Resolution - How i finally made PCSX2 shine

[Zebass]

First i'd like to tell that i'm using PCSX2 since early versions but i decided to mess with resolutions like a month ago coz it was set to Native and i never had the curiosity to explore/change it. The 'problem' started when i found a thread of someone playing Gran Turismo 4 in an absolutely beautiful high resolution so i knew it was possible. 
I went to the configuration tab, set the res to 3x Native and it was looking good, but the emulation wasn't fine like it used to be. I changed down to 2x and the emulation was good again, but the graphics results wasn't what i expected.
From that point, i started a long research regarding which renderer to use, Interlacing, Internal Resolution....everything related to graphics so i could tweak it to maximum quality and still have a decent emulation. And i finally got it!

I'm here to tell my experience and i'm sure that many of you are leaving by now because you already know that, and have figured out how to set it up properly. But there are many people that don't have a clue or little experience on what to do to make their games look better and playable without issues (or nearly).

I have tested the most recent Gsdx version i got (20151028192715) with DX9, DX11 and OpenGL using Native and custom resolutions.

First, the plugin i chose was Gsdx SSE4.1 because i read that the AVX is better only when rendering in Software mode wich is not my case.
I tried the OpenGL renderer but then i read that it is dedicated to Linux users so i switched back to DX11 Hardware mode.
Interlacing left on Auto.
8 bit textures allowed. 
Texture Filtering Bilinear PS2.
Anisotropic Filtering OFF.
CRC Hack Level Full.
No Hardware Hacks.
Edge Anti-Aliasing checked and Extra Rendering Threads set to 3 ( I know these two settings are listed under Software Mode but i changed anyways )
FXAA enabled.
No Shade Boost.
No External Shader.
EE/iOP Clamp Mode set to Full.
Vsync ON.
MTVU checked.
Rest unmodified/default.

Wait. What about the resolution? That's why i said it was a 'problem'. 
First i tried the Native resolution which does not look nice but the emulation is real fine. 
Then all other Native upscaling simply does not emulate well. Many glitches, sound sync issues...freezes...
Alright, i tried my monitor resolution wich is FullHD. Set the custom resolution to 1920x1080 and for my surprise the emulation worked real good but with many graphic issues. I tried to set lower resolutions both 4:3 and 16:9 but got nowhere near quality graphics. 

I was angry and i decided to set a REAL low resolution just for laughs. And the result was shocking.

My custom resolution was set to 1920x1080, i selected both fields and deleted it, leaving a blank field. Then i pressed the up arrow on keyboard and it showed 256. I decided to give it a try. Resolution set to 256x256. Surprisingly, the graphics was looking alot blocky but it was good. Really? I multiplied it and set to 2048x2048 and man, it was emulating real nice, the graphics looking real good so i decided to play for a while and wait for some glitches and crashes but...didn't happen! 

I am now playing with a hell of a high resolution without any problem with a fast and smooth emulation.

So if you are experiencing problems give it a try. I tested these settings with Gran Turismo 3 and 4, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto III, Vice-City, San Andreas and few other although i only play GT4 all the time. All NTSC. All working perfectly.

My Computer Specs (real garbage):

3570K on H77
16GB DDR3 1333
GTX770 4GB
240GB SSD

Cheers!

[jesalvein]

First i'd like to tell that i'm using PCSX2 since early versions but i decided to mess with resolutions like a month ago coz it was set to Native and i never had the curiosity to explore/change it. The 'problem' started when i found a thread of someone playing Gran Turismo 4 in an absolutely beautiful high resolution so i knew it was possible. 
I went to the configuration tab, set the res to 3x Native and it was looking good, but the emulation wasn't fine like it used to be. I changed down to 2x and the emulation was good again, but the graphics results wasn't what i expected.
From that point, i started a long research regarding which renderer to use, Interlacing, Internal Resolution....everything related to graphics so i could tweak it to maximum quality and still have a decent emulation. And i finally got it!

I'm here to tell my experience and i'm sure that many of you are leaving by now because you already know that, and have figured out how to set it up properly. But there are many people that don't have a clue or little experience on what to do to make their games look better and playable without issues (or nearly).

I have tested the most recent Gsdx version i got (20151028192715) with DX9, DX11 and OpenGL using Native and custom resolutions.

First, the plugin i chose was Gsdx SSE4.1 because i read that the AVX is better only when rendering in Software mode wich is not my case.
I tried the OpenGL renderer but then i read that it is dedicated to Linux users so i switched back to DX11 Hardware mode.
Interlacing left on Auto.
8 bit textures allowed. 
Texture Filtering Bilinear PS2.
Anisotropic Filtering OFF.
CRC Hack Level Full.
No Hardware Hacks.
Edge Anti-Aliasing checked and Extra Rendering Threads set to 3 ( I know these two settings are listed under Software Mode but i changed anyways )
FXAA enabled.
No Shade Boost.
No External Shader.
EE/iOP Clamp Mode set to Full.
Vsync ON.
MTVU checked.
Rest unmodified/default.

Wait. What about the resolution? That's why i said it was a 'problem'. 
First i tried the Native resolution which does not look nice but the emulation is real fine. 
Then all other Native upscaling simply does not emulate well. Many glitches, sound sync issues...freezes...
Alright, i tried my monitor resolution wich is FullHD. Set the custom resolution to 1920x1080 and for my surprise the emulation worked real good but with many graphic issues. I tried to set lower resolutions both 4:3 and 16:9 but got nowhere near quality graphics. 

I was angry and i decided to set a REAL low resolution just for laughs. And the result was shocking.

My custom resolution was set to 1920x1080, i selected both fields and deleted it, leaving a blank field. Then i pressed the up arrow on keyboard and it showed 256. I decided to give it a try. Resolution set to 256x256. Surprisingly, the graphics was looking alot blocky but it was good. Really? I multiplied it and set to 2048x2048 and man, it was emulating real nice, the graphics looking real good so i decided to play for a while and wait for some glitches and crashes but...didn't happen! 

I am now playing with a hell of a high resolution without any problem with a fast and smooth emulation.

So if you are experiencing problems give it a try. I tested these settings with Gran Turismo 3 and 4, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto III, Vice-City, San Andreas and few other although i only play GT4 all the time. All NTSC. All working perfectly.

My Computer Specs (real garbage):

3570K on H77
16GB DDR3 1333
GTX770 4GB
240GB SSD

Cheers!

...or you could just select 4x native...

[Zebass]

''Then all other Native upscaling simply does not emulate well. Many glitches, sound sync issues...freezes...''

I did.

[billyash]

check those games native resolution. are those games have 512x512 resolution?. cos not all games have native 512x512 resolution. please try another games, are still affect?

[Mkilbride]

I read his post twice and don't really understand it, but I gave him rep because I just felt he deserved it, haha.

[FlatOut]

I only started using PCSX2 months ago, but that was one of the first things I tried. Games played on a PS2 don't look that great on my HD TV, so I started using PCSX2 to improve the look of games.

Not every game works/looks as good using the same settings though, and other PC's might prefer other settings. Still, nice story.

[bomblord]

The entire reason I use PCSX2 was rendering at a higher internal res. I'de just use my PS2 if I wanted it at native.

[Zebass]

check those games native resolution. are those games have 512x512 resolution?. cos not all games have native 512x512 resolution. please try another games, are still affect?

Like i said, i tested with the games i have on dvd and the results was good. How do i check the resolution of a specific game?

I read his post twice and don't really understand it, but I gave him rep because I just felt he deserved it, haha.

Haha thanks! I can write another wall of text if you want to...Nah just kidding. Basically what i tried to explain was related to Native Upscaling. I don't care if 8x Native is the same as 2048x2048, it was not possible to just select 8x Native and have a stable emulation but after manually set this as custom resolution, everything was fine. Don't ask me why!!

I only started using PCSX2 months ago, but that was one of the first things I tried. Games played on a PS2 don't look that great on my HD TV, so I started using PCSX2 to improve the look of games.

Not every game works/looks as good using the same settings though, and other PC's might prefer other settings. Still, nice story.

Thanks!

[Zebass]

The entire reason I use PCSX2 was rendering at a higher internal res. I'de just use my PS2 if I wanted it at native.

Exactly. I started using PCSX2 because my PS2 console died. Took me a while to find a place where they could fix it and although it is fixed now, i'm using only the emulator.

[billyash]

to check game native resolution is at top of window, when you play it.