Performance Issues with Ridge Racer V

[tuanming]

4x - 8x fps on this game no speedhacks @3.47GHz. I forgot to turn back my overclock speed to 3.97GHz but this the fps that I am getting at 3.47GHz.

CPU: Q9550 2.83GHz OC'ed @3.47GHz
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Venomous X w/ COUGAR CF-V12HP
RAM: 2x2GB DDR2 G.Skill F2-8800CL5D-4GBPI
GPU: GTX 580 1.5GB
PSU: Corsair 1000w
MOBO: Asus P5Q Deluxe rev.1.03

[Isamu]

No results on my end, because I don't have the game.

There's no trickery with the GSdx plugin really. The higher, the better.
(SSE2<SSSE3<SSE41)

What PCSX2 build?
One is stable, the other is SVN.
You can try an SVN, but if you encounter new problems with that game or find it worse, go back to what is stable.

Thanks but what about between SSSE3 and SSE4? Isn't one of them specifically for AMD gpus?

[Isamu]

4x - 8x fps on this game no speedhacks @3.47GHz. I forgot to turn back my overclock speed to 3.97GHz but this the fps that I am getting at 3.47GHz.

CPU: Q9550 2.83GHz OC'ed @3.47GHz
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Venomous X w/ COUGAR CF-V12HP
RAM: 2x2GB DDR2 G.Skill F2-8800CL5D-4GBPI
GPU: GTX 580 1.5GB
PSU: Corsair 1000w
MOBO: Asus P5Q Deluxe rev.1.03

Hmm, can you specify what "4x-8x fps" means? Does that mean you're getting between 40fps and 80fps? And what res are you scaling to? x2? x3?

Also, the thing I need to point out, is when I play the game and it lags, the framerate according to FRAPS remains pretty steady at about 45-50fps, but it actually slows down, like underwater slowdown, not framedrops per se. And the slowdown gets bigger the higher I set the gdsx resolution. Anything past x3 and it's not that smooth. x6 is underwater all the way.

Strange though, because Shadow Lady once told me that GDSX is purely dependant on graphic cards power not CPU. If that's true, then my AMD 5870 should yield smooth framerates in RR V even at x6 scale, right?

[Shadow Lady]

Uh... I doubt I ever said that and if I did I was wrong then, GSdx uses resources from both the GPU and CPU. In this game actually the slowdown happens because the GS plugin is using too many resources so you need a fast CPU... and because of the slowdown being the GS plugin speedhacks or other pcsx2 settings (other than frameskip) won't help and might actually have the opposite effect (like the fake fps you seemed to have a while back).

Tips for this game? enable the "allow 8-bit textures" option in GSdx and set the resolution to as low as possible and if that isn't enough then use frameskip (shift+f4 while playing) which won't be so enjoyable.

Also the game is pretty broken in hardware plugins so for graphics you might want the software mode in gsdx (F9 while playing) which will need even more CPU resources.

[tuanming]

Hmm, can you specify what "4x-8x fps" means? Does that mean you're getting between 40fps and 80fps? And what res are you scaling to? x2? x3?

Also, the thing I need to point out, is when I play the game and it lags, the framerate according to FRAPS remains pretty steady at about 45-50fps, but it actually slows down, like underwater slowdown, not framedrops per se. And the slowdown gets bigger the higher I set the gdsx resolution. Anything past x3 and it's not that smooth. x6 is underwater all the way.

Strange though, because Shadow Lady once told me that GDSX is purely dependant on graphic cards power not CPU. If that's true, then my AMD 5870 should yield smooth framerates in RR V even at x6 scale, right?

The lowest fps I saw at 3.47GHz on a Q9550 was in the 40-ish to 80-ish. X represents anywhere from 0-9. I always do my test or bench at 1360x768 res. Going beyond that res would not affect my fps because I have a GTX 580. I'm pretty sure if i clock to my usual overclock speed (3.97GHz) then i can easily get it in the 50's + minimum fps OR maybe higher. I'll let you know what kind of fps i get in this game at my optimal overclock speed.

If you're going for 6x, then the GTX 580 would be a better performer.

[Rezard]

Thanks but what about between SSSE3 and SSE4? Isn't one of them specifically for AMD gpus?

Nope.
You're probably thinking of the the SSE3 and SSSE3 thing.

Until recently, Intel had the only processors to use SSSE3, which is supported by PCSX2.

AMD processors (previous to Zambezi) only had SSE3, which is not supported by PCSX2 (due to uselessness).

SSE2 < SSSE3 < SSE4.1

[tuanming]

I was right. At 3.97GHz the minimal fps was in 50's fps and max was up to 10x fps. On average the game performs in the 60's + fps. If you ask me, that's pretty much full speed for this game on my system

Switch to Nvidia and maybe you'll get more fps for some games, if not all games. I used to have a MSi R6970 Lightning but I switched to the green team and saw some fps boost.

[Isamu]

Uh... I doubt I ever said that and if I did I was wrong then, GSdx uses resources from both the GPU and CPU. In this game actually the slowdown happens because the GS plugin is using too many resources so you need a fast CPU... and because of the slowdown being the GS plugin speedhacks or other pcsx2 settings (other than frameskip) won't help and might actually have the opposite effect (like the fake fps you seemed to have a while back).

Tips for this game? enable the "allow 8-bit textures" option in GSdx and set the resolution to as low as possible and if that isn't enough then use frameskip (shift+f4 while playing) which won't be so enjoyable.

Also the game is pretty broken in hardware plugins so for graphics you might want the software mode in gsdx (F9 while playing) which will need even more CPU resources.

Sorry SL, I thought it was you but it could have been someone else that mentioned it. Anyway your comments are very interesting and sheds some light on the issue. I tried software mode once before in RRV and was greeted with graphical garbage and issues. Do you get the same results or are they clean graphics all the time?

Nope.
You're probably thinking of the the SSE3 and SSSE3 thing.

Until recently, Intel had the only processors to use SSSE3, which is supported by PCSX2.

AMD processors (previous to Zambezi) only had SSE3, which is not supported by PCSX2 (due to uselessness).

SSE2 < SSSE3 < SSE4.1

OK thanks for the heads up!

I was right. At 3.97GHz the minimal fps was in 50's fps and max was up to 10x fps. On average the game performs in the 60's + fps. If you ask me, that's pretty much full speed for this game on my system

Switch to Nvidia and maybe you'll get more fps for some games, if not all games. I used to have a MSi R6970 Lightning but I switched to the green team and saw some fps boost.

Hi tuanming and thanks for posting those results. I was going to say that you might be onto something there, but then I noticed you mention that you test or bench at 1360x768 res. At that res, I too, average about 50-60fps. But what is your fps if you run RRV at scale x5 or x6 native res? Still 60fps? You're probably right though....GDSX probably likes nVidia more than AMD in PCSX2, and therefore would explain why I get lag here and there.

I certainly don't think my Core i7 is the bottlenect. I think this game is just not optimized as well as it could be.

Refraction if you read this....I notice in one of the latest build, you implemented a speed hack for Ace Combat 4. Since this is a game by Namco and on the PS2, could it be possible it shares the same engine as Ridge Racer V? If so, would it be possible to develop a speed hack for RRV as well?

Also is there a place either here or somewhere else we can go to specifically request game speed hacks?

[refraction]

I certainly don't think my Core i7 is the bottlenect. I think this game is just not optimized as well as it could be.

The game is not optimized for PC and the emulator is almost completely cpu bound, so yes your i7 can be the problem if not overclocked enough ;p

Refraction if you read this....I notice in one of the latest build, you implemented a speed hack for Ace Combat 4. Since this is a game by Namco and on the PS2, could it be possible it shares the same engine as Ridge Racer V? If so, would it be possible to develop a speed hack for RRV as well?

Also is there a place either here or somewhere else we can go to specifically request game speed hacks?

The hack i did was to solve the sky issue in Ace Combat 4 which was black instead of blue. This was fixed properly by pseudo shorly after and i removed my hack. If the two games shared an engine, the most id expect to see is some graphical fixes, there will be no speed improvements associated.

[tuanming]

Hi tuanming and thanks for posting those results. I was going to say that you might be onto something there, but then I noticed you mention that you test or bench at 1360x768 res. At that res, I too, average about 50-60fps. But what is your fps if you run RRV at scale x5 or x6 native res? Still 60fps? You're probably right though....GDSX probably likes nVidia more than AMD in PCSX2, and therefore would explain why I get lag here and there.

I certainly don't think my Core i7 is the bottlenect. I think this game is just not optimized as well as it could be.

Refraction if you read this....I notice in one of the latest build, you implemented a speed hack for Ace Combat 4. Since this is a game by Namco and on the PS2, could it be possible it shares the same engine as Ridge Racer V? If so, would it be possible to develop a speed hack for RRV as well?

Also is there a place either here or somewhere else we can go to specifically request game speed hacks?

5x:
In the beginning, the fps drop in the 4x fps, but after that, it's smooth sailing in the 5x - 6x on average.

6x: Fps drop down in the 3x in the beginning. However, past that the fps get to a stable 5x - 6x fps. A 3GB gtx 580 could tells a different story though.