Sound glitches with CPU Idle(?)

[hexaae]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Enable WinUAE CPU%, and check it. I think it goes over 100% which always causes sound glitches and has nothing to do with sound emulation.

EDIT: Better test is to compare it with using disk version in A500 ce mode. EDIT2: Hope there is difference because then there is some good starting point..

Interesting: confirmed A500 Quickstart mode (IPFs) with NO audio or strange lag issue…

EDIT: there is more… using my high-end WB cfg + normal boot from the same HD, but with 020 cpu (I usually play with 060 or 040 emu) the game shows no slowdowns too

EDIT2: no slowdown up to 030... with 040 and 060 I experience laggy sound with some games, (JIT always disabled with the same tooltypes written above) mmh…

EDIT3: with LED display on:
030+882 = -15, 35%, 50
040 or 060 = -32 (yellow), 125%, 40
Same identical cfg except changed CPU settings, same boot env (WB3.9...), and of course same settings for the WHDLoad game.

[hexaae]

I'm now testing from which WinUAE version it started… and found that up to 3.5.0 Elvira 2 WHDLoad plays fine (CPU 060, LEDs: -07, 25%, 50).
The problems start with >= 3.6.0

360b1: emu freezes right after WHDLoad splash requester, still on Workbench screen (!?)
...
360b16: freezes right after WHDLoad starts the game with a black screen and LEDs: -35 (yellow), 175%, 40
360b17: game finally works, with audio lags and LEDs: -30 (yellow), 125%, 40

[Toni Wilen]

3.6.0 implemented 68040+ instruction cache emulation and more in accurate modes. It being slower is normal. Untick "more compatible" to disable it. (and cycle exact does not make much sense with 68040, "memory cycle" exact perhaps in some situations)

[hexaae]

Still the same, with audio lags:

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by hexaae

Still the same, with audio lags:

Good

Then remove everything unnecessary from the config and attach it. Same with 68040? What about 68030-68020?

[hexaae]

360b17. Up to 030 cpu load is ridiculously lower: LEDs -11, 16%, 50, tested also in A500 Quickstart mode + CPU set to 030, using IPFs. When I set A500 Quickstart mode + 060/040 it reaches -30, 98-105-112%, 40.

[hexaae]

360b17


Cfg: https://nofile.io/f/GoAhbmcYekQ/A500...t+with+060.uae

[Toni Wilen]

But you still have more compatible set. It is only a problem if slow down happens without more compatible ticked.

[hexaae]

360b17, A500 Quickstart + 060. With CPU More compatible OFF indeed CPU% goes back to 05-15%. So it introduces a HUGE slowdown (should be noted somewhere IMHO), the biggest slowdown switch in whole WinUAE emu from my experience (CPU% from 15% to 125%).

401b1
Now… the problem with WinUAE 4.x.x is it's grayed out and I don't know how to disable it:


EDIT:
Ok, cycle exact switches greyed it out.... but using tooltype:

EXECUTEPOSTDISK "uae-configuration cachesize 0 cpu_compatible false cpu_memory_cycle_exact true"

as you suggest actually does work! Elvira II WHDLoad, 060 WinUAE 4.0.1b1 lowered from 130% to CPU% 05-12%!
I need also "cpu_memory_cycle_exact true" with this game or gfx will flicker when moving.

[Toni Wilen]

It should have been very quick and easy to narrow down to that config, it should not have taken 20+ posts

But it is not really host CPU speed problem but just a side-effect how fastest possible/approximate works in this situation.

If memory or full cycle exact is enabled, approximate speed becomes fastest possible because memory cycle exact does the "slow down" effect automatically. (it would be really slow without this) If it is disabled, "real" approximate speed mode activates and it is not really meant for 68040+ CPUs. Result is really slow performance.

It is just yet another config combination that isn't really supported.

[hexaae]

Thanks Toni for your patience, I didn't know these inner details... I'm learning a lot about how WinUAE works internally with your insights.

I've found only 4-10 games suffering 130%+ CPU that actually fall down to 5-17% and fixed audio speed, with "cpu_compatible false". From GUI help bubble I thought the impact was moderate as for other similar options, but in this case speed difference is actually huge! ….And Windows CPU usage (always 15%) indicator was misleading with my wrong assumption that if emulation needed more power it would have drained more host CPU power...