Gp32 Blu Or Flu?

[diablo2]

i was poor when i bought my gp32
it is just something brag about

 

[DaveC]

i was poor when i bought my gp32
it is just something brag about

​

That is fine, but for someone that is going to get one now I recommend spending a little more for the BLU. I use my GP32 much more than I did when I had only a non-lit.

Even if he did get a non-lit there would be no guarantee it would go to 256, it may only do 133.

I like having one of each. If I ever would play it outside I would use my NLU.

 

[Esn]

i am actually thinking on getting this blu to emulate sega genesis games, master system games, atari 2600 games...and also of course gba sp games. i am wondering if you guys have had a chance to do that and what do you think? does it really work? playable all the way?

Definitely DrMD for Genesis. Some games are buggy atm, but many others are fullspeed with sound at 156Mhz.

For SMS, I'd have to say the best emulator is SMS32. It has no savestates (only regular saves) but it's fullspeed and stable and has a lot of options, such as 2 ways of stretching the Game Gear games. fSMS for me always speeds up/slows down... it's not fullspeed all the time, even if it DOES have savestates (try playing Phantasy Star on it & you'll see what I mean; the music speeds up & slows down constantly). As for Masterlator, yes it has save states, but honestly the only other advantage it has is having a really nice menu. It's nowhere near fullspeed; maybe 60-70%.

For GBA, there's GPAdvance, but while the author assures us that it's not dead it hasn't been updated for 4 months. I think that we may live to see it finished... but not very soon.

 

[trooper]

I totally agree with you Esn on the Sms32 front, It is a great master system emulator that runs pretty much full speed. I had the same problem in fsms, Fast, Slow, Fast, So much so it became annoying. Masterlator is great, but as you say, It is definately not full speed and not being full screen (with that border around the edge can spoil the experience.

Trooper

 

[carapalida]

sorry, running behind on this post here.
thank you all for your opinion.

i think i will go with the blu...since i play at night sometimes...on the airplane...in the car during a trip...yeah...i think the blue will do.

hummm...another question...i have now been doing some looking arround to get this blu...i have bought some stuff from lik-sang before...they were pretty good...but they are out now.

i found this other place gbax (pretty sure i misspelled this one)...but there are two blus...one that says "up to 166mhz" and the other one that says "guaranted 166mhz". what is going on here? do they come in different speeds?

i heard people here saying some will go up to 200...some more...some only 133...so...what now? what do i do? how do i know which one to get? how do i overclock the speed? are there any step by step instructions here on how to do it? does is require opening the unit and sothering?

i am confused now...i thought it would be an easy choice...just one out there...

thank you again...

cara.

 

[majick]

but there are two blus...one that says "up to 166mhz" and the other one that says "guaranted 166mhz". what is going on here? do they come in different speeds?

No, there are two BLUs -- one that is compatible with all software, and one that is compatible with some but not all software. You're going to have a hard time buying new units that aren't the "sort-of compatible" type, as the compatible ones are no longer made.

As far as the difference between "up to" and "guaranteed," that's simply a matter of testing. If the unit has been tested to run at 166, it can be guaranteed that way. If it isn't tested, you get "up to..." which actually may go higher.

what now? what do i do? how do i know which one to get? how do i overclock the speed? are there any step by step instructions here on how to do it? does is require opening the unit and sothering?

There's nothing for you to do**. Overclocking is controlled by whatever software is running. Some software has a clock speed setting, other software runs only at a certain speed.

You can pay a little extra to have someone pre-test and guarantee that your unit will run at 166, or you can take your chances with a cheaper, untested unit. I got a non-guaranteed BLU (the sort-of-compatible new one) and it runs well at up to 176MHz.

** okay, you could perform a hardware mod that will run your CPU at a slightly higher Vcc, which could allow you to run stably with a faster clock. But this isn't required at all.

 

[trooper]

Yes the GP32 does come in different speeds, Termed overclocked. Overclocking is not possible through direct user control, But done through sofware, So opening your GP32 to overclock is not required. Software such as certain emulators, GPCinema (Movie/video player) and some homebrew games provide a menu option that allows the user to select a speed (limits permitting*) that they wish to run said software at, To allow for smoother gameplay or longer battery life.

*the limt being how far your GP32 is able to overclock without crashing, Which varies to a great degree for unit to unit. That is why Gbax.com (you did get that right) offer two versions of what seem to be the same unit. One is the standard unit that probably has not been tested for overclockability or failed to overclock to 166mhz. The other which has been tested or modified and has overclocked stability to 166mhz or above and so is guaranteed 166mhz.

which you choose really depends on what you wish to use your GP32 for.

Emulation (megadrive, snes, Atari st etc), High quality video, Quake, Doom, Linux etc, Then definately go for a guaranteed 166mhz GP32.

Emulation (master system, Nes, Spectrum etc), Homebrew, Low quality video, Mp3`s etc, Then go for a standard GP32.

But, You could still be lucky when buying a standard GP32 (Pot luck) and end up with one that could overclock way higher, Though the chances are very slim.

My fingers hurt

Trooper

 

[DaveC]

I think from previous posts he wants to run DrMD and SMS. DrMD actually runs great at 144 Mhz so one that at least goes to 144 should be fine.

So basically the choices are this: get the guaranteed 166 out of the box version to make sure, but spend more. If you are in the US though you will get hammered for the exchange rate, the USD is next to worthless now

Or

take your chances with an "up to" one and you could get anything. If you get unlucky and yours does only go to 133 you can always replace two resistors to get 166 anyway, so not all would be lost.

 

[shinneri]

You're right... Lik-Sang is out of BLUs and FLUs. Very strange... :huh:

Buying from GBAX will be very expensive currently if you live in the US because, as stated by someone above, the US dollar is very weak at the moment. Lik-Sang would be a much more practical choice then, but seeing as they are out of stock (though they always boast about BLUs being "ALWAYS IN STOCK!!" :rolleyes: )... I don't know.

If you're in Europe or somewhere else, go with GBAX. The guy who runs it (craigix, a regular at these forums) is a very good guy and will help you every step along the way.

The third option is to go to the marketplace and look for deals there. You can save a lot of money there, as demonstrated by worldwriter who mentioned his great deal (a $100 FLU with accessories) in nearly every topic for at least a week. heh...

As far as speeds of GP32s go, I took a chance ordering from Lik-Sang and I ended up with a BLU that could clock up to 160mhz, and there has never been a time when I wished I had a faster one (I actually try to use lower mhz if I can to conserve battery life).

 

[carapalida]

thank you once again for all the info. i am always appreicated of all your guys (and lets not forget about the girls...if there are any here?! or just me?!) time to answer my questions

hummm...i read someone here on this site saying that theirs went up to 200 mhz? is it possible? i guess...what i am trying to find out is...what is the highest speed? i am guessing is the 166 speed, right?

by reading the tech specs of the gp32 from their site, it says that the processor IS 166mhz...so shouldn't all the units work on that speed?

if they are saying that the processor is 166 but there are some units there...(the so called non tested units) that do not reach 166...that means that these units do not MEET the specs from the manufacturer...so they should be exchanged. right?

i am totally lost...i was going to wait for to lik sang to get some in...but on their site they don't say anything about being TESTED GUARANTED 166 or not. so i guess if i buy from them it will be luck?!

is this a marketing game?

thank you all again...

cara. (yes i am in the usa).

 

[shinneri]

I am not entirely sure the real speed of the GP32's processor. I have seen some that say 60mhz, but mostly people say it is a 133mhz processor. Nevertheless, every GP32 is capable of clocking at 133mhz and most go up to between 156-166mhz. If you're really lucky, the GP32 will OC higher than that.

So no, the GP32s that don't go up to 166 are not defective.

 

[trooper]

Gamepark have a certain set of criteria when the GP32 was designed and produced, One of them was that the sourced processors/cpu`s had to be able to run at 133mhz and remain stable. So the offical guaranteed maximum supported speed (by gamepark) is 133mhz, Anything else above that is a massive bonus.

Trooper