[SOLVED] Where does my computer fail?

[david1337]

Hi guys

Just wanted to hear if anybody could help me out.
I am running Mario Kart Wii @ Dolphin 4.0 with:
Direct3D11
Resolution 1920x1200
Internal Resolution: 4x Native (2560x2112)
Anti-Aliasing: None
Anisotropic Filtering 1x

Most of the time the game runs OK, but it's not perfect, and audio lags from time to time.
I want it to run perfectly
While gaming I see that I only use 40% of my CPU and 50% of my RAM. So where is the problem. My Graphics card?


Here are my specs:

Operating System
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
CPU
Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80GHz
Lynnfield 45nm Technology
RAM
8,00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 664MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
MSI IONA (CPU 1)
Graphics
SyncMaster (1920x1200@59Hz)
SyncMaster (1920x1200@59Hz)
1023MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 SE (ZOTAC International)
Storage
238GB Samsung SSD 840 PRO Series ATA Device (SSD)
931GB Seagate ST31000340NS ATA Device (SATA)
465GB Western Digital WDC WD50 00BEVT-00ZAT0 USB Device (USB)
1GB Generic- SD/MMC USB Device (USB)
Optical Drives
hp BD B DH8E2L ATA Device
ELBY CLONEDRIVE SCSI CdRom Device
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio

[kinkinkijkin]

The weak link is your CPU. You should definitely upgrade maybe.

EDIT: To explain your low usage levels, they're averaged, and threads are swapped about cores really often, so if you're running at 100% on both threads on a 4-core processor, your usage will appear to be ~50%, and such.

[david1337]

Hey kinkin

Thank you for your answer. Actually I did some research, and was given the impression that my Core i7 was enough.
I guess it''s the lack of GHz yes?

Damn Dolphin emulation requires some serious CPU's!

I am planning to build an HTPC with the opportunity to game in full resolution and full enhancements. When I buy the components, I need to focus on CPU, and not so much GFX card?

[DJBarry004]

It depends on how much IR and AA you want. Any modern card should be enough if you aren´t that exigent when talking about image quality.

[kinkinkijkin]

To give you some perspective on how easy it is to have a good card for dolphin, until I fucked everything up, I played at 5xIR (not achievable with stock dolphin), 16xAF, 2xAA, and some really high-quality custom shaders, on a 5770. So, really pretty much anything that supports D3D10(or higher) and at least OGL3.3 will work.

[admin89]

Quote:Actually I did some research, and was given the impression that my Core i7 was enough.
I guess it''s the lack of GHz yes?

If you overclock i7 to 3.6GHz or higher , Mario Kart Wii will be playable
I can't say the same for other demanding games though .

Quote: Most of the time the game runs OK, but it's not perfect, and audio lags from time to time.
I want it to run perfectly Smile
While gaming I see that I only use 40% of my CPU and 50% of my RAM. So where is the problem. My Graphics card?

Audio stuttering appears when game is not running at full speed
Keep in mind that your i7 is first generation i7 which is old and Dolphin is a dual core application . Even if you managed to break 4.0GHz limit , I would still be slower than latest 4th gen i3 or 4th gen Pentium stock speed
https://dolphin-emu.org/docs/faq/#which-cpu-should-i-use