The Speed Issue

[pussy galore]

Wassa matter with those different Versions of the System?

They're tagged:
"up to 166 mhz"-139€
"guaranteed 160 mhz-158€
or 166 mhz-169€"

gbax says that even 180 mhz are possible.

Is it worth the 30€ more to get one of the "guaranteed 166 mhz" ones?
gp32_console
What is the worst o/c speed if I would get the cheapest one?

I guess: more speed=more fps for movies...and so on

 

[tekt5]

If you want to play SNES Emulation well than go for the 166
other-wise, I can't really think of anyother programs that really NEED
to be overclocked(the normal GP32 clockspeed is 133MHz) to be used well.

 

[schaap2005]

I think you can better get an 160mhz or 166mhz version, because they simply have a better chance to give better results. I thought it was possible to get 24fps with 166mhz and 15fps with 133mhz, quitte a difference.

I think every gp32 can get upto 140mhz.

 

[Quiest]

133 is the worst, I think (or 132?).

It`s really worth to get a 166Mhz unit.


Edit1: Wow, those are quick replies: 08:06PM, 08:07PM, and 2x 08:08PM
Edit2: look, you are two minutes too late! <_<

 

[KickinWing]

you'll get different opinions from different people on this topic,

my gp32, as do most, overclocks to 156mhz highest. I can play every emu out there perfectly at 156mhz, but again, i'm used to it. Once i get my 166mhz flu, then i might say it's worth it, but for now, I don't see any reason for it, all the programs i've tried and played with work great at 133mhz or 156mhz.

EDIT: even for SNES i don't think 166mhz is going to make that big of a deal, most games that i've played work fine at 156mhz at frameskip 2 w/ no sound and some work much better, Super Punchout works at full speed frameskip 1 w/sound at 156mhz for me.

 

[look]

NOTE!

your batteries wont last as long at higher clock speeds

 

[rabbits with hats]

Blu is about 4 to 6 hours at 166 with light and sound.

 

[KickinWing]

Blu is about 4 to 6 hours at 166 with light and sound.

​

WHICH IS GOOD compared to old gamegears and lynx that were backlit and lasted 6 hours and ate 6 batteries compared to the GP32 eating only 2 batteries.

 

[rabbits with hats]

Mmmm...
Sonic 2 at 166

 

[pussy galore]

THNX for replying!

 

[pussy galore]

WHICH IS GOOD compared to old gamegears and lynx that were backlit and lasted 6 hours and ate 6 batteries compared to the GP32 eating only 2 batteries.

That reminds me: There used to be this nice TV Module for Game Gear.
I loved it.
But things became a bit more digital, since reception of terrestrial TV is only possible with a DVB-T Receiver.....CRAP!

 

[fitzsteve]

Get a 166 if you can get one that goes higher, in my experiance everything is better at 166, I really wish my GP would go to 180 8)

 

[rabbits with hats]

Doom at 133 is as good as PC.
I don't think it changes much up to 166.

 

[shinneri]

The only programs I run higher than 144mhz are Quake and OpenSNES--both of those I run at 160mhz (highest stable speed mine can go). I try to run programs as slow as I can (without compromising quality), so that I can get as much out of my batteries that I can.

I run movies at 120mhz with 17 frames/second, and it's very nice.

 

[DaveC]

Blu is about 4 to 6 hours at 166 with light and sound.

​

WHICH IS GOOD compared to old gamegears and lynx that were backlit and lasted 6 hours and ate 6 batteries compared to the GP32 eating only 2 batteries.

​

I had a Lynx and it sucked a set of 6 Duracells dry in about 3 hours. Not sure how you got 6 hours from batteries but I never heard anyone get that much from the Lynx. The Lynx used a flourescent bulb for a backlight so no wonder it sucked so much power.

 

[pussy galore]

The only programs I run higher than 144mhz are Quake and OpenSNES--both of those I run at 160mhz (highest stable speed mine can go). I try to run programs as slow as I can (without compromising quality), so that I can get as much out of my batteries that I can.

I run movies at 120mhz with 17 frames/second, and it's very nice.

​

Really? Is 17 Frames enough?
I thought ~23.5 Frames are neccessary to make it look "smooth"(DivX and Winmap-Plugins on PC)
Or does the LCD make a difference..?
How many Frames@160 mhz?

 

[onionfrog]

17 frames looks damn nice. Especiall with the way that the screen "blends" the frames...Look very nice indeed.. And if you encode things well, it'll look about dvd quality..

 

[frolik]

.. And if you encode things well, it'll look about dvd quality..

​

Oh Behave! It's far from dvd.... let's not build up expectations here

 

[tattooman]

Pasted below is the TRUTH about the CPU speed for any type of GP32 and will dispel any Myths. I decided to do my homework to answer this question once and for all.

The keyword people keep missing is guaranteed. As per the article below it means simple that the GP32 has been tested to run stable at 166MHZ and has not been moded. You have a 60% chance of getting one that can go up to that speed.

In my option every thing runs fine at 133mhz, doom, mame emu etc or as fast as it can as I have tested at 133 and 166 and have not noticed much of a difference.

If it's worth it to you to pay the extra 20 bucks to have one guaranteed then go for it.

I think it's more important to have a FLU or a BLU then getting a BLU+ since most of the emulators have not been updated in a while to be compatible that all games and emulators to run will work then to worry about speeds.......

I said my 2 cense
;=>)

http://www.pea.co.nz/gp32/]
http://www.pea.co.nz/gp32/[/URL]

Processor speed

If you know anything about the GP32, you probably know that the CPU speed is rated at up to 166MHz - and this sounds very confusing - is it 166MHz, or isn't it?

The answer is that the CPU speed is set by the program that is being run at the time. The faster the clock is set, the more power is drained, so programs (games and applications) that don't need the extra speed simply set the clock speed to something slower. Common speeds are 40MHz, 66MHz, 100MHz and 133MHz (there are many others as well, but this is a range).

So the processor can be clocked at 166MHz then? Well, no, not always. You see, most of the units sold since the GP32s release are rated at 133MHz. Setting the CPU speed to any value higher than this is termed overclocking (but doesn't require you to fiddle with the hardware or anything). Apparently, 60% of GP32s can be overclocked past 133MHz, some up to 166MHz, and some beyond. The telling test is to simply set the clock speed on the value that you wish to test, and then play a game for half an hour or so. If the unit doesn't crash (read: reset) then the chances are that your unit can handle it ok. Don't worry, this process won't damage the GP.

Some of the chips are capable of being overclocked to 166MHz. A more common speed is 156MHz. The new BLU units available from Lik-Sang are rated at up to 166MHz, whereas the BLU units from GBAx are guaranteed 166MHz - and only because after testing, these units didn't fail, and so are sold as guaranteed 166MHz capable.

Those adventurous amongst you can open the GP32 and replace a couple of resistors to perform the voltage (overclocking) mod. This raises the core CPU voltage to a slightly higher level and increases the CPU stability, allowing you to overclock succesfully to at least 166MHz.

 

[White Demon]

When I encode for GP32 I always encode at 15 fps (using xvid) and it looks fine to me.

As for speed, people's opinions are always going to be based on how fast their GP32 can go. People who can't go very fast will wonder what the fuss is about while others who have the faster GPs will say that it's needed.

Generally it comes down to what you want to do with your GP32. If you want to emulate SNES, get a 166 model, you'll need the speed to emulate. DrMD is okay at any speed over 144mHz, so you could get away with a standard model. Other emulators vary, but other stuff written especially for the GP32 (such as gpDoom) will be find with a standard GP.

That said, I myself have a 166 model (from GBAX), and I say the extra price was well worth it. Go for the 160 model if you can afford it, and if you can afford the extra few Euros/Pounds on top of that, get a 166 model.