The General Emulation Forums pcsx2 FAQ. Just thought I'd write one for this forum.
Last updated: September 20, 2007...
Q1: What is pcsx2?
A. Pcsx2 is a Sony Playstation2 emulator for your PC. It runs on Windows and Linux.
Q2: Can I run it on a Mac? When will there be support for Mac?
A. Atm, there is no support for Macs. Pcsx2 is currently optimized for x86 and x86-64 processors. I'm positive that Mac support will come someday when we find someone who is willing to port it. And now that Macs use x86 processors, a mac port is even more possible.
Q3: Can I play X game?
A: Pcsx2 now comes with a small compatibility list. Not every game is on it (I have ALOT of games that arent on the compat list). If your game is not on the list, there's only one way to find out, try them for yourself 
Q4: Why won't X game work?
A: The emulator is a WIP (Work In Progress). It is still being worked on and ps2 emulation isn't yet complete.
Q5: Why is the emulator so slow?
A: The ps2 is complex peice of machinery and therefore requires a powerfull machine to acheive half-way decent speeds. Pcsx2 is a CPU bound program, not GPU. So your video card doesn't really matter too much. But you will notice greater speeds with even a GeForce 5200 compared to Intel Extreme Graphics 
Q6: Do I need a BIOS to run pcsx2?
A: Yup.
Q7: Where can I find a BIOS?
A: Your own ps2 has one. Dump the bios from your ps2. There are many guides on how to do this. Search google. Also it is illegal to ask for a BIOS. If you do not own a ps2 then it is illegal for you to own a BIOS file. So as a reminder, don't ask here, because you won't get anything from us but trouble (trouble == warning and/or banning).
Q8: Wtf is a BIOS anyway?
A: BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. It contains the basic functions needed for the PS2 to run like.
Q8: What BIOS versions are supported? Can I still use scph-10000.bin?
A: Afaik, all of them. The bios version scph-10000.bin will work, but it does not contain everything needed for some games to run/load. Try a newer bios version if your ps2 has one.
Q9: When is the next version coming out?
A: I dunno. When they feel that a release is ready for you.
Q10: Can I be a betatester?
A: Atm, they have enough betatesters, so please don't ask, or there will be trouble.
Q11: What language is used to program pcsx2?
A: Frankly, alot of people ask this. It is written in C and x86 asm. There is really no advantage of using C++.
Q12: When I try to configure GSdx9, I only get the Fixed Pipeline (bogus) option and my Gfx look like crap. Why is that and how can I fix it?
A: If you only get the fixed pipeline option that's because your video card does not have a programmable pipeline. In english that means your video card does not support pixel/vertex shading. The GS cannot be fully emulated with out the use of pixelshaders. So I reccomend upgrading your video card. Get the best card on the market. If you are dirt cheap on cards, get at least a GeForce 3 or a Radeon 8500. Those cards only support PS1.1, but it's still better to get a PS2.0 card. Avoid the GeForce 5200! If you are getting a new video card just for this, I reccomend getting an ATI radeon card. Direct3D is the best API for ATI cards IMO.
Q13: Does my video card support ZeroGS?
A: It depends. ZeroGS is aimed at the high end cards. I'm assuming you should use a GeForce 6 series or better card. My video card doesn't work well enough with ZeroGS, so I don't really know jack about it. I hear it has some problems with ATI cards though, but don't worry about that.
Q14: I'm having trouble running the VM version of pcsx2, what do I do???
A: If you can't run the VM version, then your system obviously does not meet the requirements to support it. Try running the TLB version instead.
Q15: I have a dual core CPU, will that help me run pcsx2 faster if not at full speed?
A: A dual core CPU is a definete plus. Fortunatly, pcsx2 does support dual core processing. Enable it in your config menu.
Q16: I got one of those new quad core CPUs the other day. Can pcsx2 use all four of those cores?
A: ATM no. Future support may be added, but the chances of that happening right away is negligible.
Q17: Will pcsx2 run faster with SSE3 and SSSEx?
A: No. Adding support for these will not really help at all.
Q18: What's the difference between the Ingame and Playable status?
A: Playable means that the game can be played from beginning to end without problems. Ingame means that the game will go ingame but cannot be completed due to major graphical bugs, or crashing/freezing.
Q19: I can't get SPU2peopsSound.dll to work in PCSX2. Why won't it show up in the plugin menus?
A: That's because you're missing some specific .DLL files that come with Visual Studio. If you're experiencing this problem, download the files from here and stick them in the same directory as the pcsx2.exe file.
Q20: I upgraded Windows XP x64 to Service Pack 2 and now I can't run the VM version anymore! Wtf? Plz help!
A: Calm down, there's a fix for this, it's an update for v0.92 made by sir Refraction. Get it here.
Q21: I'm getting sick and tired of waiting for the release of 0.9.4 for windows. Why won't they just release it already? Can you give us an estimated date that it will be released?
A: Well that's just too bad, ain't it? They're not releasing it because they don't feel like it yet. We don't know when it's comming out, so don't ask. And another thing, don't go posting like crazy trying to get 100 posts trying to gain access to the beta forum either, because you won't find it there either! The 0.9.4 latest builds are hidden from the general public to avoid leakage of unauthorized betas. Where is that? If I told you that, then I'd have to kill you! Quite franlky if you have nothing better to do than beg for a new release of PCSX2 all day, then you need to get a life outside of all this. There's more to life than PCSX2. Yeah, I know it's cool, but don't get obsessed over a .exe file!
Q22: Is there anyway I can help?
A: Depends. Ask the pcsx2 team in ways you can help. Coding a GS or SPU2 plugin will definetly help.
Also, if you havent already, read this:
Useful Guides and Links
That's all for now. This may change without notice, so please check back ocassionally.
