KEGA Fusion possible overheat/fan usage FIX

[jon2]

As we all know, KEGA Fusion is a SEGA multi-emulator beloved by old-timers (like me) that is now NOT UPDATED ANYMORE; as such, it has some issues like high CPU usage, high fan usage/overheating, etc.

But as I still find configuring and switching to other SEGA emulators a chore, so I installed Fusion on my new-ish laptop recently (running on Windows 11)

Right now, it's a bit cold even without fans on, and I'm in the tropics; so everything's silent, just the earbuds and the laptop fans

And the fans were whirring full blast while the game on Fusion is paused (not the emulator)

No high CPU usage, laptop temp is 30C yet the fans were "angry"

Tried compatibility to Windows XP (SP3) then to Windows 7 (left it there for now), still the same); Changed DPI override to "system (enhanced)", no joy

Then I switched on the SLEEP WHILE WAITING option: for an hour and a half, the fans were silent

I googled said option, and here's what I found on https://kega-fusion.com/settings/ :

Sleep While Waiting​

Normally, when Fusion has finished rendering a frame it will begin waiting until it’s time to start rendering the next one. The timing required here is very precise. Because during this time Fusion is not completely inactive (it’s constantly saying ‘Are we there yet?’) this results in a high CPU usage measured in the Windows Task Manager. This is not a problem, Fusion will give time up to other applications that need it – still, some people don’t seem to like, or understand, this. SLEEP WHILE WAITING means that Fusion will instead go to sleep at the end of rendering a frame, giving much lower CPU usage measurements. But do understand that if you enable this feature, it is not possible to get the precise timing needed, and Fusion *can not* wake up in time to render the next frame. The frame rate will be ‘choppy’ at best. I leave it up to you to decide which you prefer.

So for those out there who might have experienced the same, why not try this and see if it resolves the problem (it did for mine)

 

[secreto7]

Wow! Thanks for the info, didn't know that could happen.

There's also this current multi Sega emulator as an alternative to Kega Fusion:

Jgenesis

GitHub - jsgroth/jgenesis: Sega Genesis / Sega CD / SNES / Master System / Game Gear emulator

Sega Genesis / Sega CD / SNES / Master System / Game Gear emulator - jsgroth/jgenesis

github.com

Or

Bizhawk

GitHub - TASEmulators/BizHawk: BizHawk is a multi-system emulator written in C#. BizHawk provides nice features for casual gamers such as full screen, and joypad support in addition to full rerecording and debugging tools for all system cores.

BizHawk is a multi-system emulator written in C#. BizHawk provides nice features for casual gamers such as full screen, and joypad support in addition to full rerecording and debugging tools for a...

github.com

 

[jon2]

NGL, with all the recs Bizhawk was getting here and elsewhere, I was really tempted to migrate

But the familiarity to KEGA still won out in the end...

 

[secreto7]

Yeah, it's difficult to find something equal to KEGA.

 

[Ikagura]

Kega is kinda obsolete like ZNES but I kinda like it.

Yeah, it's difficult to find something equal to KEGA.

I wish there was a SNES9x or any modern emu equivalent to it. Including the Sega CD, 32-X and the 8-bits consoles.

 

[petran79]

Blastem is currently the most accurate Genesis/Mega Drive emulator, though the libretro version is far more popular than the standalone alone

 

[JustLooking123]

Then I switched on the SLEEP WHILE WAITING option: for an hour and a half, the fans were silent

Yeah, i have been using this option since XP days...
Using that option, it will turn into the most CPU friendly emulator i know so far.

 

[Felipe]

Thanks for this tip. I dont remember ever having this problem but it's good to know what to do in case it happens.

 

[Mopeybloke]

Maybe it's only using one CPU thread and that is high usage.