RetroGUI CPU usage [was "MaLa CPU usage"]

[mh12]

hey, can't turn up any previous posts on this

I'm running MaLa 1.05. When i'm in my MAME list, MaLa consistently uses up 60% of my CPU. Any idea what's going on here? I thought it might have to do with the PNG screenshots (i don't use any videos, play any music, or anything like that), but a smaller list of games for a console i have uses PNG too, and the CPU use is very minimal. I get the issue with the MAME list whether I'm looking at a small list or the All Games list (and even with that one hidden).

MaLa behaves for the most part and eases up when I'm running anything (MAME set to high priority probably helps), but one time when I ran a PC game i put into the MAME menu, it crawled.

Was this a known bug that's fixed in the new beta? I am wondering if I should try out 1.62. Is it much less stable than the 1.05 release?

[dungbeetle46]

try using a different layout and check the results, as far as 1.62, it is very stable so by all means give it a go

[mh12]

Thanks.
Standard layout worked fine actually. I usually use RetroGUI. Same behavior in 1.62. I can run the task manager while I flip through emulators: MaLa uses barely any resources until it gets back to MAME, then it's up around 60 or 70% again. Strange.

Wasn't there an issue with PNGs in layouts? Sometime I'll batch convert the layout images to JPG and try that.

[dungbeetle46]

what version mame are using, is it the command line mame or mame32

[mh12]

command line. but run through a mame.cmd to pass off some games to zinc and mame .99. also a couple of PC games, so i've edited my mame.xml to get them in there.

i am thinking it's layout related. not that i can make much sense of it though. i'll mess around with it the weekend sometime.

[mh12]

hi again. finally took a moment to figure this out.

i converted all retroGUI's PNGs to JPGs (and then changed the image references in the .mll files) and it didn't change a thing.

the cause was the scrolling of the little Space Invader guys in the background! all i did to stop them was take out the line "DirectionH=1" in the .mll file*** and MaLa suddenly uses ZERO resources on idle (and up to 40% or so while scrolling), very nice!

this explains why only the MAME list (and no other emulator lists) was a resource hog. i just realized the layouts included for other emus do not use the scrolling Invaders.

hope i didn't spook anyone on trying MaLa there for a little while. anyone using RetroGUI might want to check this out on their system. it didn't seem to affect gameplay for the most part, but why have your system eating up more power when it's supposedly idling?

and if (if this actually does happen with everyone using RetroGUI) you really want "animated" invaders, maybe an animated GIF would work? i'm not that bothered.



*** i suppose the GUI option to disable animation would have done just as well! my Athlon 2000+ isn't that "slow" for a cab though

[NOP]

interesting find!  thanks for posting that information.

i use retroGUI myself, but I've never noticed the CPU resources.  the lists seem snappy enough, and I don't have the cpu monitor going, so I never noticed.  I figure just having the arcade monitor on, even if the cpu is idle, is going to hog up a lot of juice anyway, so the cpu likely won't make a difference is power savings. 

[mh12]

well it's needless usage/load/stress however you look at it.

Ctrl+Alt+Delete and see if the same thing's happening with you. i'm wondering whether it's something to do with another part of my system configuration. if it isn't just me, it's a bug i think is worth looking into.