> my jurassic computer doesn't agree with you. I'm still on a single core Pentium4 > 2.8GHz, 2GB RAM, Radeon HD 4650 1GB. > MAME games (even the ones from the 80's) run like crap with HLSL enabled (on my > computer, I mean). > > perhaps I'll try it the future, when it's lighter or more optimized.
It's doing something like 3 pages of math equations on each pixel (and double that if you enable YIQ/NTSC). The mathletes have reduced it down as far as it goes - it's just raw GPU from there.
Incidentally, HLSL performance depends purely on your GPU and your output resolution, just like modern PC games. The CPU doesn't factor into it - a CPU that's fast enough to run a game without HLSL is fast enough to run with it.