PCSX2 1.2.1 runs Dynasty Warriors 3 slowly

[mullac]

I was wondering if anyone with a similar specs PC had been able to change the graphic settings to play DW3 without lag or at least smoothly enough to be played.

I feel like I have tried pretty much every combination of settings and at best can get an FPS of roughly 30/50 during gameplay (PAL/European bios so 50 FPS in the natural cap)

My PC specs are:
Windows 7 64 bit
Nvidia GTX 660
11 GB RAM
AMD Athlon II X4 3.0GHz

If there is anything else you need to know please ask.

[ssakash]

please provide the EE and GS values during slowdowns. the processor only has a STP of 1031 so, it might be weak for the task. also, try checking whether MTVU offers any speed up.

[mullac]

please provide the EE and GS values during slowdowns. the processor only has a STP of 1031 so, it might be weak for the task. also, try checking whether MTVU offers any speed up.

The EE value seems to jump around 60 - 80% and the GS 40 - 60%
As for MTVU I didn't really notice any real difference. maybe a slight improvement but it's hard to test for sure cause there isn't a consistent scene where the slowdown is occurring for me to test properly.

I did wonder if it was a processor issue, guess I'll have to think of some less demanding games to get a bit of nostalgia from.

[ssakash]

From the looks of it, your processor is on the weak side. you should consider upgrading your processor to get a better performance.

[mullac]

Yeah I thought as much, ok so slightly off topic, I've been thinking about what upgrades I should make next and it might be that my processor is now the number one contender. Would you mind explaining how Single Thread Rating is different to the base clock speed as a measure of performance. I'm going to make the move to an 8-core FX series but am undecided whether to wait and just get the best one going, or settle for a slightly less power at about 2/3rds of the cost.

Also I'm planning on upgrading to 16gb of ram and moving my OS over to an SSD, I'm doing these things anyway eventually, but are either of these upgrades likely to help run PCSX2?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[refraction]

As far as PCSX2 is concerned, it is more about the performance per mhz per core than how many cores you have, the maximum PCSX2 supports is 3 cores (unless you use GSDX software mode a lot) so it's best to get high performing single cores on a quad core CPU.

single thread rating is a performance "value" for the single core at the speed that processor runs at, if you get one cpu which will do 1300 point at 3.4Ghz, but another does 1600 point at 3.4Ghz, the latter is going to be a much faster processor and much better for PCSX2.

IIRC the FX chips don't have spectacular single core performance but very good multithreaded performance, providing you can make use of all or most of the cores. IF you're planning on building a machine for the soul purpose of making PCSX2 quick, i would suggest getting an overclockable intel i5 processor like the i5 4690k which is a lovely chip and will clock happily to 4.4-4.5ghz on air without getting insanely hot.

[ssakash]

Also I'm planning on upgrading to 16gb of ram and moving my OS over to an SSD, I'm doing these things anyway eventually, but are either of these upgrades likely to help run PCSX2?

the ram upgrade wouldn't help in pcsx2. on the other side, the SSD might offer a little speed up on access speeds but, it still wouldn't decrease the computation time.