GPU holding back CPU?

[UnclePunch]

So, I just made a small build, the CPU being a Pentium G3258 and the GPU being a ATI Radeon 4350 (very old, from about 2009). The reason I'm using this ancient GPU is to output emulators like MAME at 240p for my CRT. I looked up some benchmarks (https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-intel-pentium-g3258-emulator-performance) to see how this CPU does for dolphin games. The post made it seem like it tears apart both GameCube and Wii games, but when I tried to run anything above its native resolution, my FPS drops by half. Would I get better performance without this GPU?

[AnyOldName3]

That GPU was designed primarily for basic multimedia tasks such as watching video and using programs with very simple graphics, and that was years ago, when simple graphics were very simple. It's not surprising that it can't run games at above native resolution. Are you absolutely sure you can't get anything newer to work in the way you want with a CRT?

[mimimi]

Make sure to have efb to texture only enabled. Efb to ram dramatically increases the required gpu performance, as it reduces the time the gpu has to do its work. If it's needed for a game, then Dolphin should enable it via game ini automatically anyways.

But yes, if increasing the internal resolution reduces the framerate, you are most likely limited by the gpu. You might also want to check your AA setting, as it should increase gpu load as well.

The Pentium G3258 is great in the benchmark, but just good for Dolphin, since it's only a dual core cpu. Dolphin has only 2 main threads, so in theory it should be perfect for Dolphin. But test reports indicate that quad cores have performance advantage over dual cores in Dolphin. This should be related to all those smaller threads Dolphin uses, and the gpu driver thread, as well as some OS stuff.

Also make sure you are not using some stupid setting, like per pixel lighting.

And if your gpu really can't handle anything above 1xIR, you might want to check out the performance of the integrated graphics. That might get you to 1.5x or 2xIR.

[UnclePunch]

(09-03-2016, 11:20 AM)AnyOldName3 Wrote: That GPU was designed primarily for basic multimedia tasks such as watching video and using programs with very simple graphics, and that was years ago, when simple graphics were very simple. It's not surprising that it can't run games at above native resolution. Are you absolutely sure you can't get anything newer to work in the way you want with a CRT?

Yeah, it's gotta be an old series AMD GPU. I guess I can just take out the GPU when I wanna emulate GameCube. Just tried it and i can do 720p 60fps. Not as good as that post said but for a $50 CPU, I'll take it