Dolphin: Poor performance, low system utilization

[Katarn]

Pretty much what the title says.

I tried playing Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (NTSC) on Dolphin, and I can't get over 30 fps. In the task manager, the utilization of my CPU and GPU are on idle performance, as if they don't even register that they're supposed to be running a game.

 

I've emulated with PCSX2 in the past, and, while not perfect, I could get it working. I've heard many good things about Dolphin, so I'd like to switch to Dolphin, but there is obviously something wrong with it. I've tried both the stable build and the latest version, and neither runs well.

 

I have a Ryzen 5 3600 and an RX 5700 XT, so I'm sure it's not about meeting the system requirements. But it is not utilized, so... is that the problem, or is there something else that could be causing the issue? I can't find anything on either Reddit or old forum posts.

[BiotechBen]

28 minutes ago, Katarn said:

Pretty much what the title says.

I tried playing Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (NTSC) on Dolphin, and I can't get over 30 fps. In the task manager, the utilization of my CPU and GPU are on idle performance, as if they don't even register that they're supposed to be running a game.

 

I've emulated with RPCS2 in the past, and, while not perfect, I could get it working. I've heard many good things about Dolphin, so I'd like to switch to Dolphin, but there is obviously something wrong with it. I've tried both the stable build and the latest version, and neither runs well.

 

I have a Ryzen 5 3600 and an RX 5700 XT, so I'm sure it's not about meeting the system requirements. But it is not utilized, so... is that the problem, or is there something else that could be causing the issue? I can't find anything on either Reddit or old forum posts.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an engine cap. The majority of those era games were console limited to 30fps in game. 

[tkitch]

you'll probably have better luck getting help with this on a Dolphin DIscord or something similar, this may or may not break forum rules.

[BiotechBen]

6 minutes ago, tkitch said:

you'll probably have better luck getting help with this on a Dolphin DIscord or something similar, this may or may not break forum rules.

Pretty sure emulator use troubleshooting doesn't violate forum rules, but may be wrong, iirc I came here with dolphin issues many moons ago. Just make sure you have a physical copy of the content you wish to play.

[Katarn]

1 hour ago, BiotechBen said:

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an engine cap. The majority of those era games were console limited to 30fps in game. 

afaik that only applies to PAL copies; games should be able to run at 60 fps, there are ways to set this in the emulation even if the game is capped at 30. Medal of Honor ran at 60 fps on PCSX2 iirc.

[Mark Kaine]

1 hour ago, Katarn said:

afaik that only applies to PAL copies; games should be able to run at 60 fps, there are ways to set this in the emulation even if the game is capped at 30. Medal of Honor ran at 60 fps on PCSX2 iirc.

nope a lot of games are locked to 30 or run even lower natively. 

 

also PAL would be 50fps/hz

 

 

3 hours ago, BiotechBen said:

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an engine cap. The majority of those era games were console limited to 30fps in game. 

yeah, seems likely and might not utilize OPs PC much at all ...

 

But usually there are 60fps mods (with varying effectiveness) 

 

 

3 hours ago, Katarn said:

the utilization of my CPU and GPU are on idle performance, as if they don't even register

when i run PSX2 most games barely use my CPU/GPU at all ,maybe 2-10%, you sure you don't see something similar? 

[Katarn]

On 5/4/2023 at 1:51 AM, Mark Kaine said:

nope a lot of games are locked to 30 or run even lower natively. 

And how would one check to see if the game is locked at 30 and/or if it is possible to go above that?

I think that Frontline wasn't locked on RPCS2 - the thing is, though, Dolphin is supposed to be better than RPCS2.

 

On 5/4/2023 at 1:51 AM, Mark Kaine said:

when i run PSX2 most games barely use my CPU/GPU at all ,maybe 2-10%, you sure you don't see something similar?

Really? I thought emulation was supposed to be taxing on the system - that's why even i5s can't do it.

[Mark Kaine]

4 hours ago, Katarn said:

And how would one check to see if the game is locked at 30 and/or if it is possible to go above that?

good question, i guess you could look up specific titles... or you could check if theres a 60 or 120 fps patch in dolphin settings.

 

4 hours ago, Katarn said:

Dolphin is supposed to be better than RPCS2.

 

not at all in my experience,  dolphin isnt bad, but pcsx2 (which would be the equivalent) is by far the best optimized emulator out there. 

 

4 hours ago, Katarn said:

Really? I thought emulation was supposed to be taxing on the system - that's why even i5s can't do it.

it can be cpu heavy, but ps2 era games generally aren't taxing at all nowadays. 

 

And of course a modern "i5" can do that.

 

[Katarn]

On 5/6/2023 at 11:59 PM, Mark Kaine said:

good question, i guess you could look up specific titles... or you could check if theres a 60 or 120 fps patch in dolphin settings.

There are videos on Big Red One running at 60 fps... on PCSX2. Dolphin, not so much. I probably shouldn't find the lack of coverage on shooters for the GameCube all that surprising since the Nintendo crowd tends to look down on shooters anyway.

 

On 5/6/2023 at 11:59 PM, Mark Kaine said:

not at all in my experience,  dolphin isnt bad, but pcsx2 (which would be the equivalent) is by far the best optimized emulator out there.

This, however, does surprise me. Every Reddit thread I've come across has been arguing in favor of Dolphin as the better optimized and more intuitive emulation software. Considering I did have some trouble with PCSX2 when I tried using it the first time, I assumed they must be right.

 

On 5/6/2023 at 11:59 PM, Mark Kaine said:

it can be cpu heavy, but ps2 era games generally aren't taxing at all nowadays. 

 

And of course a modern "i5" can do that.

By modern I meant in the sense of 2016+ so it is not necessarily a brand-new system.

I think it had something to do with the fact that they only use one core (or something to that extent) which may overwhelm some computers, especially if you want to play at higher-than-native resolutions or if you want effects like AA enabled.

[Mark Kaine]

38 minutes ago, Katarn said:

This, however, does surprise me. Every Reddit thread I've come across has been arguing in favor of Dolphin as the better optimized and more intuitive emulation software. Considering I did have some trouble with PCSX2 when I tried using it the first time, I assumed they must be right.

i mean that confuses me too because ps2 emulation is far better,  it does everything automatically (or almost everything) dolphin is more tricky to get games running properly in my experience. 

 

40 minutes ago, Katarn said:

By modern I meant in the sense of 2016+ so it is not necessarily a brand-new system.

I think it had something to do with the fact that they only use one core (or something to that extent) which may overwhelm some computers, especially if you want to play at higher-than-native resolutions or if you want effects like AA enabled.

yeah pcsx2 runs *flawlessly* on my i5u laptop (so 2c/4t) which might or might not be minimum,  but not a very high requirement anyway.