Recent slow downs. Need your help :)

haddockd · 05-31-2013, 12:46 AM #1

Hi All,

Recently I got back into playing alot of Dolphin and I noticed that even with my rig (in my sig) I still rarely get full speed in most games. I DO get full speed in games like Baten Kaitos and WW, but not in Resident Evil 4, SMG 1 &2, TP and others. When I say not full speed, I dont mean 59fps, I mean 60-75% fps for most of the game excluding menus and the like.

I could have sworn 2 years ago this was not the case, so something had to change right?

I have tried using 3.5 and many dev builds between there and the latest with virtually no improvement in performance. I know my rig is "supposed" to be able to handle most games full speed even with LLE but that doesnt seem to be the case. Is there an easy/accurate way to tell what component is causing the delays? (GPU, CPU, RAM, PCI, etc)

I REALLY want to get this resolved because Dolphin is awesome!

Thanks in advance!

**admin89** · (This post was last modified: 05-31-2013, 01:03 AM by admin89.)

An advanced user like you ? I can't believe it Tongue

Quote: I mean 60-75% fps for most of the game excluding menus and the like.

Yeah , something is definitely wrong ...Your CPU supposed to do much better (if not full speed all the time with those games you mentioned)
Temp ? CPU clock speed ? GPU clock speed

haddockd · (This post was last modified: 05-31-2013, 01:06 AM by haddockd.)

I know right! lol

GPU is 910 and RAM is 1400. Temps never get above 74 degrees in benching (Furmark)
CPU is 100.7 x47 (4.7 GHz). Highest temps tend to be with Intel Burn Test at 64 degrees

According to GPU-Z I am getting PCI Express 2.0 functionality out of my card and MB, so I do not think it is a bandwidth issue.

**admin89** · 05-31-2013, 01:19 AM #4

What about Dolphin settings ? Lower AA , disable per pixel lighting help performance at all ? No ?
To be honest , I have no idea
My last resort : reinstall windows (fresh version ) , GPU driver , Directx June 2010 , Visual C++ . Don't install anything other than those things I mentioned . Then run Dolphin

haddockd · (This post was last modified: 05-31-2013, 01:40 AM by haddockd.)

I never use AA and lowering the IR doesnt seem to help either (i almost always use 2.5x at 1920 x 1080 if it matters). Isnt disable per pixel lighting the default? The only settings I tend to change is EFB to RAM (apparently most of the games I play require it) and LLE using XAudio (I always have latency with OpenAL). I do not use LLE on Thread. I have yet to find a game that this doesnt cause issue with.

Already done the reinstall several times
Tried numerous versions of drivers for all my hardware
I did a clean install with nothing but OS, drivers and dolphin with its requirements and the same result. The kicker is, out all of my emulators, Dolphin is the only one with slowdowns so I am sure I am just doing something wrong here.

Can you think of anything that could assist me in finding the source of the slow downs?

***Shonumi*** · 05-31-2013, 01:47 AM #6

@haddockd: It's pretty clear to me you're cursed, or something like that :S

Long-shot suggestion: perhaps you need to try a completely different OS (Windows XP, Windows 8, Ubuntu, etc)? If you still get the slowdowns across a variety of OSes, then it's pretty clear the issue is hardware related and some component might be faulty without your knowing about it.

**admin89** · 05-31-2013, 01:50 AM #7

EFB copies to Ram tend to destroy performance in most games (especially New Super Mario Bros - huge performance hit)...

Quote: almost always use 2.5x at 1920 x 1080

Nah , just use 4xIR . 6970 can handle any game at 4xIR

haddockd · 05-31-2013, 01:55 AM #8

I think I just may try Win XP (I refuse to reinstall Ubuntu...lol). I have switched out the MB and the issue is still there. So no thoughts on how to find out which component might be holding me back?

OH, I know! Anyone know of a place where I could compare my benchmark results with other ppl with the same hardware. 2500K vs 2500K? or 6970 vs 6970 for an apples to apples comparison on raw system performance?

I do know that EFB to RAM is a big hit, but it seems like it is required for most games I play, so back to the old adage of "it is what it is" eh?

demonist · 05-31-2013, 01:58 AM #9

you could try right clicking, properties of the game and tick the v-beam. Also try manually setting the framelimit at 60 FPS with the tick box "limit by FPS enabled". But im sure you already tried it Smile

haddockd · 05-31-2013, 02:04 AM **#10**

I have tried the fps trick and it didnt help, it actually made it a little worse in some games strangely enough.

I suppose now that I think about it, I already know what is limiting me...my CPU. It just hit me, if I use HLE instead of LLE, I get virtually no slowdowns in any games, but of course that means the sound sucks and tends to break some games (like WW). Any thoughts on that?