WHat is bottlenecking me...
#1
Hi, I have a Dual Core processor (two 1.83's rated at 3 GHz together)

And a pretty generic integrated video card...

When I was playing a game (Kingdom Hearts, if that makes a difference) I got speeds of about 75%... and it listed my CPU at about 85% to 90%

HOWEVER at my windows task manager program it lists the CPU usage at only about 44-53%...

So, what is my limiting factor GPU or CPU-

I know that in general the CPU is the factor- but I'm curious in this case...

BTW- are there any patches that would make the game eek out some more performance?
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#2
CPU usage as listed in the PCSX2 window is GSDX reporting GPU usage, if you're using something like integrated intel video it will greatly bottleneck you.

But even if you upgrade to a better card, your CPU is still very weak and you won't get 100% speed. Is this a laptop?

Quote:two 1.83's rated at 3 GHz together

Dual cores do not work this way. It is still 1.83ghz, each singular thread can only use 1.83ghz of CPU power.
CPU: Core 2 Duo E8400 C0 @ 4.1Ghz
Mobo: ASUS P5Q Pro (2048Mhz FSB)
RAM: 8GB PC2-8500 DDR2
Video: Radeon HD 4850 512MB @ 790/1990mhz
Sound: ASUS Xonar DX, Alessandro MS-1 headphones
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#3
dual core not mean you can combine as 3ghz single core speed. its just a processor with 2 separate cpu inside, each run at its own speed.

have you set the mtgs option? try that first, then try the speedhack, set it to whatever value you feel the best.

your bottleneck is your cpu and gpu, at least 3ghz/core cpu is needed, well lower speed is possible if your game is not that demanding, and integrated gpu is a no-no especially if its GMA
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#4
okay thanks... about my CPU Speed-

I checked on "Will it Run" and it said the following

CPU- You Have: 2 processors running - Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU T5550 @ 1.83GHz

CPU Speed- You Have: 1.83 GHz Performance Rated at <b>3.57 GHz</b>


Sorry if there was a confusion with my CPU speed, I'm still not sure exactly if I know what it is... I just hope this clarifies it somewhat.

BTW- "Will it Run" says that I can run a game that requires 3.0 Ghz
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#5
Yes, your 1.83GHZ C2D can match the performance of a 3.57GHZ P4, but that's only the case for PC games. PC games aren't very CPU intensive. They are more GPU intensive. You gain more FPS by getting a better GPU, as oppose to a better CPU.

PCSX2 is different, more CPU demanding. Think of it this way, you pretend to be someone else while doing the daily tasks that they do. Not easy right? Well, that's basically what your PC is doing when you run PCSX2. That's why the recommended requirement is a dual core @ 3GHZ. With PCSX2, every GHZ counts.
Nappa: Vegeta! What does the scouter say about his power level?
Vegeta: It's...one thousand and six.
Nappa: Wh-...really?
Vegeta: Yeah! Beat him up Nappa!
Nappa: Yay!
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#6
yeah i believe the rule of thumb here is that if you got
low cpu usage + slow gameplay = CPU is the bottleneck.
high CPU usage (>90%) + slow gameplay = GPU is the bottleneck
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#7
so I'd need two 3Ghz processors to run it at a good speed? I definently am not going to be able to upgrade my CPU, but what improvements could I get for a really cheap GPU?
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#8
(08-09-2009, 10:30 AM)bchamber Wrote: so I'd need two 3Ghz processors to run it at a good speed? I definently am not going to be able to upgrade my CPU, but what improvements could I get for a really cheap GPU?

This is a difficult question to answer, because different games require different cards. That 1.8Ghz dual core is going to hurt really bad, and will become the primary bottleneck well before you max out the better video cards.

Plus your budget concerns are going to rear their head. You can probably pick up a decent graphics card for $80, but in truth you'll probably need to spend more to see any real improvement. A good GPU can't compensate for a bad CPU, and vice-versa.

e: Wait, are you on a laptop? If so, forget about upgrading the GPU and move on with your life, it's not worth the effort and likely can't be done.
"This thread should be closed immediately, it causes parallel imagination and multiprocess hallucination" --ardhi
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#9
(08-09-2009, 10:30 AM)bchamber Wrote: so I'd need two 3Ghz processors to run it at a good speed? I definently am not going to be able to upgrade my CPU, but what improvements could I get for a really cheap GPU?

you'll get improvement on gpu plugin's shader operation speed and extra speed on the graphics side. but as said bfore your bottleneck is your cpu and gpu so upgrading just one of the stuff is good but not as good as it should be.

well, at least you can get an escape from integrated graphics doom.
If you download the PS2 bios illegally, you are breaking the law. Courts around the world have ruled that businesses and individuals can be prosecuted for illegal downloading.
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#10
Your CPU is your limiting reagent (lol). I believe you have a laptop (T5550 is a mobile model). I have the same processor in my laptop.

Your graphics are also relatively weak. My laptop also has Intel Integrated Graphics. Not very good for DX9 or DX10 rendering.

A good CPU to run PCSX2 well is either the Quad series of Intel cards (say in the range of Q6600 or higher, a good CPU to overclock by the way) or the E7xxx, E8xxx, E9xxx series of Core 2 Duos from Intel. These are desktop CPUs.

You also have a Core 2 Duo, but the model T5550 is very weak in comparison to the E7/8/9xxx series of desktop CPUs. Some high-middle end AMD solutions should also be good.

A good GPU is a Nvidia 8600 GT or up on the graphics side. It is a relatively modern card and has 256 MB RAM I believe. IIRC there are models with 512 MB for the 8600.

GPUs capable of running PCSX2 well are relatively cheap right now. You can get a 9800 GTX for about 175 USD now probably. ATI 4850s/4870s are also good choices and for their performance are also very cheap.

Note: There are laptops which can run PCSX2 also. They are much higher end than your laptop though.

(I have a E8400 3.0 GHz overclocked to 3.3 GHz and PCSX2 runs very well for me. My GPU is a Nvidia 9800 GTX 512 MB)
Check out my snazzy Youtube channel, with many great PCSX2 emulation videos! Laugh http://www.youtube.com/user/curryking1 Laugh
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