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MechX2

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Project 64 emulator tweaking questions.

I am setting up Project 64 a Nintendo 64 Emulator for the PC on my HTPC with the Following Specs:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+
NVidia GeForce 4 MX 4000 128 MB
200 GB Samsung H/D
Windows XP SP2 32 Bit Version
Running at 1024 x 768 Resolution on a 30" Flat Panel LCD

I did a fresh install of Project 64 Version 1.6 and the games run laggy, the sound skips every other second, the graphics are very choppy, sometimes it takes a few seconds to load the pause menu in games like zelda. And ideas on how to help this emulator run flawlessy?

*Quick Note*:
I own the real copies of these games and am trying to emulate them on my HTPC for the sole reason to save space thus I would have no reason actually waste inputs on my TV. This is a completely legal emulation of the Nintendo 64.

Thanks In Advance!
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dave4dl

You may be running out of memory and using some virtual memory (using the hard drive space for memory, which is quite a bit slower)

I suggest shutting down all other non-system processes before playing to see if that helps.

Sometimes your antivirus software can take your gaming system resources so i suggest shutting that down (actually kill the process(es) in task manager)

If this doesnt help then get more memory for your computer (as fast as your motherboard supports)

The sound thing has been a problem for a while.  I suggest looking for a patch for your sound card (if it is still bad after doing the above).

If the video continues to be choppy, try getting a video card with at least 256 mb of fast memory.

If none of this helps, get a motherboard with a faster bus and the fastest processor you can find for that motherboard.

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ASKER

I Have a Epox 8KDA3+ Motherboard witch wasnt cheap, about 110 bucks. Its Specs are:
Chipset      nVidia nForce3 250      
Processor      AMD Athlon 64 (fsb 200MHz)      
Memory      PC2100/PC2700/PC3200      
HDD      2x UltraDMA/100(RAID)
6x SerialATA(RAID)
Additional      Audio AC'92 v2.3
8 USB 2.0
Gigabit Ethernet LAN
I have a great processor installed, AMD Athlon 64 3000+, Which I may add wasnt cheap either.
I have 2 Gigs of DDR PC3200 ram installed, (also not cheap) :)

This isnt a low-end system, this is actually quite an astonishing system, Which makes it difficult to believe upgrading would make any difference.

I also have nothing really running in the background, no antivirus or anything of the sort, This is a meedio based system and all that is installed on it is Meedio it self which was not running at the time I was giving the emulator a shot, and a few little programs that help meedio out here and their. Meedio is software for HTPC's in case you werent aware.

I believe it has something to do with plugins or so, I am trying to get this to run with a minimal amount of upgrades as I do not see them neccesary.

I did try shutting down all system procceses, Though still get the choppiness, I will scour the internet for a audio plugin. I apprieciate the comment.
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dave4dl

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ASKER

Thanks, I'll give these a shot later tonight and post the results.
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ASKER

After fevereshly working on tweaking this emulator, Dave4DL's comment tremendously helped, although the emulator is yet to be running flawless I deem the solution to this problem is that numerous Plugins are a necessity as Dave4DL has earlier stated. Dave4DL's last post did make a signifigant difference on the speed the game ran though. Less ghosting and skipping with those settings. Thanks for the help though!