Just a couple of questions.
#1
I'm using an HP dv7t laptop (yes, I know, but bear with me).

Windows 7 64-bit
Intel i5 M 560 (2.66 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz)
4 GB RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon 5650

Now, there are a few issues I'm having in particular.

The first is more of a general thing: how exactly does upscaling work? D3D internal resolution is set at 1024 x 1024 by default, which has me wondering what to set it to. My monitor is 1600 x 900, should I set it to that? Or something else?

Next: What are the best settings for Dragon Quest VIII? It runs at 60fps until the first time you see human characters, at which point, the fps drops to around 45-30. How do I improve it? Which speedhacks are best for the game? The sound seems to be slowing down, too, is that just a side effect of the low fps or is there a separate sound problem?

The last one: Odin Sphere. I've heard it works best with ZeroGS, so I tried that, but ZeroGS is acting up for some reason. I can't set AA past 2x without major framerate drops (runs very smoothly on 2x though). Also, I can't see any settings in ZeroGS to improve the resolution that's being rendered at. Is there any way to get graphical enhancements?

Also, whenever I try to maximize my screen, the screen glitches up and gets stretched and cut off. Is there any way to fix this, or should I just use the Alt + Enter fullscreen? I like to have my taskbar visible if possible, since that lets me keep track of the fps I'm getting without it being intrusive.
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#2
Upscaling multiplies the internal resolution of the game (or it should Tongue2) you can set whatever custom one you want for your screen, but upscale multipliers work only in base to the game you're playing and not related to your screen size.

Did you try Odin sphere with GSdx? It may work better there (8-bit texture options may make it better or worse tho).

Also ZeroGS's AA works similar to GSdx's upscale multipliers but doesn't work so well (horrible speed in some cases like you experienced and buggier overall).
Core i5 3570k -- Geforce GTX 670  --  Windows 7 x64
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#3
On Dragon Quest 8: This game is rather demanding GPU wise. With your GPU, you may want to stick close to, or at native resolution.

On Speedhacks: All I could suggest is a standard approach. Enable the [Recommended] one's, and then experiment with the EE and VU sliders from game to game.

On maximizing the window: Try a different setting with the "Aspect Ratio" in the "GS Window" section of Emulation Settings. That's all I could think of at this point.
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#4
I'll try what was mentioned here. Thanks for the advice, I'll come back and tell you guys how it went.

I realized that I may have phrased something misleadingly - the issue with maximizing my window was only with ZeroGS. GSdx doesn't have that issue.
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#5
Okay, I've found that using GSdx in Odin Sphere results in slowdown for me. It runs fine at first, but during the first cutscene of the game, it slows down to around 50 fps, or even slower depending on my settings.

On ZeroGS, I can get it to run pretty smoothly. The graphics aren't quite as sharp, and I can't go higher than 2x, but it runs smoothly.

BTW, what is the difference between the different GSdx plugins?
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#6
What different GSdx plugins? If you mean different version/revision then usually the bigger number is the better.
Core i5 3570k -- Geforce GTX 670  --  Windows 7 x64
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#7
(02-18-2011, 12:11 PM)Shadow Lady Wrote: What different GSdx plugins? If you mean different version/revision then usually the bigger number is the better.

The different SSEs.
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#8
SSE are instruction sets of a processor. Generally, the higher the SSE,, the better the emulation.
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#9
I just read the Official Configuration Guide. Should've done so earlier, because now I'm getting Odin Sphere to run at 60fps, even in 2x internal resolution. Doesn't drop below 59 fps at all, even during the opening scene when the two large knights were fighting. Previously, even ZeroGS was giving me 55 fps for that scene. I'm using SSE 4.1 and Direct 3D11. So, no more problems in Odin Sphere for me.

I still can't get DQ8 to run properly though. Even with SSE 4.1, D3D11, internal resolution 1x, and most of the speedhacks enabled, I'm getting about 40 fps by the time you first control your character. I guess I'll just play this on the PS2 then, no biggie, I just wanted to be able to change the controls to something closer to what I'm accustomed to.

So, on to another game. Growlanser Generations (I'm specifically talking about 2, which was the one I tested) looks really odd for me. Everything is all blocky and weird, with little artifacts everywhere. Any advice? I haven't bothered playing up to the first battle, but I doubt a game of this type will present me with many performance issues in that regard. It's just some weird graphics. My PS2 can't run CDs anymore, and I don't want to go through the trouble of making DVD versions of the games (they take forever to load anyways, and I like using the original discs whenever possible, not least because they're easier on the system's laser than games burned onto cheap, low-quality DVDs).

I'm going to try out FFX and FFXII as well, and come back with how they do for me.
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#10
Is there any way to get the game to run full-speed at a lower framerate? I wouldn't mind having it run at 30 fps, if only the game wouldn't be so slow. Is there frameskip or anything?
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