optimize ram usage

[hardcode212]

can you optimize ram usage to get more fps in ppsspp ?
ppsspp just use a little of ram.
this is screenshot from my phone :
[free ram when idle]
   
[free ram when playing ppsspp]
   

thank's for your hardwork, and sorry for my english

[Masato]

Indeed. If optimizing the RAM usage improves the FPS, then I'm in! It just uses about 12mb of my RAM memory, so using some more wouldn't be a problem.

It would be interesting to have an option in settings like "Allow more RAM usage?" That would make users with 1GB happy and as it would optional, everyone will still play.

[hardcode212]

ppsspp use lower ram than my launcher

[Masato]

Here is the same! I think they are doing this way to be acessible to nearly any s'martphone and tab... Hope they add an option to use more RAM!

[thedicemaster]

more ram usage doesn't automatically make it faster.
most likely ppsspp uses exactly as much as it needs.

you can see ram as space on your desk.
if it's too small you won't be able to work very well on it, but a 2x10m desk wouldn't make you work any faster than a 1x2m desk.

edit: i don't know what game you're using to test memory usage, but ppsspp's ram usage definately changes depending on how much the game needs.
i tried a few heavier games and their usage got up to 36MB, with the lightest i could find at 25.
a task killer's notification also isn't a reliable source of information(you shouldn't be using a task killer at all, the built in task management does all you'll really need)
the running apps/games list in android settings is more reliable.

[Masato]

Well, it takes around 15 in Harvest Moon and 25 in Digimon Redigitize.I'm using the built-in running apps to check.

[Mikian]

i agree ! hope for an option like this one and see the full potential of the emulator

[Henrik]

PPSSPP uses some more memory that your monitor apparently can't see, about 48MB more. (32 for the PSP RAM, 16 for the JIT buffer IIRC).

The JIT is really a good example of trading RAM for speed - by caching recompiled PSP code, we save so much time. Same with the texture cache, we use VRAM to cache converted textures. So PPSSPP really does what you're asking for already.

[Masato]

If you, for exemple, add an option to raise those numbers, it would get even faster, right?

[VIRGIN KLM]

Like a memory hip limit controll? Could work I guess but would be disasterous when games have RAM leaks...

[Masato]

Exactly. It could be an separate option like Fastmem is.

I know nothing of C++ programing, does anyone could try to implement in a build?

[VIRGIN KLM]

Just because you will give an option to increase the limit it doesn't mean that the code is written so the emulator/JIT will take advantage out of it. You need to do alot more than just increasing the cap. Wait and see.

[Henrik]

As I've never seen the JIT cache get full at its current size, adding more won't gain anything. As for textures, they'll already take all the memory needed and no more.

[Masato]

I understand. Still entering in the programing world... I know only Delphi and little bit of Java. I'll study C++ to help in the future.

Also, thanks for the great job Henrik and all other Devs!

BTW, what kind of log does you devs need to make One Piece Romance Dawn working? Unknown mentioned a debug build, but I have no idea how to compile it... I wanna help at least sending logs...

[xsacha]

There's that extra 8MB taken (kernel mem) that isn't needed. But it's really scraping it. No phone should have an issue with the amount of memory PPSSPP takes right now.

My guess is because of the leaks in VRAM and many phones using shared system RAM for VRAM.