snes9x-gtk unplayably slow, snes9x (plain) works fine.

If you're having problems with Snes9x, or think you've found a bug, this is the place to be.
Post Reply
mythmon
Snes9x White Belt
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:51 pm

snes9x-gtk unplayably slow, snes9x (plain) works fine.

Post by mythmon »

On Arch Linux, any ROM I have tried in snes9x works fine, but in snes9x-gtk the game runs at about 1/4 speed, and the framerate is reported as 15fps (very consistently).

The CPU load on my computer is very low, so I don't think my computer just isn't fast enough.

I have tried adjusting the frame time. It is at 15ms, but changing it didn't seem to affect anything. I have tried all the frame skip options. I am running at 1:1 size, but any size runs at the same speed. No filters. OpenGL, X, or software renderer all act the same.

Any ideas on how to speed up snes9x-gtk ? Or, as another solution is there a good guide for configuring snes9x? I can't find anything that clearly explains how to change things like video mode and how to use a joystick in snes9x.
the_randomizer
Snes9x Orange Belt
Posts: 222
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 4:18 am

Post by the_randomizer »

Have you tried the different video rendering modes (OpenGL, SDL, XVideo) or updating the GPU drivers? Also try setting the audio frequency to somewhere between 31850Hz to 31900Hz (instead of the default 32000Hz), but try to not set the value too low (like 31400Hz) as it will affect the pitch.
Lisa: "I hope you all know you're sponsoring a murderous pirate!"
Sponsor: "A pirate!!? Well, that's hardly the image we need for Long John Silvers!"
mythmon
Snes9x White Belt
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:51 pm

Post by mythmon »

Audio frequency doesn't effect the speed, nor does choosing OpenGL, SDL, or XVideo renderers (as I mentioned before).

It could be a driver problem, but when the output mode is set to "None - Use software scaler" then it shouldn't be affected by my video drivers, right?

Interestingly, if I mute sound the game runs at about 550 fps, and no combination of frame time or frame skip settings will slow it down. So it seems something about sound is what is slowing down the system.
User avatar
BearOso
Official GTK/Linux Porter/Dev
Posts: 460
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 12:50 am

Post by BearOso »

mythmon wrote:Audio frequency doesn't effect the speed, nor does choosing OpenGL, SDL, or XVideo renderers (as I mentioned before).

It could be a driver problem, but when the output mode is set to "None - Use software scaler" then it shouldn't be affected by my video drivers, right?

Interestingly, if I mute sound the game runs at about 550 fps, and no combination of frame time or frame skip settings will slow it down. So it seems something about sound is what is slowing down the system.
Your "input frequency" might be bottoming out at 8000hz. There's a bug in Gtk+ 2.24 versions that can cause this when accessing preferences. See if you can adjust this value back to ~32000hz in the sound panel. If that doesn't work, you can try to edit the sound_input_rate value in ~/.snes9x/snes9x.xml, and set it to 32000.

The speed being dependent on audio is because you have the "Synchronize with Sound" option selected in the sound panel.
Post Reply