Seek CHD files converted from the original GDI (Game Disc Image) dumps. Avoid “Super compressed CDI” rips from the early 2000s.

Historically, these were the "highly compressed" games of the early 2000s. Because standard CD-Rs only hold 700MB, rippers had to downsample audio and video or remove content entirely to make the 1GB GD-ROM data fit.

Some games required text files, textures, or specific code tracks to be deleted entirely to meet compression targets. In titles like Shenmue or Skies of Arcadia , this can cause the game to freeze randomly, drop frames, or crash at a specific narrative point, completely erasing hours of gameplay progress. Excessive Console Laser Wear