Sound stutters whatever the configuration

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alex_ncfc
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Joined: Sat 25 Jul, 2015 11:52 am

Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by alex_ncfc »

Hi all,

Bit of a newbie to the more recent builds of PCEM, and I hope this is OK to post here - apologies in advance if not.

It's not a bug as such, but whatever configuration I try, the sound stutters. I have tried Windows 3.1, 95 and 98 with various sound card set ups but it will never play sound properly, it will kind of repeat it until the sound stops, hard to explain. I had wondered if the "Sound buffer" menu item might resolve this, but it doesn't seem to. Is it to do with the soundcard I am emulating (generally SoundBlaster Pro) or the CPU emulated, or my host machine? I am running an 2.2Ghz i3 CPU with 8GB RAM.

Thanks for any feedback.
szadycbr
Posts: 295
Joined: Mon 21 Nov, 2016 6:23 pm

Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

Hi there, Your CPU seems to be to weak for PCem, whenever You will not have 100% emulation speed, then sound will slutter. Ty 486 CPU at 66MHz and see if You have 100% emulation, and if it slutters, then there might be a problem. i have i5 running at turbo on 2.7 and trully 100% i got only p60 or p50, anyway all 486 CPU's running at full speed. just say what mashine You are emulating and what CPU with it. remeber , for the right sound You must have 100% emulating speed, which You can see in bar, displayed on top of the window.
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leilei
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by leilei »

You may need to restart PCem for sound buffer changes to be effective (depending on which OpenAL DLL is used IIRC)
alex_ncfc
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat 25 Jul, 2015 11:52 am

Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by alex_ncfc »

Thanks for the replies. I did wonder if my system was too slow. Maybe I'll try a 486 setup like you suggest.

Will give some of these suggestions a go.
A. Naim
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu 09 Jul, 2015 5:06 pm

Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by A. Naim »

alex_ncfc wrote: Mon 08 Jan, 2018 4:16 pm Hi all,

Bit of a newbie to the more recent builds of PCEM, and I hope this is OK to post here - apologies in advance if not.

It's not a bug as such, but whatever configuration I try, the sound stutters. I have tried Windows 3.1, 95 and 98 with various sound card set ups but it will never play sound properly, it will kind of repeat it until the sound stops, hard to explain. I had wondered if the "Sound buffer" menu item might resolve this, but it doesn't seem to. Is it to do with the soundcard I am emulating (generally SoundBlaster Pro) or the CPU emulated, or my host machine? I am running an 2.2Ghz i3 CPU with 8GB RAM.

Thanks for any feedback.
You'll want ~3GHz (boost is fine) and good results with the recompiler to hit 166MHz @ 100% consistently.
alex_ncfc
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat 25 Jul, 2015 11:52 am

Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by alex_ncfc »

A. Naim wrote: Wed 10 Jan, 2018 10:26 pm
alex_ncfc wrote: Mon 08 Jan, 2018 4:16 pm Hi all,

Bit of a newbie to the more recent builds of PCEM, and I hope this is OK to post here - apologies in advance if not.

It's not a bug as such, but whatever configuration I try, the sound stutters. I have tried Windows 3.1, 95 and 98 with various sound card set ups but it will never play sound properly, it will kind of repeat it until the sound stops, hard to explain. I had wondered if the "Sound buffer" menu item might resolve this, but it doesn't seem to. Is it to do with the soundcard I am emulating (generally SoundBlaster Pro) or the CPU emulated, or my host machine? I am running an 2.2Ghz i3 CPU with 8GB RAM.

Thanks for any feedback.
You'll want ~3GHz (boost is fine) and good results with the recompiler to hit 166MHz @ 100% consistently.
Blimey - I'm well out then! Looks like I'll have to stick to the 486 emulation. I was hoping to run some old classics like Tomb Raider II etc! I suppose the requirements go up yet again for things like the Voodoo emulation?

Thanks again.
A. Naim
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu 09 Jul, 2015 5:06 pm

Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by A. Naim »

alex_ncfc wrote: Fri 12 Jan, 2018 2:39 pm Blimey - I'm well out then! Looks like I'll have to stick to the 486 emulation. I was hoping to run some old classics like Tomb Raider II etc! I suppose the requirements go up yet again for things like the Voodoo emulation?

Thanks again.
A Voodoo 1 or Voodoo 2 needs 3 cores (1 for the CPU, 2 for the Voodoo), IIRC. Clock speed helps, but cores are most important. Voodoo SLI requires 5 cores. Threads can also work, but not as well. AFAIK.
szadycbr
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

A.Naim , hi there, just to make it straight, voodoo 1 or 2 does NOT NEED 3 cores, it CAN USE 3 cores , but V1 will still work well on 2 cores, using only 1 for CPU and 1 for voodoo. alex_ncfc on Your i3 You should not even think of SLI emulation, especially at Your CPU speed. 486-100MHz and voodoo1 should work well on Your rig. You dont need Pentium CPU to use V1, however if You use PCem V12 , you should be able to run most games at 100% using p75 or better p60 (intel Premiere /PCI has p60 cpu. or edit cpu.c in src and you can have P50 on 430vx board ) which is still faster than 486 at 100Mhz.
Last edited by szadycbr on Fri 12 Jan, 2018 8:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
szadycbr
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

alex_ncfc , good news , 486DX4 100MHz with voodoo1 using one thread in voodoo setting , runs Tomb rider II very well , on my 2.7Ghz even with voodoo1 without recompiler (cos is broken on lunux) i bet DX4 66 Mhz on V1 will run it as well, forget minimum spec for TR2, Voodoo is a powerfull thing. So You will be able to play TR2 after all, and Your rig will not have problem to run DX4-66Mhz using voodoo with recompiler.
Edit, i checked it on DX4-66Mhz on voodoo1 without recompiler and it works flawlessly, just remember use PCem v12 cos it is much faster, not that accurate but much faster.
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leilei
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by leilei »

szadycbr wrote: Fri 12 Jan, 2018 8:15 pmEdit, i checked it on DX4-66Mhz on voodoo1 without recompiler and it works flawlessly, just remember use PCem v12 cos it is much faster, not that accurate but much faster.
I can't see how V12 would be faster than V13.1 at all.... there's also no DX4/66
szadycbr
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

Hi leilei, since 13.1 PCem did slowdawn very much, thanks to the Pentium timing improved, if You have slower CPU You will notice that right away, but You got fast CPU so it does not concern You. In my case v13.1 is about 20-30% slower on Pentium cpu's. It does not affect 486 , so if alex_ncfc will not try emulate pentium cpu , he will be ok with v13.1.
I made changes to cpu.c to get DX4-66 . alex_ncfc could even use P50 with 430vx and it is way faster than 486 at 66Mhz but he needs to change cpu.c to get this, i am almost sure that i had P50 back in the day as a real CPU. He can use DX4-120Mhz on 430vx board also (overclocked, he he), PCem runs fine with it but not with DX2 or lower. i tryed to run fast 486 at 200Mhz on 430vx board and it barely reach P100 performance.
szadycbr
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

leilei , just for You i did few tests (again) and running PCem64 on linux , using 430vx with P100/66 S3DX/GX (no voodoo). v13 and v13.1 was hovering in 3D mark99 test 1 Race, at 75%max to 30% lowest and v12 was hovering at 100% to 50% lowest. how that is not faster? running on 2 cores 2gen i5 at 2.7Ghz no HT.
But anyway, V13 is in overall better than V12 (crashes in 3D mark and NFSIII using voodoo on linux build happen on v12 , does not happen on v13)
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SarahWalker
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by SarahWalker »

What renderer are you using (Settings->Render driver)? That's the only thing that is likely to cause a performance regression - for just about everyone else v13.x is faster than v12...
szadycbr
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

Hi Sarah , in both tests i used OpenGL. OpenGL in my linux is the fastest setting, Software is slightly slower and GL3.0 is horribly slow, that is due to my poor HD3000 performance, which is fastest in D3D but there is no DirectX in linux. Same conf and tests as above and i got an average of 65% on GL , 40% on software and 20% on GL3.0 using v13.1 , v12 get about 20% more , respectively.
It might be totally different in windows, as You know 64bit Linux recompiler isnt as good.
I cant really test Pentium on my "rig" without recompiler , but i will make P50 without recompiler , just to test it at speed which my CPU might be able to handle without recompiler.
If anything , V13 might be faster on Linux without recompiler but surely not with.
Will check soon.

Edit: the version of v12 i used for tests was the wx-widgets version from bit sources, so not exactely same as v12 from PCem site, i will build now the original v12 with allegro, (which does have horrible interface on Linux, he he ;) )
Edit: cant get it to work, for some reason , have to stick to bit sdl2 wx v12 which was much further in developement that original v12.
szadycbr
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

ok. sorry for spamming in wrong thread, but no point for starting new one, as it probably wont make much interest cos there is only few using linux.
i did like 20 tests with nfs3 and 3d mark ranging from p50 to p100 without recompiler, and Linux64bit build indicate that without any doubt v12 is faster but it is all a bit strange.

Using 430vx p100/66 s3DX/GX running nfs3 in software mode v12 got lowest at 82% highest 102% and average 90-95% , v13.1 got lowest 75% highest 98% and average 85-90% . and it is all without dynarec on CPU.

Then i run 3DMark99 tests and without Dynarec v12 on test 1 race got between 65-83% , v13.1 got 37-65% average on 45%, then again i run with dynarec as in previous post and v12 was hovering this time in between 85-100% and v13.1 at 55-80% and to my surprise v12 without dynarec on CPU appears to run faster than v13.1 with dynarec using same configuration.

Tests on p50 were useless cos both run at 100%
i got win XP on other partition, will do test later all above but with standard releases for windows from PCem site, and say what You want guys but 64bit recompiler on linux is messed up and voodoo recompiler does not work at all.
All the best :D
szadycbr
Posts: 295
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

Ok. that is my last post on that off topic post, he he. i tested v12 and v13.1 windows version and v13.1 is much faster than v12 , about 10-20% or so .
So yeah, Sarah was right, v13.1 if anything is faster, but only windows version. anyway , many thanks , it all goes in right direction. :D
ecksemmess
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by ecksemmess »

SarahWalker wrote: Sat 13 Jan, 2018 11:41 am What renderer are you using (Settings->Render driver)? That's the only thing that is likely to cause a performance regression - for just about everyone else v13.x is faster than v12...
I haven't been having any of szadycbr's issues but this is good to know, thanks. I usually just leave the render driver setting on "auto". Is there any reason that wouldn't be advisable? Is it possible to briefly summarize how "auto" picks the renderer?
szadycbr
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by szadycbr »

ecksemmess , are You running Linux64 bit build? if so, then try to turn ON and OFF voodoo recompiler, there will be no difference at all. it is OFF all the time in 13.1 and it does crash on win95 3Dmark99.
ENM23
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by ENM23 »

Sorry for digging up that thread, but I have the same sound stuuter problem with v13 and v14.

I think the problem is only with Windows. Sound in Dos works with the same emulated machine perfect.
My emulated machine is 166 Mhz MMX, 16 MB Ram, SB 16, ATI Graphics Pro Turbo (Mach64 GX), Windows 95c (tried Win98 SE too, same issue).
Real Hardware is 3,0 Ghz AMD Phenom II, 8 GB Ram, Geforce 450 GTS, Windows 7 and everything runs fine and fast ;)
jznomoney
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by jznomoney »

ENM23 wrote: Mon 07 May, 2018 12:46 pm Sorry for digging up that thread, but I have the same sound stuuter problem with v13 and v14.

I think the problem is only with Windows. Sound in Dos works with the same emulated machine perfect.
My emulated machine is 166 Mhz MMX, 16 MB Ram, SB 16, ATI Graphics Pro Turbo (Mach64 GX), Windows 95c (tried Win98 SE too, same issue).
Real Hardware is 3,0 Ghz AMD Phenom II, 8 GB Ram, Geforce 450 GTS, Windows 7 and everything runs fine and fast ;)
PCem requires a fast pc based on newer tech. The phenom II is quite old by todays standards so that might be your issue. Try running something slower than a 166mhz pentium maybe 486?
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leilei
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by leilei »

A Phenom II 3GHz probably can only handle a P90 at best at this time (v14). I don't know whether the future recompiler rewrite will benefit it or not.
tk421
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by tk421 »

I concur with leilei. I tried v13.1 on a similar AMD CPU and a Pentium 90 is the best I could get without the sound stuttering issue. That being said, it handled every P90 task.

I will do everything I can to run PCem with a beautiful P233 MMX and Voodoo 2 SLI emulated system. I am hoping the i7 8700k cpu can handle this workload.
Solarstrike
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Re: Sound stutters whatever the configuration

Post by Solarstrike »

How far can an i7-4790 go on PCem?
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