DualCore

[GothicIII]

Hi there,

Please, could somebody do a DualCore-Fix for THIS:


The Game is NTSC, its the only game and the only place, whrere I don't get full 60FPS@highest settings! And I got 3.3Ghz DualCore!!! (one Core is not enough)
I think it should be solved by using a newer GFX-Card, but in the moment, I don't have cash:innocent: (now 7300GT@ 7600GS speed/PFX-rendering is faster than a 7600GT)

Game is Tales of Destiny II/Eternia (US-Version)

162299

ePSXe 1.7.0
Video: Pete's OpenGL Driver
Sound: Eternal SPU Plugin v1.50
ePSXe CDR WNT/W2K core v1.7.0

Edit by Shendo: Use forum's attach feature when posting large pics.

[makotech222]

its your graphics card.

[jonc2006]

multi core cpus have speed issues with epsxe anyway. im not sure if this was corrected in 1.7.0 or not but it does exist in previous versions.

[GothicIII]

Do you mean to fast or to slow? I didn't mentioned this problem yet; got always (except the screen on top) 100% Speed and I've got many PS-Games (not PSX, thats something different ;))...

I know, its not easy to write something for DualCores. Pretty comlicated and often is the first release buggy...

[jonc2006]

it varies from person to person. ive seen people using multi-core cpus claim they get slowdown and ive seen some claim the performance is too fast, making the games just as unplayable as they are with slowdown. generally for people using dual or multi-core cpus its best if you set the cpu affinity to 1. since i dont have a multi-core cpu on my system, i cannot test this so i do not really know for sure if this has been corrected in the latest epsxe release or not but it was indeed in 1.6.0 and 1.5.2 so it might be best to assume it does exist in 1.7.0 and set the cpu affinity level to 1 like i said earlier.

[GothicIII]

[..] and set the cpu affinity level to 1 like i said earlier.

Sure, I know what you mean, but you didn't said that earlier :p

[jonc2006]

my bad. i ment earlier in the same post i said that in.

[karas81]

And GothicIII, your GPU plugin configuration sucks, switch to pete's plugins for god sake

[GothicIII]

And GothicIII, your GPU plugin configuration sucks, switch to pete's plugins for god sake

Man, this is Pete's OpenGL plugin, it has the v1.77; I got also the OpenGL2-Plugin from Pete (v2.9)-> That sucks (no or bad filtering)

I got a Nvidia-Card, the ePSXe sais that the OpenGL-Plugin works better with nvidia-cards (and I think, its right, cause I had sometimes troubles with the DX7-Version)

[jonc2006]

well for 2d/2.5d games its best to use a software plugin, you might want to switch over to one for this game. OGL plugins usually do run with better performance than D3d plugins when using a nvidia card but i believe it is the drivers that are the real factor into whether or not that applies to you.

[GothicIII]

well for 2d games its best to use a software plugin, you might want to switch over to one for this game.

Tales of Destiny II is not a 2D-Game on the worldmap, without DualCore, its not a worth to try that

How can I use the DirectDraw-Plugin? Can't change it on the Video-section...

[jonc2006]

use the p.e op.s soft driver

[GothicIII]

I donwloaded the version... It works now with the seperate dll; but for what is the integrated DDraw-Configuration menu, if you cannot use that primary?


EDIT: Funny :D
3D works there with 100%speed@highest settings->but its filtering sucks

[ShendoXT]

You can use integrated plugin by pressing F7 during gamplay.
GothicIII, can you post your plugin config (press copy to clipboard)?

@jonc2006: By setting affinity you choose which core to use, you don't set any levels.
So putting affinity to 1 means use core no. 1 instead of 0, 2, 3, etc...

[GothicIII]

As I mentioned before, I know how to set the affinity :p (Oh, that was another guy, sry)
And Just want say that: Its NOT the best option to do that so, but its the easiest way...

Thx for the "F7"-Info
No Problem:

Plugin: Pete's OpenGL Driver 1.1.77
Author: Pete Bernert
Card vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
GFX card: GeForce 7300 GT/PCI/SSE2
OGL version: 2.1.2

Resolution/Color:
- 1680x1050 Fullscreen - NO desktop changing
- Keep psx aspect ratio: off

Textures:
- R8G8A8A8
- Filtering: 6
- Hi-Res textures: 1
- VRam size: 128 MBytes (I got 256, but you can't select so much vram in the options)

Framerate:
- FPS limitation: on
- Frame skipping: off
- FPS limit: Auto

Compatibility:
- Offscreen drawing: 4
- Framebuffer texture: 3
- Framebuffer access: 4
- Alpha multipass: on
- Mask bit: on
- Advanced blending: on

Misc:
- Scanlines: off
- Line mode: off
- Unfiltered FB: off
- 15 bit FB: off
- Dithering: off
- Screen smoothing: on
- Game fixes: off [00000000]

And Software-Settings:

Plugin: P.E.Op.S. Soft Driver 1.1.18
Author: Pete Bernert and the P.E.Op.S. team

Resolution/Color:
- 1680x1050 Fullscreen - [32 Bit]
Stretch mode: 16
Dither mode: 2

Framerate:
- FPS limit: on
- Frame skipping: off
- FPS limit: Auto

Misc:
- Scanlines: disabled
- Game fixes: off [00000000]

[ShendoXT]

Disable FPS limiting as ePSXe 1.7.0 has a built in limiter. Keeping both enabled messes things up.

ePSXe 1.7.0 shouldn't have issues with dual core processors, but if you still want
to limit it to only one core and looking for a permanent solution check this (http://forums.ngemu.com/1005139-post19.html).

[GothicIII]

Ah, that's why i can't use the "boost"-option ingame of the GPU-Plugin

I'm not sure why, but I don't have problems with DualCore, I can leave the affinity out, it doesn't change anything (and I've played already 6 hours in a row). I got the same speeds, everything is the same

Maybe its Vista Ultimate SP1 x64 or it can also be the "AMD DualCore-optimizer", which uses the "/usepmtimer"-switch and another one (i forgot that)

(Oh cool, after disabling FPS-Limiter the "boost"-option works again (key 9 or pos1))-> Pretty funny, I always got around 140FPS ingame, just in this town it drops below 50FPS (as you can see on top) :lol:

[jonc2006]

if you were to use 1.6.0 or 1.5.2 you would probably see the performance become an issue when the workload is shared between the cpus (its possible that the reason this occurs is when the workload on one cpu is still a good deal more than the other- a balancing related thing in other words). although i dont recall seeing anything about the issue being fixed in the emulator's documentation, shedo is probably right about it being corrected in 1.7.0.

[GothicIII]

ok now i'm pretty sure:
These "balancing-issues" causing sometimes bluescreens on windows (especially if you're playing or watching), without the right driver. This problem exist when a single-core program uses both cores.

With the DualCore-Optimizer from AMD this issue is solved, because it synchronizes the CPUs with the Read Time Stamp Counter. (which goes crazy, if a program uses both cores without that patch-> that causing the error)

Like you said, you can solve the issue, with setting the CPU-affinity: the problem's gone. With the DualCore-Optimizer you don't have to do such things anymore

I'm not sure, but Intel doesn't have such a solution, like Amd->the problem exist maybe for intel-cpus


I used the v1.6.0 for months and didn't got such a problem. Never.
Maybe other people, who doesn't have installed that program can try it, maybe I am right:)

EDIT: Lol 111 posts

[Xblade]

IT has nothing to do with you having a dual core pc. -_- Some nvidia cards SIMPLY SUCK BALLS at rendering 2d. Tales Of Destiny(Eternia 0,0) is mostly 2d. Theres nothing you can do to fix that problem but set the graphics to lower plugin to settings.

[Squall-Leonhart]

Disable FPS limiting as ePSXe 1.7.0 has a built in limiter. Keeping both enabled messes things up.

ePSXe 1.7.0 shouldn't have issues with dual core processors, but if you still want
to limit it to only one core and looking for a permanent solution check this (http://forums.ngemu.com/1005139-post19.html).

Yes and no.

Frame limiting must be enabled in both the emulator and plugin if you use frameskippng to keep at that limited fps.

How ever you must disable frame limiting in the plugin if not using skipping else it'll cause the emulator to mini freeze.

[jonc2006]

IT has nothing to do with you having a dual core pc. -_- Some nvidia cards SIMPLY SUCK BALLS at rendering 2d. Tales Of Destiny(Eternia 0,0) is mostly 2d. Theres nothing you can do to fix that problem but set the graphics to lower plugin to settings.

ive seen people get this problem even using high end cards like 8800 GTS/GTX's (and yes im aware that some high end cards have trouble doing simple stuff but my point is that it isnt limited to lower end hardware). this particular case might not have anything to do with the dual core issue since he is using 1.7.0 and it does seem (at least from what i can tell) that it occurs more with 3d games, but it does exist in previous versions of epsxe and ive seen this issue come up as the source of performance issues numerous times. and while that may make this not as troublesome or as important as it used to be now since it has been corrected apparently, there are still people out there who are not using 1.7.0.

[GothicIII]

However, the issue is solved... If I use Software-rendering (DDraw) its much faster than the OpenGL-Driver, if I use the D3D (Dx7)-Plugin, I got also full FPS at this town above...

Simply, my GFX-card is limiting the rendering and OpenGL depends more on GFX-Hardware than CPU... Thats why I don't get full speed!
And I don't care about the problem anymore, cause I'm already on DiscII and not in that town anymore...(the only place, where I don't get fullspeed with OpenGL)

Thx for your, hm, how can I call it... "Help", cause I already knew the problem, but I was't 100% sure about that GFX-Hardware can limiting emulation...

But that way is much more comfortable than writing a monolog-.-

However, the issue is solved... If I use Software-rendering (DDraw) its much faster than the OpenGL-Driver, if I use the D3D (Dx7)-Plugin, I got also full FPS at this town above...

Simply, my GFX-card is limiting the rendering and OpenGL depends more on GFX-Hardware than CPU... Thats why I don't get full speed!
And I don't care about the problem anymore, cause I'm already on DiscII and not in that town anymore...

Thx for your, hm, how can I call it... "Help", cause I already knew the problem, but I was't 100% sure about that GFX-Hardware can limiting emulation...

But that way is much more comfortable than writing a monolog-.-

People can try my solution or if they thinking I'm stupid or I'm wrong-> its their problem, I don't care about that, they can do whatever they want;)

Seeya GothicIII

[jonc2006]

uh. ok.....?oO

[karas81]

uh. ok.....?oO

Yeap, thats the same impression I made each time I read that oO

[Xblade]

Thats not solving the issue at all, but if your happyoO

[Phoenix Flame]

Compatibility:
- Offscreen drawing: 4
- Framebuffer texture: 3
- Framebuffer access: 4
- Alpha multipass: on
- Mask bit: on
- Advanced blending: on


Does anyone actually remember how Pete's plugins work in the first place? How the hell does anyone think we solved these problems before? We used to run these exact programs and plugins on PIII-450's and GeForce2s and they would work beautifully. Forget anything to do with Dual Cores, 8800s etc when dealing with PS1 emulation.

Setting Framebuffer Access to 4 will render all framebuffer effects in software which will create a slowdown. Setting every single option to the highest possible setting IS NOT the same as getting maximum quality - they're all compatibility options.

I recommend you set Offscreen Drawing to 3, Framebuffer Textures to 3 or 2, and Framebuffer Access to 3.