just OC'd my CPU a tad.

[NKF98]

Overclocking your CPU will translate to better FPS, but the AMD processors just do not mix well with Dolphin (or most emulators for that matter). You should probably upgrade to a 3rd generation i5 or better for good Dolphin performance. The Phenom is a bad choice for emulating. This handy chart will show you clocked performance of different processors. The Phenom you have is on the same playing field as the Core 2 Duo, meaning that games will be playable, but have bad FPS and the audio will drive you to insanity. Go Intel