Hi,
First post here.
I tried Dolphin on my modest laptop earlier today for the first time, started with the 4.0 build first which gave me low performance and moved onto the 5.0 Testing version.
Only game I've tested so far is MGS: Twin Snakes, and that game went from 45~ FPS to 60FPS (besides some minor dips to 57) mostly.
My specs are:
Core i5 5200u @2.2ghz (4CPUs)
Intel HD 5500 (2GB VRAM)
4GB DDR3 Ram
Windows 10 and DirectX 12
Running the 5.0 version with Direct3D crashes as soon as the game begins (after initial logos) but OpenGL runs great so far, cutscenes seem to run at 30FPS (going by top counter) and gameplay at 60 FPS most of the time. At native resolution.
I've heard that D3D usually gives faster performance than OpenGL but I can't even seem to get it running, am I missing something ?
I don't know much about overclocking and such, so are there any tweaks, tips i can use to improve performance ?
and if i'm getting this kind of performance with a gamecube title, what should i expect with later Wii titles like Xenoblade ?
The i5-5200u is a fairly low-power CPU. Note the -u suffix on the model number; for Intel products, this specifies that the CPU is Ultra Low Voltage (ULV). Basically, it draws less power and therefore is limited in its workload. Fortunately, the frequency of the CPU makes it tolerable for a number of games in Dolphin, but it's still not really suited for the emulator. You can't overclock that CPU, but you should have a look at this link (at least the CPU section) ->
https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-un...ance-guide
As for D3D, sounds like it could be a driver issue. Update whatever you need to for the HD5500.
If you can get Throttlestop to work, you should be able to run 2 cores at 2.5GHz, which is alright for some of the less demanding games. I think you'll have trouble running Xenoblade Chronicles, however. Also be aware that
Wii games are not necessarily more demanding than GC games. How demanding a game is in Dolphin depends on what Dolphin needs to do to properly emulate it. Some GC games do fancy tricks, while some Wii games are no-frills. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (under normal settings) is not as demanding as something like F-Zero GX. Basically, it's a case-by-case kind of thing.
^ Thanks for all the info. I tried Throttlestop but it says my CPU is not supported.
The increase in performance from Dolphin 4.0 to 5.0 is pretty good in itself, MGS Twin Snakes was running at 40~ FPS before but not seems to run mostly solidly 60 FPS during game play and 30 during scenes, so the development version is doing great.
However, is D3D going to be any faster for me ? Should I bother or is OPenGL the safer/recommended way to go ?
Is it OK if I can ask you some similar questions related to PCSX2 if you are familiar ? If this isn't the right venue and you don't mind receiving PM's, I can take it there as well
The speed of D3D vs OGL is usually dependent on your drivers. For example, Nvidia generally does better with OpenGL, performance-wise. I don't think you'll see a noticeable difference if you got the D3D backend up and running on your Intel HD5500, but I could be wrong.
As for PCSX2 questions, you'd probably get a more accurate answer if you asked on their forums. If you want to ask here that's fine too, if it's related to your hardware. Just don't expect everyone of us to be PCSX2 experts (I'm not
)
Thanks
I also updated the graphics drivers for my 5500 HD but Dolphin still crashes as soon as the first game parts begin (after logos) but i'm happy with openGL, seems to be running fine and holding 60 at 2X native resolution too.
So far I'm very happy with the emulator, until randomly trying I had a pre conceived notion that my laptop will not be anywhere near decent enough to run it, but the first game I test seems to be running at full 60FPS with 2X native (I could probably stretch it more and see what happens), so maybe I would be able to play a good amount of Gamecube (and possibly Wii) library on it.
If you have specific games in mind, like a list or something, we can tell you what to expect with that laptop. Most of us have played enough games in Dolphin to know what kind of hardware is necessary to run something at playable speeds.
Right now I would like to find out about these, as these are my games-of-interest.
Xenoblade Chronicles
Last Story
Fatal Frame 4 (the Wii version)
Baiten Kaitos (and Origins)
Metroid Trilogy
I can't remember if it still is, as emulation's improved, but The Last Story used to be the most demanding game Dolphin could be used to play (there were others that only worked with the super-slow software renderer or the interpreter, so no hardware could reach playable speeds). I certainly wouldn't expect to get much from it.