Will it run FFX in 1080p?

[viperextreme]

I am deciding to buy an Alienware M17x R3 with the following specs:
Intel 2720qm CPU 2.2ghz base frequency, 3.3ghz turbo frequency (may be possible to change or to overclock)
Ati 6970 GPU
1920x1080 LCD
16GB RAM
500gb 7200RPM hard drive

[nosisab Ken Keleh]

CPU is the bottleneck there, still that machine should run FFX at this resolution although 1080x1080 is a better choice for the internal resolution. It's not the same as the screen resolution configurable under the "Config" -> "Video GS"

There you can chose the aspect ratio, most games will look deformed under 16:9, a few allow changing that in the game's Option. I remember FFXII can run widescreen, not sure if FFX can.

Still remember, although the Video card is easily up to the job, the CPU is weak for the emulation and the Turbo has been more a headache than help with the way the emulator works. So the better answer is "try it and adjust as needed".

Just to let clear, emulation is far from the same thing as running native mode. It is much more dependent on the CPU and this can't be helped after some point even if the video card is far above the graphical demand.

PS: The screen resolution does not weight that much in the final result, so you can set it at will with that machine's video card.
Many more demanding games will run poorly with that CPU, unless a real overclock is done, as already said, the turbo function may not help there.

[Rezard]

That HD 6970 will have no problem running FFX at 1080p, as well as many other games.

The 2720qm is an excellent choice of processor, and should do fine with PCSX2. It will handle FFX without question, as well as many other games.

Have fun with that.

[ElPolloLoco]

CPU is the bottleneck there

???
it's a top notch core i7!
there's no bottleneck whatsoever.

Many more demanding games will run poorly with that CPU, unless a real overclock is done, as already said, the turbo function may not help there.

He's not talking about turbo function of PCSX2 but this:
http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/

[nosisab Ken Keleh]

2.2GHz base clock, that's the bottleneck.

The big problem with the turbo function is prone to happen with such machine, the low base clock for EE and the immense GPU power for GS. The issue happens because the turbo takes into account the average load and not per core. Since GS depend on EE output follows...

EE becomes overloaded and hit near 100% but GS is low loaded let's say it hit 50%... the CPU see the average load for the two cores as the (100+50)/2 = 75% load and relax a bit the clock...

That turns the EE output yet slower and so GS yet more underload, EE still is at 100% but GS is now lets say 30%; the average now is 65%...

rinse, repeat... and you get the picture. Sadly it's an structural problem with the turbo implementation plus the way GS and EE are pipelined and not under PCSX2 control.

The problem is worsened if some Windows Power Save feature is on, in this case putting Windows in High Performance mode can help.

The main symptom the issue is hitting is monitoring the actual CPU load, normally it is relatively low for the involved cores albeit EE is screaming near 100%

[rama]

In short:
It will run FFX just fine, but it comes with the typical notebook penalties.
Simply assume that power saving and throttling might cause issues if you have a conservative power scheme set.

[viperextreme]

there is a application available called throttlestop which overrides all windows power control over the CPU. you can force whatever voltage and multiplier you like on the CPU, including overriding turbo to the max across all 4 cores at any given time. Basically, throttlestop will give me FULL control over my cpu, so i can modify performance as necessary.

[Rezard]

I would be tempted to garauntee that Turbo Boost wil not fail completely. A person should at least be able to achieve the initial boost (when HT goes off), making it a 3.0Ghz quad core on Sandy Bridge architecture. There are those that have even said they see no problem with TB, so one could definitely expect to see the 3.2Ghz a 2720qm could provide for PCSX2. As, stated, you will have to take control of things if boosts aren't working correctly, or the CPU is being throttled.

At this rate, you're laptop is gonna kick the crap out off FFX, as well as play the majority of compatible games. As usual with PCSX2 on a PC or laptop with a well qualified GPU, your CPU will inevitably be your bottleneck more often than anything. With Speedhacks in use (when you need them), you'll be very happy with how many games you can play at full speed.

Throttlestop, huh? Never heard of it. I'll have to check that one out. Thanks.
Likewise, it's good to know you're familiar with these types of things. You should be fine.

[viperextreme]

I would be tempted to garauntee that Turbo Boost wil not fail completely. A person should at least be able to achieve the initial boost (when HT goes off), making it a 3.0Ghz quad core on Sandy Bridge architecture. There are those that have even said they see no problem with TB, so one could definitely expect to see the 3.2Ghz a 2720qm could provide for PCSX2. As, stated, you will have to take control of things if boosts aren't working correctly, or the CPU is being throttled.

At this rate, you're laptop is gonna kick the crap out off FFX, as well as play the majority of compatible games. As usual with PCSX2 on a PC or laptop with a well qualified GPU, your CPU will inevitably be your bottleneck more often than anything. With Speedhacks in use (when you need them), you'll be very happy with how many games you can play at full speed.

Throttlestop, huh? Never heard of it. I'll have to check that one out. Thanks.
Likewise, it's good to know you're familiar with these types of things. You should be fine.

Here is throttlestop:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware...ndows.html

and the guide:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware...guide.html

Its a VERY useful application.

[Rezard]

Yes, that's a very useful program. Much better than RMClock in almost every way. Too bad EIST isn't native in my laptop's BIOS settings, cause that's a pretty neat and easy way to get a little "OC" from IDA.