Fine Tuning Retropie

[jamesandjome-com]

UPDATE 1:
(My starting point was Turbo overclock option) I have changed my overclock settings to:

arm_freq=1150
core_freq=500
sdram_freq=600
over_voltage=8
force_turbo=1

And have noticed an improvement in PSX sound on Image 2.4 with the B+ Model. Also, I have changed the audio output to 44100 which together with the above settings seems to have helped in games such as:

Legacy of Kain, Blood Omen (Previously the FMV intro would lag hard, graphic and sound wise) This now works perfect.

Resident Evil 2 (Previously intro FMV would lag graphic and sound wise, also character FMV would lag) This now works perfect.

Street Fighter vs Capcom (Previously sound lag) Now works perfect.

Crash Bandicoot 2 (Previously intro FMV graphic and sound lag) Now is perfect.

Crash Team Racing (Previously intro voice over lag + sound lag) Sound lag gone, Intro voice over still garbled.

Suikoden 2 (Previously intro FMV hard graphic and sound lag) Both now run smooth however the music is really garbled.

Over all, a very good improvement on my PSX game collection. The only thing that I need resolving in the garbled audio. It is not lag in the audio it is just a terrible underwater type effect/sound.

Any more ideas?

Hello,

I have tinkered and tinkered like many of you, and have managed to get my Retropie 2.4.2 build running great. After experimenting with a ton of PSX games (B+ overclocked to Turbo) I came to the conclusion that whilst some work and some struggle to/don’t work, all have issues with sound lag, which makes it feel as if the game is lagging.

I put in about 5 hours of playtime last night on Suikoden 3 and a few hours on Resident Evil 2 and as mush as I tried to ignore the sound lag, it really bugged me and ruined what was otherwise a great experience.

Do I need to upgrade to a RPI 2 to elimanate this or have some of you geniuses managed to find a fix?

I read somewhere that this was fixed by changing the sound driver and the sound frequncies however as with most things I search regarding this project it is either out of date or the threads come to no definate conclusion.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Hello,

I have tinkered and tinkered like many of you, and have managed to get my Retropie 2.4.2 build running great. After experimenting with a ton of PSX games (B+ overclocked to Turbo) I came to the conclusion that whilst some work and some struggle to/don’t work, all have issues with sound lag, which makes it feel as if the game is lagging.

I put in about 5 hours of playtime last night on Suikoden 3 and a few hours on Resident Evil 2 and as mush as I tried to ignore the sound lag, it really bugged me and ruined what was otherwise a great experience.

Do I need to upgrade to a RPI 2 to elimanate this or have some of you geniuses managed to find a fix?

I read somewhere that this was fixed by changing the sound driver and the sound frequncies however as with most things I search regarding this project it is either out of date or the threads come to no definate conclusion.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[dddaaannnhhh]

I’m currently on a RPI2 with the same issues so I wouldn’t flat out buy a RPI2 just for psx emulation as it stands now. I’m not very savvy when it comes to configuring though so someone else might’ve got it running without the garbled audio. I definitely hear you about it ruining the experience though and I really hope someone finds a solution.

[neighbourhoodnerd]

Same issue here, using Rpi2.

Symptoms:
-video runs very very smoothly – probably at least 50 fps!! It’s possibly running too fast?
-Audio seems to struggle to keep up, occasionally speeding up or crackling

Honestly, though, PSX on the Rpi1 was just horrible – definite video lag, long load times, and all this on a dangerously high overclock. Rpi2 is definitely a good investment to iron out the video lag in PSX, N64 and MAME. I’m confident that with the right configuration it will run PSX flawlessly.

[kmhamel]

I’m running a pi2 at 1000MHz using berryboot and a usb harddrive and don’t seem to be having any lag problems so far. Only tested on playstation and mame so far.

[jamesandjome-com]

Thank you for your replies.

Although upgrading to the RPi2 is an option I feel like the PSX games that I want to play work perfectly on the B+ except for the sound lag.

If I see that the RPI2 works better in the future I will definatally pick it up however they are near double the price on Amazon which is my only option at the moment.

Does anyone know where to look so that I can at least try to tinker with this?

[jamesandjome-com]

[quote=88690]I’m running a pi2 at 1000MHz using berryboot and a usb harddrive and don’t seem to be having any lag problems so far. Only tested on playstation and mame so far.[/quote]

I am also overclocked to 1,000MHz on the B+ but obviously the RPI2 has better specs.

Would you be open to trying one of these games (only ones I have) Suikoden 2, Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter vs Marvel, Final Fantasy Tactics, Breath of Fire 3, Crash Team Racing, to see if there is any sound lag in the intro videos?

I know that that is asking a bit but I would appreciate knowing if you have a different experience.

[herbfargus]

I just bought my pi2 from mcmelectronics (the main distributor for the Raspberri Pi Foundation) cost me $45 with shipping to the US. cheaper than amazon and only took 3 weeks or so. Even though some games still lag it was well worth the upgrade.

[neighbourhoodnerd]

[quote=88690]I’m running a pi2 at 1000MHz using berryboot and a usb harddrive and don’t seem to be having any lag problems so far. Only tested on playstation and mame so far.[/quote]

Most of my PSX games have audio lag – ESPECIALLY during FMVs. Can you post your Retroarch.cfg (copy paste it as .cfg files cannot be attached). I’d be very grateful.

[jamesandjome-com]

[quote=88703]I just bought my pi2 from mcmelectronics (the main distributor for the Raspberri Pi Foundation) cost me $45 with shipping to the US. cheaper than amazon and only took 3 weeks or so. Even though some games still lag it was well worth the upgrade.[/quote]

Thank you I will check this out. I still want to try and get this working on the B+ though. I just need some advice on a place to start.

[Anonymous]

On my B+ I don’t have any issues whatsoever with the PSX emulator. But this requires an aggressive overclock and active cooling with heatsink and fan. It runs PSX at full speed with zero audio issues, lag, or long loading times when:

arm_freq=1150
core_freq=500
sdram_freq=600
over_voltage=8
force_turbo=1

Note the above settings WILL set your warranty bit. However its been pretty stable and never goes above 55C with heatsink and fan. Using BT PS3 controller.

I have recently acquired a Pi2 and although it is noticably faster at many tasks, I did not see much of a difference with the PSX. It handles heavy action on the screen without dipping the frame rate, but that’s it. However N64 performance is MUCH improved, running Mario 64 and MarioKart 64 at full speed with literally ZERO glitches. However this isn’t the case with all games. Some simply do not run.

My Pi2 is overclocked to 1100.

[kmhamel]

[quote=88692]

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>kmhamel wrote:</div>
I’m running a pi2 at 1000MHz using berryboot and a usb harddrive and don’t seem to be having any lag problems so far. Only tested on playstation and mame so far.

I am also overclocked to 1,000MHz on the B+ but obviously the RPI2 has better specs.

Would you be open to trying one of these games (only ones I have) Suikoden 2, Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter vs Marvel, Final Fantasy Tactics, Breath of Fire 3, Crash Team Racing, to see if there is any sound lag in the intro videos?

I know that that is asking a bit but I would appreciate knowing if you have a different experience.
[/quote]

Sure, I’m loading games on the pi right now to try…will see if I can get some results tues or wed…..going out of town.

[kmhamel]

[quote=88752]On my B+ I don’t have any issues whatsoever with the PSX emulator. But this requires an aggressive overclock and active cooling with heatsink and fan. It runs PSX at full speed with zero audio issues, lag, or long loading times when:

arm_freq=1150
core_freq=500
sdram_freq=600
over_voltage=8
force_turbo=1

Note the above settings WILL set your warranty bit. However its been pretty stable and never goes above 55C with heatsink and fan. Using BT PS3 controller.

I have recently acquired a Pi2 and although it is noticably faster at many tasks, I did not see much of a difference with the PSX. It handles heavy action on the screen without dipping the frame rate, but that’s it. However N64 performance is MUCH improved, running Mario 64 and MarioKart 64 at full speed with literally ZERO glitches. However this isn’t the case with all games. Some simply do not run.

My Pi2 is overclocked to 1100.

[/quote]

What are your setting for the Pi2? I tried 1100 and just got the rainbow. I was going to get a heatsink and give it another try.

[labelwhore]

PSX games run very well for me for the most part on a B+. For you guys having issues, I see you’ve overclocked your PI’s but do you all have heatsinks for the CPU and GPU? I got a kit like this one, it made a noticeable difference.

[jamesandjome-com]

[quote=88752]On my B+ I don’t have any issues whatsoever with the PSX emulator. But this requires an aggressive overclock and active cooling with heatsink and fan. It runs PSX at full speed with zero audio issues, lag, or long loading times when:

arm_freq=1150
core_freq=500
sdram_freq=600
over_voltage=8
force_turbo=1

Note the above settings WILL set your warranty bit. However its been pretty stable and never goes above 55C with heatsink and fan. Using BT PS3 controller.

I have recently acquired a Pi2 and although it is noticably faster at many tasks, I did not see much of a difference with the PSX. It handles heavy action on the screen without dipping the frame rate, but that’s it. However N64 performance is MUCH improved, running Mario 64 and MarioKart 64 at full speed with literally ZERO glitches. However this isn’t the case with all games. Some simply do not run.

My Pi2 is overclocked to 1100.

[/quote]

Thank you for providing this information, I will try these settings over the next 48 hours and provide feedback to this thread.

I have two heat sinks at the moment but have no fan, I will definatally get one though if this works.

Thank you again

[jamesandjome-com]

[quote=88785]

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>jamesandjome-com wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>kmhamel wrote:</div>
I’m running a pi2 at 1000MHz using berryboot and a usb harddrive and don’t seem to be having any lag problems so far. Only tested on playstation and mame so far.

I am also overclocked to 1,000MHz on the B+ but obviously the RPI2 has better specs.

Would you be open to trying one of these games (only ones I have) Suikoden 2, Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter vs Marvel, Final Fantasy Tactics, Breath of Fire 3, Crash Team Racing, to see if there is any sound lag in the intro videos?

I know that that is asking a bit but I would appreciate knowing if you have a different experience.

Sure, I’m loading games on the pi right now to try…will see if I can get some results tues or wed…..going out of town.
[/quote]

Thank you, this is much appreciated.

[jamesandjome-com]

[quote=88798]PSX games run very well for me for the most part on a B+. For you guys having issues, I see you’ve overclocked your PI’s but do you all have heatsinks for the CPU and GPU? I got a kit like this one, it made a noticeable difference.[/quote]

I have 2 heatsinks however I do not have a fan.

Once I can confirm that Bitsentrys’ settings above work for me I will definatally get a fan. Thank you for providing the link as this fan is exactly what I would want.

Once I can confirm that

[jamesandjome-com]

Updated first post.

Can anyone tell me how to change the audio driver to sdl?

I have made this change to my boot config – audio_driver=sdl – however I get an error when exiting emulators saying “sdl not found”.

[gizmo98]

Use sdl2, alsa or alsa_thread.

[jamesandjome-com]

[quote=89245]Use sdl2, alsa or alsa_thread. [/quote]

Just to confirm, I type audio_driver=sdl2? and not audio_driver=sdl.

[gizmo98]

Yes. Retroarch replaces sdl with sdl2 if sdl2 is instslled.

[jamesandjome-com]

[quote=89254]Yes. Retroarch replaces sdl with sdl2 if sdl2 is instslled.[/quote]

Thanks a lot for the quick response, I will give this a try tonight.

[kmhamel]

[quote=88692]

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>kmhamel wrote:</div>
I’m running a pi2 at 1000MHz using berryboot and a usb harddrive and don’t seem to be having any lag problems so far. Only tested on playstation and mame so far.

I am also overclocked to 1,000MHz on the B+ but obviously the RPI2 has better specs.

Would you be open to trying one of these games (only ones I have) Suikoden 2, Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter vs Marvel, Final Fantasy Tactics, Breath of Fire 3, Crash Team Racing, to see if there is any sound lag in the intro videos?

I know that that is asking a bit but I would appreciate knowing if you have a different experience.
[/quote]

Played a few of the games and found no lag. everything seems fine to me.

[Author]

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