Retroarch CPU vs RAM?

[Yarzzz]

Greetings.

 

I use retroarch (lakka 2.32) on an old  laptop with a celeron dual core processor, integrated intel graphics and 2gb of RAM (yes i know its crap). Surprisingly i can play most games up to n64 and psx without trouble, also some dreamcast, saturn and even Gamecube games( with glitches and slowdowns though).

 

My question is: if i upgrade the ram ( the board supports up to 8gb) would i see some improvement on the performance of the most intense emulators? Or the definitive factor is the CPU speed?

 

I can afford a memory increase but not buying a new pc, and mainly want to play more dreamcast saturn and maybe Jaguar games.

 

Thanks in advance for reading!

[KeeperofLindblum]

Based on my own emulator usage, I feel you're going to get more out of a CPU upgrade than a RAM upgrade. However, I did a bit of looking around online, and that seems to be the conclusion.

 

While a RAM upgrade will help the system in general, the main brunt of emulation is on the CPU. Better GPU (graphics) will help as well, but it seems like the CPU is still the biggest factor. 

 

I remember Dreamcast being pretty tame on most of the games I play, and I think Saturn emulation is still a bit janky even now so could just be that.

 

I will say GameCube is easier than one would think, but I get still get some issues on a better system with it. 

[Yarzzz]

3 hours ago, KeeperofLindblum said:

Based on my own emulator usage, I feel you're going to get more out of a CPU upgrade than a RAM upgrade. However, I did a bit of looking around online, and that seems to be the conclusion.

 

While a RAM upgrade will help the system in general, the main brunt of emulation is on the CPU. Better GPU (graphics) will help as well, but it seems like the CPU is still the biggest factor. 

 

I remember Dreamcast being pretty tame on most of the games I play, and I think Saturn emulation is still a bit janky even now so could just be that.

 

I will say GameCube is easier than one would think, but I get still get some issues on a better system with it. 

Thanks a lot for your answer. Yeah i was fearing that a ram upgrade wasnt going to improve things a lot, but i had to give it a shot. Well since i cant upgrade the CPU i have to start saving for a new pc.

 

Now the question is: what is the lowest specs pc that can run decently the most recent console emulators ?(up to saturn)

[KeeperofLindblum]

20 hours ago, Yarzzz said:

Now the question is: what is the lowest specs pc that can run decently the most recent console emulators ?(up to saturn)

 

I wish I could give a good answer for that, but you're probably better off doing some searching. However, I do have a different suggestion that might net you better results. 

 

I really like RetroArch as a program, but I'm not a big fan of Lakka. In theory, the barebone minimum RetroArch (Lakka) should be one of the best choices, but I find Lakka runs really janky unless you do some configuring (especially on lower end systems). I'd actually suggest giving Batocera a try. 

 

https://batocera.org/

 

Like Lakka, it's a custom version of Linux that's built to just add games and go (give or take some BIOS files). I found it works surprisingly well even with some old office computers with no video card. I was able to run a couple PS2 games with it. It can be a tad finicky, but I still like it better than Lakka. Granted, I may have just been impatient with Lakka. *shrugs*

Edited August 10, 2020 by KeeperofLindblum

[Yarzzz]

On 8/10/2020 at 12:54 PM, KeeperofLindblum said:

 

I wish I could give a good answer for that, but you're probably better off doing some searching. However, I do have a different suggestion that might net you better results. 

 

I really like RetroArch as a program, but I'm not a big fan of Lakka. In theory, the barebone minimum RetroArch (Lakka) should be one of the best choices, but I find Lakka runs really janky unless you do some configuring (especially on lower end systems). I'd actually suggest giving Batocera a try. 

 

https://batocera.org/

 

Like Lakka, it's a custom version of Linux that's built to just add games and go (give or take some BIOS files). I found it works surprisingly well even with some old office computers with no video card. I was able to run a couple PS2 games with it. It can be a tad finicky, but I still like it better than Lakka. Granted, I may have just been impatient with Lakka. *shrugs*

 

Thanks again for your answer!

 

I tried Batocera once but never made it to work, i could never found out where to put the roms or how to make the roms appear. Still im gonna take your advice and give it a second try.

[KeeperofLindblum]

The flaw with batocera is you need a second machine to get the full advantage of it.

 

If you plug the flash drive into a Linux OS, you can just browse it and add the files you want/need to the file folders. Windows won't see it by default, but you can get a 3rd party program to get into it. 

 

When it's running, you should be able to connect to it via a network and add files that way. I can't say I know the exact folders by default though...

[akator]

I've got a RPi 3B running Lakka.  I find it to be a more reliable solution than RetroPie.  I haven't used Batocera.  The Lakka RPi 3B is one of my secondary emulation rigs, setup in the bedroom with wireless 360 controllers.

 

My latest primary emulation machine is a Lenovo Thinkcentre M93P with a Core i5, 8GB, and a SSD.  I bought this reconditioned from Amazon a few months ago for $148.  It blows away the RPi and runs pretty much everything.

 

I considered a RPi 4 but the RPi solutions have gotten a lot more expensive than they used to be.  Long story short, when I priced the RPi 4 solution with power supply, fan, SSD adapter caddy, and a decent case it was more expensive than the Core i5 Lenovo M93P.

 

The Lenovo came with Windows 10.  I could have installed Lakka but Windows runs RetroArch and almost every other emulator and front end ever made.  I figured there was no point restricting myself to Lakka when I can have it all.

[Yarzzz]

14 hours ago, akator said:

My latest primary emulation machine is a Lenovo Thinkcentre M93P with a Core i5, 8GB, and a SSD.  I bought this reconditioned from Amazon a few months ago for $148.  It blows away the RPi and runs pretty much everything

 

 

Thanks for your answer . I think thats a kind of pc that i could afford in the nearby future.  In the meantime ill give batocera a try. I think i finally got  it figured out.