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How do various CPUs perform in PCSX2? How about which CPUs do best clock for clock/at the same frequencies?
Those are the two main questions this will aim to address. This is meant to be a database of sorts, so that being said, the more results we can get, the better. We can use this thread to compile them.
How will we do this? It's simple. We'll use the same version of PCSX2, the same plug-ins, with the same configurations, and the same game(s) at the same spot(s). Basically, we'll attempt to make everything the same with only the CPUs being the differing factors. We'll also use a frequency range that is large enough to compare different CPU types, but limited enough attempt to get more than one result of a the same speed to compare the different CPUs at the same speed. Note that there will always be variance across systems, so we'll assume anything within about a 3% difference is within margin of error.
Now, who has hundreds of CPUs to test, and the time to test them all at various clock speeds? Not me, and not many of us, so the point of this is to let many users add their results. So that being said, as long as you have a decent control over your CPUs clock speed (or if it just happens to already be at one of the speeds being tested), then you're more than welcome to add your results. Just look up your CPU, and make sure it qualifies (or can be adjusted to qualify for) one of the listed frequencies. You can, of course, submit multiple CPUs, or even the same CPU at different frequencies.
Without further ado, here's the list. This is my starting point. Feel free to suggest more. For now, I'm only including desktop CPUs, and not laptop or server CPUs.
CPU Chart
Celeron, Pentium 4, Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, and Pentium D (Netburst Architecture)
Note whether or not Hyper-threading is on or off where applicable with these CPUs.
Any Intel Celeron (socket 478 Northwood-based) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz
Any Intel Celeron D (socket 478 Prescott-based) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz (this is not a dual core CPU)
Any Intel Pentium 4 (Northwood) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz
Any Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz
Any Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz
Any Intel Pentium D @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz
Celeron, Celeron Dual-core, Pentium Dual-core, Core 2 Duo, and Core 2 Quad (Core Architecture)
Extreme Edition versions of these CPUs are fine, as they're the same thing performance wise as their standard versions at any given clock speed.
Any Intel Celeron L (Celeron 420, Celeron 430, Celeron 440, etc.) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz
Any Intel Celeron Dual-core @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz
Any Intel Pentium Dual-core (E2xx0 class, Allendale, 1MB L2 cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz
Any Intel Pentium Dual-core (E5x00 class, Wolfdale, 2MB L2 cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Duo (E4x00 class, Allendale, 2MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Duo (E6xx0 class*, Conroe, 4MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz
*Note that the E6300 and E6400 should be included among the E4x00 Alendale class, as that's what they really are.
Any Intel Core 2 Duo (E7x00 class, Wolfdale, 3MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Duo (E8x00 class, Wolfdale, 6MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Quad (Q6x00 class, Kentsfield, 2x4MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Quad (Q8x00 class, Yorkfield, 2x2MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Quad (Q9x00 class, Yorkfield, 2x6MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Core i7 (Nehalem Architecture)
Any Intel Core i7 (9x0 class, Bloomfield) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any Intel Core i7 (8x0 class, Lynnfield) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Sempron, Athlon 64, Athlon FX, and Athlon X2 (K-8 Architecture)
Any AMD Sempron @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Athlon 64 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Athlon FX @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Athlon X2 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Phenom, Phenom II, & Athlon X2 (K-10 Architecture)
Any AMD Athlon X2 (Kuma) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any AMD Phenom X3 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Phenom X4 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Phenom II X3 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any AMD Phenom II X4 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
I specifically have a feeling my knowledge of AMD Athlon K-8 is lacking, as the Athlon 64s and Athlon X2s undoubtedly have different classes that need breaking down, since I presume there are performance differences within there. I'll let someone else fill me in there.
Configuration
Now, without further ado, here's the setup you must use. Remember that it doesn't matter if it's not the latest beta, as the only thing that matters is that everyone uses the same version so we get more consistent results. Remember, we're not aiming for the most speed, but rather the comparison of the CPUs.
First of all, we'll be using PCSX2 0.9.6, so grab that, which includes all of the needed plug-ins, and install it.
Options
CPU Config: Configure it as follows (the Multi-threaded GS Mode should only be enabled on dual core, quad core, or Hyper-threading CPUs).
Patches: Leave all of them disabled/don't use any.
Gamefixes: Leave all of them disabled/don't use any.
Speed Hacks: Leave them all disabled/don't use any (the esc hack doesn't matter if it's used)/default.
Advanced: Leave them all default.
Plug-ins
Graphics: GSdx (version applicable to the instruction set of your CPU).
You may be thinking "why not have everyone use the same version, like, say the SSE2 version?", but since the extra instructions sets are technically a benefit of the better CPUs, they should be able to use them. So long as it's GSdx and configured as is listed, it can be the SSE2, SSSE3, or SSE4.1 version.
We're restricting it to DirectX 9 mode, since the difference between DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 (the latter is faster) falls outside of the CPUs themselves and is dependent on the OS and GPU.
For the same reason, we're using Shader Model 2. It's GPU dependent, and we're after CPU results.
Make sure "Native" is checked.
Make sure "Texture filtering" is not checked.
Make sure the rest of your check boxes are either unchecked, checked, or faded checked to match the image.
Configure it as follows.
Sound: ZeroSPU2
Configure it so the top check box, the "Time scaling" mode, is checked, and nothing else.
CDVD: Linuz ISO CDVD
Make sure you're running from an ISO to prevent slowdowns from disc reading skewing the results.
It needs no configuring outside selecting the ISO location.
None of the rest of the plug-ins should matter, but I could very well be wrong. Just leave the rest at default (besides the pad plug-in and configuration, which won't matter for performance).
Games
I'm going to try and keep the scenes near the beginning of the games, ala, so you would be able to start it up without a save and get there in not too long.
This section, as of first creating this thread, is obviously incomplete. Until I get game suggestions, I'll stick with the one common one.
Final Fantasy X
I decided on these five scenes.
The title screen.
The very first scene in which you have player control.
Standing amidst the fans some seconds later (stand as close to those lines as I did as possible).
Naming the main character.
The first battle scene.
That's about it, until I get more game ideas.
Feel free to start posting up results (screenshots are needed) and giving suggestions for games/scenes. It's a good idea to list your basic system specifications (CPU, GPU, RAM, and perhaps OS). I wager we'll have a few with GPUs that hold them back regardless of the CPU limited settings.
If I overlooked any glaring or obvious mistakes, go ahead and mention them. I'm sort of wondering if this would be/would've been better done at pcsx2.net, to be able to get more results, and since it's now the official forums?
Also, my own results aren't included yet. I'll of course do that myself, but for now, I'm getting the thread started.
Those are the two main questions this will aim to address. This is meant to be a database of sorts, so that being said, the more results we can get, the better. We can use this thread to compile them.
How will we do this? It's simple. We'll use the same version of PCSX2, the same plug-ins, with the same configurations, and the same game(s) at the same spot(s). Basically, we'll attempt to make everything the same with only the CPUs being the differing factors. We'll also use a frequency range that is large enough to compare different CPU types, but limited enough attempt to get more than one result of a the same speed to compare the different CPUs at the same speed. Note that there will always be variance across systems, so we'll assume anything within about a 3% difference is within margin of error.
Now, who has hundreds of CPUs to test, and the time to test them all at various clock speeds? Not me, and not many of us, so the point of this is to let many users add their results. So that being said, as long as you have a decent control over your CPUs clock speed (or if it just happens to already be at one of the speeds being tested), then you're more than welcome to add your results. Just look up your CPU, and make sure it qualifies (or can be adjusted to qualify for) one of the listed frequencies. You can, of course, submit multiple CPUs, or even the same CPU at different frequencies.
Without further ado, here's the list. This is my starting point. Feel free to suggest more. For now, I'm only including desktop CPUs, and not laptop or server CPUs.
CPU Chart
Celeron, Pentium 4, Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, and Pentium D (Netburst Architecture)
Note whether or not Hyper-threading is on or off where applicable with these CPUs.
Any Intel Celeron (socket 478 Northwood-based) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz
Any Intel Celeron D (socket 478 Prescott-based) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz (this is not a dual core CPU)
Any Intel Pentium 4 (Northwood) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz
Any Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz
Any Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz
Any Intel Pentium D @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz
Celeron, Celeron Dual-core, Pentium Dual-core, Core 2 Duo, and Core 2 Quad (Core Architecture)
Extreme Edition versions of these CPUs are fine, as they're the same thing performance wise as their standard versions at any given clock speed.
Any Intel Celeron L (Celeron 420, Celeron 430, Celeron 440, etc.) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz
Any Intel Celeron Dual-core @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz
Any Intel Pentium Dual-core (E2xx0 class, Allendale, 1MB L2 cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz
Any Intel Pentium Dual-core (E5x00 class, Wolfdale, 2MB L2 cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Duo (E4x00 class, Allendale, 2MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Duo (E6xx0 class*, Conroe, 4MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz
*Note that the E6300 and E6400 should be included among the E4x00 Alendale class, as that's what they really are.
Any Intel Core 2 Duo (E7x00 class, Wolfdale, 3MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Duo (E8x00 class, Wolfdale, 6MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Quad (Q6x00 class, Kentsfield, 2x4MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Quad (Q8x00 class, Yorkfield, 2x2MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz
Any Intel Core 2 Quad (Q9x00 class, Yorkfield, 2x6MB cache) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Core i7 (Nehalem Architecture)
Any Intel Core i7 (9x0 class, Bloomfield) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any Intel Core i7 (8x0 class, Lynnfield) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Sempron, Athlon 64, Athlon FX, and Athlon X2 (K-8 Architecture)
Any AMD Sempron @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Athlon 64 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Athlon FX @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Athlon X2 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Phenom, Phenom II, & Athlon X2 (K-10 Architecture)
Any AMD Athlon X2 (Kuma) @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any AMD Phenom X3 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Phenom X4 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz
Any AMD Phenom II X3 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
Any AMD Phenom II X4 @2.6GHz, @2.8GHz, @3.0GHz, @3.2GHz, @3.4GHz, @3.6GHz, @3.8GHz, @4.0GHz
I specifically have a feeling my knowledge of AMD Athlon K-8 is lacking, as the Athlon 64s and Athlon X2s undoubtedly have different classes that need breaking down, since I presume there are performance differences within there. I'll let someone else fill me in there.
Configuration
Now, without further ado, here's the setup you must use. Remember that it doesn't matter if it's not the latest beta, as the only thing that matters is that everyone uses the same version so we get more consistent results. Remember, we're not aiming for the most speed, but rather the comparison of the CPUs.
First of all, we'll be using PCSX2 0.9.6, so grab that, which includes all of the needed plug-ins, and install it.
Options
CPU Config: Configure it as follows (the Multi-threaded GS Mode should only be enabled on dual core, quad core, or Hyper-threading CPUs).

Patches: Leave all of them disabled/don't use any.
Gamefixes: Leave all of them disabled/don't use any.
Speed Hacks: Leave them all disabled/don't use any (the esc hack doesn't matter if it's used)/default.
Advanced: Leave them all default.
Plug-ins
Graphics: GSdx (version applicable to the instruction set of your CPU).
You may be thinking "why not have everyone use the same version, like, say the SSE2 version?", but since the extra instructions sets are technically a benefit of the better CPUs, they should be able to use them. So long as it's GSdx and configured as is listed, it can be the SSE2, SSSE3, or SSE4.1 version.
We're restricting it to DirectX 9 mode, since the difference between DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 (the latter is faster) falls outside of the CPUs themselves and is dependent on the OS and GPU.
For the same reason, we're using Shader Model 2. It's GPU dependent, and we're after CPU results.
Make sure "Native" is checked.
Make sure "Texture filtering" is not checked.
Make sure the rest of your check boxes are either unchecked, checked, or faded checked to match the image.
Configure it as follows.

Sound: ZeroSPU2
Configure it so the top check box, the "Time scaling" mode, is checked, and nothing else.
CDVD: Linuz ISO CDVD
Make sure you're running from an ISO to prevent slowdowns from disc reading skewing the results.
It needs no configuring outside selecting the ISO location.
None of the rest of the plug-ins should matter, but I could very well be wrong. Just leave the rest at default (besides the pad plug-in and configuration, which won't matter for performance).
Games
I'm going to try and keep the scenes near the beginning of the games, ala, so you would be able to start it up without a save and get there in not too long.
This section, as of first creating this thread, is obviously incomplete. Until I get game suggestions, I'll stick with the one common one.
Final Fantasy X
I decided on these five scenes.
The title screen.

The very first scene in which you have player control.

Standing amidst the fans some seconds later (stand as close to those lines as I did as possible).

Naming the main character.

The first battle scene.

That's about it, until I get more game ideas.
Feel free to start posting up results (screenshots are needed) and giving suggestions for games/scenes. It's a good idea to list your basic system specifications (CPU, GPU, RAM, and perhaps OS). I wager we'll have a few with GPUs that hold them back regardless of the CPU limited settings.
If I overlooked any glaring or obvious mistakes, go ahead and mention them. I'm sort of wondering if this would be/would've been better done at pcsx2.net, to be able to get more results, and since it's now the official forums?
Also, my own results aren't included yet. I'll of course do that myself, but for now, I'm getting the thread started.