Help optimizing Legacy PC - actual perf. 90%

[Cort3znica]

Hi everyone,

Im new to dolphin. So, im trying to play Zelda - Twilight Princess (from gamecube). Im getting, 30 fps and an average of 90% (sometimes drops to 80% or goes up to 100%). I would like to know if I change my Videocard would I secure a 100% performance or is my CPU bottlenecking or something, my performance? Im using Dolphin 4.0.2 stable with direct3D 9.0. I used the benchmark I found on this forums and my total time was: 19:05 minutes.

Considering:
I got both, cpu and videocards crappy (but is easier to change the videocard).
I run a lot of games I like just fine with this PC (f.e.: dota2, starcraft 2, need for speed, civilization V, etc.)

If I get a Nvidia GTX460 (for example), will I get a boost in performance or is my CPU slowing down dolphin?

My system specifications:
Core 2 duo 3.0ghz e8400 (stock)
6gb ram ddr2 dual channel
nvidia gt610 1gb

Thank you very much.

[Shonumi]

It depends. If you set your graphical settings too high (like Internal Resolution and Anti-Aliasing), your GPU will eventually become the bottleneck. If you're playing with settings your GPU can handle (like 1x IR and no AA) then you have a CPU bottleneck most likely. Dolphin relies a lot on the CPU for its performance, so usually people tend to upgrade this rather than GPUs. In general, most people associate CPU upgrades with "raw" Dolphin performance, while GPU upgrades tend to be viewed as letting you increase the amount of graphical enhancements you can add.

[Cort3znica]

It depends. If you set your graphical settings too high (like Internal Resolution and Anti-Aliasing), your GPU will eventually become the bottleneck. If you're playing with settings your GPU can handle (like 1x IR and no AA) then you have a CPU bottleneck most likely. Dolphin relies a lot on the CPU for its performance, so usually people tend to upgrade this rather than GPUs. In general, most people associate CPU upgrades with "raw" Dolphin performance, while GPU upgrades tend to be viewed as letting you increase the amount of graphical enhancements you can add.

Thank you!

Then, I will change my motherboard so I can overclock my e8400 to 3.5ghz or 4ghz. Probably a $60 upgrade, or $80 if I use a cpu custom cooling fan. Hopefully I will be able to play withouth lagging (Yes, my pc is ancient, but I want to push it to its limits , or probably dont wanna spend to much money).

[Benze]

you could also try the latest dev-builds, they have generally better performance than 4.0. Maybe it is enough to get TP to fullspeed on your system.

[zephyrsurfer]

It depends. If you set your graphical settings too high (like Internal Resolution and Anti-Aliasing), your GPU will eventually become the bottleneck. If you're playing with settings your GPU can handle (like 1x IR and no AA) then you have a CPU bottleneck most likely. Dolphin relies a lot on the CPU for its performance, so usually people tend to upgrade this rather than GPUs. In general, most people associate CPU upgrades with "raw" Dolphin performance, while GPU upgrades tend to be viewed as letting you increase the amount of graphical enhancements you can add.

Thank you!

Then, I will change my motherboard so I can overclock my e8400 to 3.5ghz or 4ghz. Probably a $60 upgrade, or $80 if I use a cpu custom cooling fan. Hopefully I will be able to play withouth lagging (Yes, my pc is ancient, but I want to push it to its limits , or probably dont wanna spend to much money).

Do not buy a new motherboard for that old a CPU. That's crazy. Buy a second-hand ddr3 module and get a g3258 and the cheapest motherboard that supports it.

Look here. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pent...,3888.html

Don't be silly and pay to overclock that auld core 2 duo.

You'll thank me later

Oh and in case you think otherwise that CPU is a definite bottleneck at stock Dolphin settings.

[BigT]

Yeah, OCing core2duo will not likely help all that much.

A G3258 is cheap ($100 with motherboard through some deals) and will give 2x-3x the speed of the e8400. It will be faster than the e8400 across the board, not only in Dolphin.

[yl-smash]

Remember that you'll have to get new RAM if you buy a new cpu/mobo as you probably have DDR2. It will still be worth every penny to upgrade to the pentium g3258 though.

[Cort3znica]

Thank you guys, all your suggestions are really appreciated. (That toms hardware article was very interesting, as usual)

Nevertheless, Im not opting for buying a new system yet. Why is that?, because I dont want to throw away this one (i live in a third world country), it is still kicking ass, and If im going to invest in a new rig I would probably choose a core i5 or fx8350 (four cores or more).

A little feedback: running with direct3d 9.0: legend of zelda twilight princess, mario galaxy and DBZ bt3, all at 30fps average and a 95/100% performance.

I think thats all guys, thank you again.

[admin89]

In Dolphin Benchmark , an i3 4130 @ 3.4GHz is more powerful than a heavily OCed FX 8350 @ 5.0GHz
G3258 @ 4.7GHz beats all Heavily OCed i5/i7 except the latest Devil Canyon : i5 4690k @ 4.7GHz and i7 4790k @ 4.7GHz

[Cort3znica]

In Dolphin Benchmark , an i3 4130 @ 3.4GHz is more powerful than a heavily OCed FX 8350 @ 5.0GHz
G3258 @ 4.7GHz beats all Heavily OCed i5/i7 except the latest Devil Canyon : i5 4690k @ 4.7GHz and i7 4790k @ 4.7GHz

Im sure it does. My point is, if im going to invest in a new rig, I would prefer to focus on having a powerful MULTI core processor (useful on many things, not just running dolphin ) Therefore, getting a core i5 or core i7 would be an excellent choice if I want to play dolphin and do many other things. I know fx8350 doesnt perform that good on dolphin, I was just giving an example PENTIUM G3258 looks awesome though. Im not trying to minimize that.