A typical user workflow involved:
Storage strategy in 2021:
Keep master copies in 7z format on an HDD or NAS, and extract only actively played games to an SSD or RVZ-compressed library. 7z file dolphin emulator 2021
| Format | Direct Load | Compression Ratio | Decompression Speed | Dolphin Support (2021) | |--------|-------------|-------------------|----------------------|------------------------| | ISO | Yes | 1.0x (none) | N/A | Native | | GCZ | Yes | 0.6x – 0.7x | Fast | Native | | RVZ | Yes | 0.5x – 0.65x | Very fast | Native (recommended) | | 7z | No | 0.4x – 0.55x | Slow (full extract) | None (external) | A typical user workflow involved:
While 7z offered the best compression, the requirement for full extraction to a temporary location made it less convenient for instant play. However, for archival purposes, 7z remained the gold standard. Storage strategy in 2021: Keep master copies in
| Format | Native Support in Dolphin (2021) | Decompression Speed | Disk Footprint | |--------|----------------------------------|---------------------|----------------| | ISO | Yes | N/A (no compression) | Large | | GCZ | Yes | Fast | Medium | | RVZ | Yes (new in 2020–2021) | Very fast | Small | | 7z | No | Slow (extract first) | Very small |
Key finding: Direct comparison showed that using 7z as a storage format required manual extraction, adding 30–90 seconds per game on a 2021-era HDD. In contrast, RVZ provided near-7z compression ratios with instant loading.