-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Do Dolphin or PCSX2 run flawlessly on the Surface Pro 3?
- Thread starter paolo11
- Start date
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
The fact it's a tablet leads me to saying "no" even without looking at the specs. Especially with Dolphin, some games require a moderate to heavy overclock on a desktop CPU. There is no way you are going to get that level of performance out of a tablet.
Some games might run fine though, being an emulator not every game requires the same resources.
Some games might run fine though, being an emulator not every game requires the same resources.
So ... you have no idea what the Surface actually is.
Anyways I never thought about running Dolphin or PCSX2 on a Surface, now im interested in the answer.
You may be better off with the 2 in that regard. The 3 has much more aggressive performance throttling due to its poorer thermals (the price of the much slimmer form factor). The 3 does have an i7 option, but it is quite the investment when you add the keyboard.
I've browsed Surface Pro forums and it seems even Minecraft runs poorly after a while when it starts to throttle itself, so it's a much safer bet to get a true gaming laptop for much demanding emulation.
I've browsed Surface Pro forums and it seems even Minecraft runs poorly after a while when it starts to throttle itself, so it's a much safer bet to get a true gaming laptop for much demanding emulation.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
I don't, but if Microsoft got a 4GHz i5 in that form factor I'll be damn impressed.
Whoa, a lot of angsty bias against surface pros. They're i5 machines with 4GBs of ram. They're not gaming beasts, but they're not incapable. League of Legends runs better on my roommate's SP2 than his 3 year old i7 Lenovo laptop. My SP1 plays all my slightly older games marvelously!
I have heard the SP3 is a step back for gaming due to its thermal throttling, though.
I have heard the SP3 is a step back for gaming due to its thermal throttling, though.
paolo11
Member
I'm thinking of getting one but if it runs emulators like crap, I'll just save my money.
ichtyander
Member
Here's a video of a guy testing Super Smash Bros. Melee via Dolphin on a Surface Pro 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8mhhSxg1mR0#t=106
Supposedly, Smash runs great to almost perfect with two players depending on the stage but is very sluggish with 4 players on screen. I'm sure there are more vids out there but it seems it's not able to flawlessly run Dolphin (and by extension PCSX2 as well).
Supposedly, Smash runs great to almost perfect with two players depending on the stage but is very sluggish with 4 players on screen. I'm sure there are more vids out there but it seems it's not able to flawlessly run Dolphin (and by extension PCSX2 as well).
Korialstrasz
Member
It depends on the game like others said.I tried PCSX2 on mine and while Kingdom Hearts ran great DQ8 was a slideshow. I didn't play with the emulation options though (just gave the PCSX2 exe a high priority) so it might be possible to make things better.
TyrantGuardian
Member
The i5 apparently clocks at 3GHz and the i7 at 3,3GHz. So, probably not? I'm having issues running certain games at 4,5GHz on my desktop i5. Emulation is almost all down to raw CPU performance.
Though some games have way lower cpu requirements, so it might work well in some cases.
Though some games have way lower cpu requirements, so it might work well in some cases.
Bob Dobalina
Member
I would be more worried about the thermal throttling than the specs. Don't think its a good choice if you want to play games for extended periods.
Smash bros melee running at 45~fps with 2 characters, 30fps with 4 characters. Maybe other games could work better. Maybe New Super Mario bros would run well.
Given that he knows it's a tablet, I'd say that is enough. TDP for mobile devices prevent any decent frequencies for the cpu, which is going to limit it's abilities greatly.
My friend has a 3 pro and he said running hearthstone, a card game, can cause it to be so hot that he can not hold it without discomfort.
No.
It's a device which makes numerous compromises to run how it runs, even if the specs might theoretically match a desktop PC with the same hardware under the hood.
You won't be running as well as you'd run on a dedicated gaming rig of similar specs, and may run considerably poorer.
Best-case scenario, the game you want to run will run alright because it runs well in the emulator in the first place. Worst-case, it'll run as a sub-15 fps mess trying to do something the emulator can do fine.
It's a compromise in a sleek form factor. Why would you assume it doesn't compromise?
It's a device which makes numerous compromises to run how it runs, even if the specs might theoretically match a desktop PC with the same hardware under the hood.
You won't be running as well as you'd run on a dedicated gaming rig of similar specs, and may run considerably poorer.
Best-case scenario, the game you want to run will run alright because it runs well in the emulator in the first place. Worst-case, it'll run as a sub-15 fps mess trying to do something the emulator can do fine.
It's a compromise in a sleek form factor. Why would you assume it doesn't compromise?
copelandmaster
Member
It depends on the cpu+its clock speed, the output resolution, and each game.
I'd say that you'd probably get a so-so experience at the original console's resolution (360p - 480p), but nothing higher. PCSX2 handled KH1 pretty well on a 2005 era core 2 duo laptop at 512x488 and ALL the speedhacks, but it wasn't that great in hindsight.
Probably not a good idea if that's the only reason you want a surface pro 3.
I'd say that you'd probably get a so-so experience at the original console's resolution (360p - 480p), but nothing higher. PCSX2 handled KH1 pretty well on a 2005 era core 2 duo laptop at 512x488 and ALL the speedhacks, but it wasn't that great in hindsight.
Probably not a good idea if that's the only reason you want a surface pro 3.
Haint
Member
So ... you have no idea the U suffix on the Surface CPU's traditionally refers to ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) and not Ultrabook like marketing would have you believe. These are low power parts designed for everything before performance, and you are not in fact rocking a 4790k in your shoulder bag. That's not even getting into the thermal throttling that plagues the tablet form factor, which for a sustained very high stress load like dolphin, will almost assuredly down clock the CPU to well below 1.5ghz. So yes, his blanket dismissal was not misplaced, these parts aren't going to run most Dolphin titles playable, never mind flawlessly. A handful of the least demanding, best performing games may run alright, but any game flawless is a delusion of comical proportions.
A Desktop i5 4690k or i7 4790k OC'ed to 4.5+ghz is probably your best bet at this point.
Nope.
You might be able to push out 720p with some slowdown and errors, as long as you don't touch any post-processing effects.
General rule of thumb If you want to flawlessly emulate PS2 and/or Wii games at 1080p, you need a rig which can outclass a PS4 on a current gen-only title. If you can't do that, you're looking at compromises and/or slowdown.
That's a mid-low system for regular games, much less emulation.
DonMigs85
Member
Dolphin doesn't make much use of more than 3 threads, to my knowledge
bennywhatever
Member
There is a lot of massive mis-information going on about emulation.
Emulation is NOT the same thing as regular PC Gaming, particularly with Dolphin. The main thing that an emulator like Dolphin needs is 2 cores that relies on IPC (Instructions Per Clock). The newest Haswell i3 - i7s all use this (AMDs do not) and can run Dolphin fairly well, and the Surface has TurboBoost which will just about double the processing speed.
Not only that, but Intel Integrated HD 4400 and 5000 runs Dolphin very, very well, and the 2160x1440 resolution will make for some gorgeous gameplay.
Like I said - this is Emulation which is completely different than standard PC Gaming.
The Surface Pro 2 & 3 should both run Dolphin and PCSX2 fairly well as long as you get the i5 or i7 models. It won't be as good as a desktop with optimized hardware, but you'll get steady speeds and a good video.
The only problem you might run into is heat issues. It might get really hot... tablet-optimized computers usually don't have good heat dissipation. If you look at the Dolphin forums, the Surface Pro 2 & 3 are generally accepted to be great by the users of them, but heat seems to be their main issue.
Emulation is NOT the same thing as regular PC Gaming, particularly with Dolphin. The main thing that an emulator like Dolphin needs is 2 cores that relies on IPC (Instructions Per Clock). The newest Haswell i3 - i7s all use this (AMDs do not) and can run Dolphin fairly well, and the Surface has TurboBoost which will just about double the processing speed.
Not only that, but Intel Integrated HD 4400 and 5000 runs Dolphin very, very well, and the 2160x1440 resolution will make for some gorgeous gameplay.
Like I said - this is Emulation which is completely different than standard PC Gaming.
The Surface Pro 2 & 3 should both run Dolphin and PCSX2 fairly well as long as you get the i5 or i7 models. It won't be as good as a desktop with optimized hardware, but you'll get steady speeds and a good video.
The only problem you might run into is heat issues. It might get really hot... tablet-optimized computers usually don't have good heat dissipation. If you look at the Dolphin forums, the Surface Pro 2 & 3 are generally accepted to be great by the users of them, but heat seems to be their main issue.
The_Inquisitor
Member
Correct me if I am wrong, but most of the emulators are far more CPU intensive that graphic intensive. At least this was the case a few years ago when I was messing with this stuff. In fact, a higher clocked processor was better than the # of cores. Maybe it's different now though.
bennywhatever
Member
Yes and no. Yes to the CPU being more important than the GPU (though you do need an "OK" graphics card), and clock speed is very important compared to # of cores. However, the CPU has to be utilized in a certain way (a way that the newer i3, i5, and i7s do well and AMDs do not). A lot of the CPUs start at only 1.5 and 1.7GHz, but they can be TurboBoosted to around 3GHz, which is what needs to be done; it increases the heat output, but increases performance significantly.
I was able to get a lot of games "playable" but not perfect with my old Core 2 Duo laptop
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Clockspeed is king for emulation. i3 CPUs aren't unlocked and can't be overclocked so you are definitely going to be limited because of that. A game like Xenoblade will be unplayable for sure.
Some games will run well though, it just depends on what you want to play. And in general I think PCSX2 has lower requirements than Dolphin.
Weird. I haven't use dolphin PR pcsx in a while but the last time I used them games were running really smooth at 1080p. I think the last games I played were xenoblade and persona 4. Pcsx2 especially I was cranking everything up and had no slow down. This were on an 2500k @4.3 and 6950. From some people in this thread looks like the requirement is much higher than I thought
Rollo Lawson
Banned
I'm sorry, do any of you even own a SP3 besides the OP? Upping this thread for some possibly useful answers...
It's more of a laptop in terms of specs. You are thinking of Apple tablets.
I have a Surface Pro 2, which is equivalent to a Surface Pro 3. It's a great tablet-laptop, but don't buy it for games. Even old games like State of Decay or Enslaved run poorly, much less emulators or modern games. It does run some games like Hearthstone (at 768 resolution, low-medium settings), and 2d indie games, but not much more than that, unless you can deal with framerates around 20 fps.
Even the SNES emulator I tried ran poorly.
paolo11
Member
I wish one day we have a Surface Pro tablet that can run games well.
zephervack
Member
Dolphin doesnt run flawlessly on anything.
At some point you will need to overclock your CPU if you are planning on playing on anything other than native resolution.
I wouldnt recommend Surface Pro for emulation, you need a big cpu with a big cooler.
Yes, the games will open but the experience will be subpar.
At some point you will need to overclock your CPU if you are planning on playing on anything other than native resolution.
I wouldnt recommend Surface Pro for emulation, you need a big cpu with a big cooler.
Yes, the games will open but the experience will be subpar.
dampflokfreund
Banned
I have a i5 4210U laptop and it runs all GC games I throw at it at fullspeed, even the Galaxy games
Lady Siara
Member
I was watching a video a few weeks ago of someone playing Dragon Age Inquisition on either a SP 2 or 3, I can't remember which. Obviously the settings were cranked down a bit and the resolution was 720, but still, they're surprisingly capable. I'd imagine DirectX 12 will also improve performance a bit.
KnockOneOff
Banned
Yeah but I think that's on the old version of dolphin, didn't the latest version iron out a lot of the speed issues?
I'm so on the edge of buying a surface 3 just that price is a little too high for the i5 for me to jump
Surface Pro 3 owner here. This thing runs most things I throw at it pretty decently. It's a nice device.
Dolphin runs pretty well, actually. Even better with a dev build. Just be aware that it's definitely not a one-size-fits all situation. Most games probably won't run full speed without some tinkering.
For my purposes though, Melee runs flawlessly at pretty much any resolution and Wind Waker (at least the opening section) runs well.
Dolphin runs pretty well, actually. Even better with a dev build. Just be aware that it's definitely not a one-size-fits all situation. Most games probably won't run full speed without some tinkering.
For my purposes though, Melee runs flawlessly at pretty much any resolution and Wind Waker (at least the opening section) runs well.
Rollo Lawson
Banned
Totally worth it. If you compare the spec sheet, especially for an ultrabook (essentially what the SP3 is) you're not going to get far below the price range...
I have the dell venue 8 pro and other then 2d stuff, emulation is pretty Janky. The tablets are not designed to be maxed out for very long, heat is the enemy. So they get throttled badly and performance guess out the window.
From what I've been reading, the surface pro 2 and 3 face similar issues with dolphin and pcsx2, so sadly there is no real solution at this time. Maybe that RAZR tablet?
Maybe the next gen w10 tablets will be what we're looking for.
From what I've been reading, the surface pro 2 and 3 face similar issues with dolphin and pcsx2, so sadly there is no real solution at this time. Maybe that RAZR tablet?
Maybe the next gen w10 tablets will be what we're looking for.
Ahh finally a real answer from a real SP3 owner
Rollo Lawson
Banned
Thanks, since I posted I actually got it up and running. I loaded Animal Crossing and it was playing too fast. I set the frame limit to Auto and it's running like a champ. I'm fighting with this Mad Catz controller now.
megatronium
Member
So much misinformation in this thread it's ridiculous. I own the i7 so I'll attempt to enlighten.
1. The Surface Pro 3 is not just a tablet.
2. The Surface Pro 3 that I have is not a step back from the Surface Pro 2.
3. The "throttling" issue occurs in any device with as thin a form-factor, including Surface Pro 2 and the new ultrabooks released such as the Yoga 2 (which the i7 SP3 outperforms despite the addition of the Broadwell chip)\
4. CPU intensive tasks (including games) will run the surface pro 3 "hot" which will kick the fan up. It never gets to the point that you can't hold it or "fry an egg" on it.
5. For sustained CPU usage, the SP2 will run a bit better than its SP3 equivalent.
I'm a multimedia artist running Adobe CS 2014 suite with emphasis on Premiere, AfterFX, Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya 2014, and zBrush. My SP3 handles all of these like a champ.
Don't know about Dolphin or PCSX2 but just wanted to dispel the myths.
1. The Surface Pro 3 is not just a tablet.
2. The Surface Pro 3 that I have is not a step back from the Surface Pro 2.
3. The "throttling" issue occurs in any device with as thin a form-factor, including Surface Pro 2 and the new ultrabooks released such as the Yoga 2 (which the i7 SP3 outperforms despite the addition of the Broadwell chip)\
4. CPU intensive tasks (including games) will run the surface pro 3 "hot" which will kick the fan up. It never gets to the point that you can't hold it or "fry an egg" on it.
5. For sustained CPU usage, the SP2 will run a bit better than its SP3 equivalent.
I'm a multimedia artist running Adobe CS 2014 suite with emphasis on Premiere, AfterFX, Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya 2014, and zBrush. My SP3 handles all of these like a champ.
Don't know about Dolphin or PCSX2 but just wanted to dispel the myths.