Poor WinUAE performance and flashing screen

[dekarAF]

Hi everyone,

I have been using UAE and WinUAE for a long time, I mean .. For years. I've implemented it into arcade cabinets and I've used it on lots of different computers with lots of different hardware and setup, it has never given me any trouble whatsoever and I completely love it.

Anyways, as I just sold my arcade cabinet I wanted to install it again on my desktop computer but no matter how I tweak the configs, it just doesn't run any games the way they are supposed to run.

The sound is sluggish (artifacts) and the graphics isn't as smooth as it's supposed to be. I have tried several different games and they all suffer from the same issues, sluggish gameplay and incorrect sound.

When I run games in windowed mode they run perfectly, but when I switch to full-screen mode I get a flickering/flashing screen, artifacts and incorrect sound.

What I found out is that if I disable filters then the screen is flashing and all games are completely unplayable. If I enable filters (PAL etc.) then the screen isn't flashing, but the performance is very poor.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?

I'm using WinUAE 1.6.1 on a Intel Core 2 Q9650 @ 3,2GHz, 8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Sapphire Radeon HD4870X2, Windows 7 RTM.

All input is appreciated. Thanks!

[NewDeli]

Although your computer is very powerful, that shifting from arcade cabinets to PC you're describing may sound like a regression to some.

Get the latest beta from here, and see if you're still experience those gfx issues. You can leave all the other files from v1.6.1 installation just as they are.

EDIT : With all this RAM, it must be Windows 7 64-bit you're running

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

Although your computer is very powerful, that shifting from arcade cabinets to PC you're describing may sound like a regression to some.

Get the latest beta from here, and see if you're still experience those gfx issues. You can leave all the other files from v1.6.1 installation just as they are.

Thanks for the link! I'll definitely try it out and report back.

Yeah, I miss my cab. I'll build a new one soon though.

[dekarAF]

Ok just tried the latest beta, but the problems were still there. I've also tried changing the sound buffer size (lower and higher) and I've tried different DD display buffer settings.

Weird.. I also have the latest Catalyst and sound drivers installed.

Any other things I could try?

In windowed mode I see that SND is between -1% and +1% while CPU load is 55%-59%.

Edit: I just noticed that even in windowed mode the sound is a little quirky.

[Toni Wilen]

I remember seeing some problem reports with crossfire (and X2) Radeon cards.

Try Direct3D filter.

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

Get the latest beta from here, and see if you're still experience those gfx issues. You can leave all the other files from v1.6.1 installation just as they are.

Don't offer betas instantly. At least without WARNINGS! (Actually, do not reply anything at all if you can only make random guesses)

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

I remember seeing some problem reports with crossfire (and X2) Radeon cards.

Try Direct3D filter.

Just tried Direct3D filter but it only made my screen go black and then WinUAE crashed.

[NewDeli]

Of course Toni, unplugging the second Radeon is the first thing that comes to mind, but I remember by the time of v1.6.1 you were experimenting with video modes in the betas.

I always try to find software workaround before modifying my hardware setup, and ultimately I think if running the latest version may not improve things instantly, it can be of some use once things go back to normal.

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by dekarAF

Just tried Direct3D filter but it only made my screen go black and then WinUAE crashed.

Post winuaebootlog.txt, winuaelog.txt (tick logging checkbox in misc panel) and crashdump file, thanks.

(use official 1.6.1)

You can also try different "display buffer" settings in misc panel (it shouldn't affect non-AGP systems but you never know)

It is not Windows 7, x64 or ATI issue because I have similar system except display card is 5870 (replaced 4890), i7 and 6G RAM:

Of course Toni, unplugging the second Radeon is the first thing that comes to mind,

Not going work, it is X2 card = single card with two GPUs.

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Post winuaebootlog.txt, winuaelog.txt (tick logging checkbox in misc panel) and crashdump file, thanks.

(use official 1.6.1)

You can also try different "display buffer" settings in misc panel (it shouldn't affect non-AGP systems but you never know)

It is not Windows 7, x64 or ATI issue because I have similar system except display card is 5870 (replaced 4890), i7 and 6G RAM:



Not going work, it is X2 card = single card with two GPUs.

I can disable one of the GPU's (just by disabling crossfire in CCC), but I doubt that will do any good. I might try though.

I will post the crashlogs, but I need to redownload WinUAE 1.6.1 as I overwrote it with the latest beta.

I notice that winuae.net is down, does anyone have a direct link to v1.6.1? Thanks guys.

[NewDeli]

Originally Posted by dekarAF

I notice that winuae.net is down, does anyone have a direct link to v1.6.1? Thanks guys.

It's in the zone for you (thank TCD not me ) !

[dekarAF]

I have to go to a birthday party so I won't respond in a few hours. Thanks for all the help so far guys. I appreciate it a lot!

[Photon]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

shifting from arcade cabinets to PC you're describing may sound like a regression to some.

Haha, loved that

I doubt new Radeon cards would have a problem with WinUAE, I have one myself, just not using Crossfire.

Dunno... make sure you select your card (and not some generic driver) in Display settings in WinUAE, and save the config?


dekarAF, I'm sure Toni would love a WinUAE bootlog!

I recommend Win XP SP3+DX10 patch for your rig, since it sounds like a gaming PC.

[Toni Wilen]

Originally Posted by Photon

I recommend Win XP SP3+DX10 patch for your rig, since it sounds like a gaming PC.

Downgrade from Windows 7? I don't think so.

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Downgrade from Windows 7? I don't think so.

I agree. Windows 7 is awesome.

Way too many beers to screw around with WinUAE now. Trying again tomorrow..

[dekarAF]

Ok, so I enabled logging but the winuaelog.txt file came out empty. I guess this is because WinUAE crashes as soon as I try to run a disk image (I have to kill the process) when D3D is enabled.

winuaebootlog.txt attached to this post.

[Toni Wilen]

I forgot, add -logflush command line parameter, this should fix missing log file. You should also have winuae_xxxx.dmp files in same directory as winuae.exe (where xxxx is timestamp)

[dekarAF]

Ok the -logflush parameter worked, I now have a logfile with content (attached). I don't have any .dmp files in the WinUAE dir though.

Now I noticed that when I select D3D filter with automatic scaling it worked, but the emulation is still sluggish and now I have artifacts flashing on either side of the screen (where the Amiga doesn't render picture).

[Toni Wilen]

Unfortunately there is nothing interesting in the log.
Did disabling Crossfire make any difference?

I guess I have to buy 5870X2 (when it becomes available) or another 5870

[dekarAF]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

Unfortunately there is nothing interesting in the log.
Did disabling Crossfire make any difference?

I guess I have to buy 5870X2 (when it becomes available) or another 5870

I just noticed that it's no longer possible to disable crossfire via CCC.

When I think of it, I think I've used WinUAE on this computer earlier, with the same hw setup, so I don't think the 4870x2 is the problem either.

I suspect that one of my drivers or 3rd party apps is causing these issues.. Hmm .. I'm clueless what to try next ..