A VM is a virtualizer that uses parts of your system, check what cpu speed it uses. Modern virtualizer virtualize a 1GHz CPU, which is significantly faster than an old dos computer (more than 10x).

It uses the full speed of one core, so 3 GHZ.

And dosbox is for dos games. There is no nitpicking possible. An emulator is not a game. If a game was developed for dos and ran natively in Dos then it's a dos game. Don't try to pretend to be dense.

A game is a computer program just like any other program and a computer doesn't know the difference. The only universal distinction is graphical interaction and in most cases, sound.

The ZSNES version I have was developed for DOS and runs natively in DOS (it ran suberb on my Pentium 4 many years ago that had half the clock speed of my i7).

What is vague about "all soundblasters except awe 32/64"?

As I said, I'm unfamiliar with DOS and couldn't know if that meant DOSBox auto-selected the soundblaster version out of what could be thousands from the impression I got when viewing a soundblaster depository of all kinds of versions. The first 3 that I tried installing in the VM failed and only the fourth one finally worked. It appears the same one I have loaded in DOSBox right now (sb16 a220) yet on the VM I hear crackling on some games while it's perfect for others.

It is obvious that you're having problems without forums members, what they're expecting you to do, DOS machines knowledge, and VM's knowledge.

Durrr, I wouldn't be here otherwise.

First of all, they expect you to read DOSBox documentation before asking any question. I suspect that you have not.

I have, over a year ago when I first used it and struggled to get it to even an acceptable speed.

Soundblaster does not need any drivers in DOS. In DOS, Soundblaster was accessed directly (except in some rare cases that needed a special file for music), the only thing you needed to know was the model, port, irq and dma that you had installed in your machine.

"Directly"? How is that any different than a DOS directly accessing its Soundblaster once it is already installed?

About speed: Try to set cycles=max

The same guy who nags me about not reading the documentation fails to read my post? I've already said I set cycles to max.

After that, avoid using games with higher requirements.

Exactly why I switched to DOS VM and you didn't see me posting a year ago asking for clarification on speed. I already figured out knew it was too slow to run my particular kind of games. Instead, you're seeing me asking for clarification on how exactly DOSBox manages to emulate sound so perfectly so I can replicate it with a more correct driver.

At last, I don't know why would you want using a SNES emulator in DOSBox. Maybe you have some reason (better interface?), but there are plenty of emulators running in Windows and Linux.

Too complicated to explain. I use recent ZSNES when playing for real.

So you think that a VM with 3 GHz gives you the correct impression on how that emulator ran on a 486 computer with mere 66MHz?
Amazing...

And it makes a difference whether it's a game or a program. Especially if it is an emulator.
Best ask your VM questions in a support forum for that VM. Because your ... makes me want to ...

Dominus wrote:

So you think that a VM with 3 GHz gives you the correct impression on how that emulator ran on a 486 computer with mere 66MHz?
Amazing...

So, you're saying that emulating 66MHz on DOSBox requires 100% use of one 3GHZ i7 core? Can anyone say BLOATED?

Furthermore, I have used ZSNES in the late 1990s on a very old computer (don't remember the clockspeed but I believe it was 200-300 MHZ) and don't remember performance problems.

And it makes a difference whether it's a game or a program. Especially if it is an emulator.

Well if DOSBox only supports shit that runs at no more than 66MHz I can see why the difference is relevant. 😜

Best ask your VM questions in a support forum for that VM. Because your ... makes me want to ...

You can say it. Let it out, guy. 😜

So, you're saying that emulating 66MHz on DOSBox requires 100% use of one 3GHZ i7 core? Can anyone say BLOATED?

or can you say "I have no idea about emulation but have a big mouth"? Emulation of a whole PC takes a lot of power. Have you tried a Gamecube/Wii emulator? Have you seen how much power that takes on a modern computer? Let me repeat it for you to really understand, emulation takes a lot of power!!!
But seriously I didn't say "that emulating 66MHz on DOSBox requires 100% use of one 3GHZ i7 core". I said you can't compare running a SNES emulator in a VM with 3GHz to how it ran on an old DOS computer.
Furthermore Dosbox is not intended to run software faster than it originally ran.

Furthermore, I have used ZSNES in the late 1990s on a very old computer (don't remember the clockspeed but I believe it was 200-300 MHZ) and don't remember performance problems.

Late 90ies wasn't DOS time anymore. And not ebing able to remember the clockspeed of your PC doesn't make anyone trust your remembrance of how it performed much more...

Well if DOSBox only supports shit that runs at no more than 66MHz I can see why the difference is relevant.

Again, no one has said that. DOSBox runs all DOS games great on a modern computer. The difference between games and applications is that the Dosbox developers don't aim at full Dos emulation so they can avoid bloat. So if that emulator uses some tricks on real hardware that is not emulated in Dosbox it is out of luck. If it were a game the devs might think about adding support but for an applicationn they don't bother.

This is leading nowhere.
Have fun with your VM that doesn't have dos period hardware and goodbye!

or can you say "I have no idea about emulation but have a big mouth"? Emulation of a whole PC takes a lot of power. Have you tried a Gamecube/Wii emulator? Have you seen how much power that takes on a modern computer? Let me repeat it for you to really understand, emulation takes a lot of power!!!

I have tried many N64 emulators but they are difficult to compare because they depend not only on CPU but also on the quality of the video card. I have done many benchmarks too back in the day. Super Smash Brothers took about 1400 MHZ of a Pentium 4-H core and Zelda64 about 900. The frequencies are hard to compare due to architecture inconsistency but yes, it was about tenfold that of the original console.

I'm aware emulation takes a lot of power, and although you corrected yourself, 66 MHZ to run smoothly requiring 3000 MHZ is 45 times more power, which is pathetically bloated, especially on emulating closely-related x86 hardware.

But seriously I didn't say "that emulating 66MHz on DOSBox requires 100% use of one 3GHZ i7 core". I said you can't compare running a SNES emulator in a VM with 3GHz to how it ran on an old DOS computer.
Furthermore Dosbox is not intended to run software faster than it originally ran.

...you are aware that you can create a DOS machine on a modern computer without a VM? By no means must DOS run on 66MHz hardware.

Late 90ies wasn't DOS time anymore.

Many applications were being built to be DOS-compatible then, or do you forget Windows NT wasn't out yet? In fact, most hardware had legacy DOS drivers until about 2004. I could run an old DOS version of ZSNES on my old circa-2002 Pentium Prescott from Windows without the need for any virtualization software.

And not ebing able to remember the clockspeed of your PC doesn't make anyone trust your remembrance of how it performed much more...

What can I say, I didn't know a lot of things at only 6-8 years old, but I did know if a game was running at choppy FPS that I wouldn't play it. 😉

Again, no one has said that. DOSBox runs all DOS games great on a modern computer.

Never said it didn't. It even runs my emulator (which you said didn't count as a game) very well, technically speaking. The graphics and sound quality is flawless and the FPS would be too if I had say a 4 GHZ core. But this is only for the particular ROM I am trying to run. Most of them run perfect, better than perfect. But this particular ROM I think is one of the few SNES games that made maximum utilization of the hardware to achieve all its effects.

The difference between games and applications is that the Dosbox developers don't aim at full Dos emulation so they can avoid bloat. So if that emulator uses some tricks on real hardware that is not emulated in Dosbox it is out of luck. If it were a game the devs might think about adding support but for an applicationn they don't bother.

On any other day, I'd ask for details to learn some more and have a productive discussion, but the fact that you have nerdraging little retards as moderators like Mr. QBix, this will be my last post.

Divorce your mother and move out of her basement, little ball-less manchild. This forum is the only place in the world where you will ever be brave enough to prescribe orders to me. Have fun enlarging that needle-dick with your versatile pump collection. 😀

Peace, and thanks Dominicus and the other guy for answsering my questions.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/08/ac … es-emulator.ars

Consider this. This is what we're essentially doing, but with an old DOS PC instead of a console with cartridges.

If you can comprehend this, you'll understand why it takes such a powerful machine to emulate something so seemingly simple.