuming that the main thread is running at the same speed.  If the extra threads have to wait to get instructions they understand you could have 1 or 1,000,000 of them and they would still contribute nothing.

Either of these processors are going to vastly improve your PCSX2 experience though since you are comming from a processor below the recommended for most games level (passmark stp 1,600) to the recomended level for more demanding titles (passmark stp 2,000).  Add in that these are not U processors which usually have lower power and heat limits leading to sub optimal performance, and you end up with a pretty good upgrade.

This being said, unless this system is only going to be used for emulation, the multi-core advantage of the i5 might be more useful for everyday tasks and other things you may use the system for.  This is more dependent on what tasks you want the system to handle.

I understand, I usually use the computer to study and make simple editions of images and videos (things that were already supplied by my notebook). I prefer to play old games, and I love emulators, I have several installed on my notebook (from atari to psp), but I only had performance problems on PCSX2 and Dolphin (which for some reason runs better Wii games than Gamecube) Most games on these emulators run at a good speed, and those that do not run, always stay in that "almost there", so I thought it was a good idea to buy a Desktop. So, for my needs, would i3 or i5 be better?

[refraction]

Can you stop abusing the report feature please wiser13.

You can delete your own posts.

[wiser13]

Can you stop abusing the report feature please wiser13.

You can delete your own posts.

Sorry, it will not happen again.

[TkSilver]

Image and video editing can definitely see improvement with a better multi treaded processor like the i5. Old native PC games won't be an issue for either and to be honest most new(ish) PC games should be fine on either (some exceptions in the open world genre, rts and others are poping up more and more so an i5 is more "future proof" though games may end up requireing more then even 4 cores).

Also there are some demanding titles for gamecube (the star wars flight games come to mind) that are definitely more then a lot of Wii titles. Though some Wii titles like Super Mario Galaxy will push dolphin emulation hard as well. Either processor should handle Dolphin well though.

So the i3 would be better for PCSX2 (most cases)
the i5 better for image and video editing (most cases)
and the other stuff should generally be fine on either (with newer native PC titles favoring the i5 in some instances)