Different games stress the emulator differently. Here is a quick cheat sheet:
| Game | Best Graphics Plugin | Special Settings | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Metal Gear Solid | Pete's OpenGL2 | Enable "Hardware rendering" for Psycho Mantis fight | | Gran Turismo 2 | Pete's D3D (DirectX) | Turn off "High-resolution textures" to fix text | | Final Fantasy IX | GTE Hardware | Enable "Widescreen hack" (15% speed boost) | | Chrono Cross | Pete's OpenGL2 | Set "Framebuffer" to "Software" to fix battle swirls | | Tekken 3 | Pete's OpenGL2 | Disable "VSync" to reduce input lag |
Unlike newer consoles, the PS1 had its operating system on a chip. ePSXe needs a dump of that chip (the BIOS) to boot games. Without it, you will see a black screen or a "BIOS not found" error.
Which BIOS do you need for v1.9.0?
ePSXe 1.9.0 works best with these three files. Place them directly in the bios folder of your ePSXe directory.
| Filename | Region | Preferred? |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| scph1001.bin | USA (Original) | Good, but has the "anti-mod" screen in some games. |
| scph7502.bin | PAL (Europe) | Works, but slower due to 50Hz. |
| scph5500.bin | Japan (Rev C) | Best choice. Most compatible, no anti-piracy screens. |
| scph5501.bin | USA (Rev C) | Highly recommended. Fast boot, no warnings. |
| scph5502.bin | PAL (Rev C) | Best for PAL users. |
⚠️ Legal Note: You must dump these files from your own physical PlayStation console. Downloading them from ROM sites is technically copyright infringement. That said, they are widely available online for "educational purposes." Epsxe 1.9.0 Bios And Plugins
How to set it up in ePSXe 1.9.0:
The default plugins included with ePSXe 1.9.0 are outdated. For modern Windows 10/11 systems, you will need to download updated third-party plugins. Below is the recommended stack for optimal performance.
Unlike console hardware that has fixed graphics and audio chips, ePSXe uses a modular plugin system. This allows you to mix and match different video, sound, CD-ROM, and input plugins to suit your specific computer hardware. The right combination of ePSXe 1.9.0 plugins can upscale resolution, add texture filtering, or even enable widescreen hacks. Different games stress the emulator differently
| Plugin | Best for | Notes | |--------|----------|-------| | ePSXe SPU core 1.9.0 | All games | Reliable, low latency | | Pete’s MIDAS SPU 1.9 | Enhanced audio | Better reverb, but heavier on CPU |
✅ Recommended: Stick with the built-in ePSXe SPU core. Enable Sound off when no music is needed (saves performance).