Yeah I don't think the rig affects loading time. I have a much less powerful computer (gtx 950M, i5 7300) and our loading times are the same. It seems pcsx2 normalizes the load times for every PC, if 'fast cdvd' option is ticked this limit is removed

I agree with the regulamentation of the emulator category. Stating 'no hack allowed' is too generic, it would be better to explicitate which options may be edited and which options may be not, both for the wii emulator and ps2 emulator. So that if one has a slow PC, it can edit the 'safe options' (the ones that don't reduce load times for example) to increase FPS in game.

Or simply ban the ones that reduce loading time as you suggest. I think there's a similar option for the wii emulator too so that should be taken into consideration