Effects on processor for gaming

[1kiwi]

Yep if you have a 4870 get a better CPU then the extra L2 cache makes a difference on games right now. Get a Q9450 or Q9550 as some games benefit from the quad cores as well and in future this may improve as well. Remember most benchmarks use the quad core to generate some of the score but real world results count and extra L2 cache on the CPU will help a bit.

Yep, you only have to look at the top ten Far Cry 2 benchmark scores to see that quad is the way to go.

 

[Agent0range]

I thought some source games like TF2 were regarded as CPU intensive especially in larger battles with lots of players?

I'm starting to feel the upgrade bug and contemplating swapping my 3Ghz E2180 for an 8400.

 

[AWPC]

Will a q6600 be ok (i just bought one).

Complex situation. Complex answer!
Depends on what resolution you game at and what the rest of your system is. If that CPU has more L2 cache than your old one & you game above a resolution of 1280x1024 then depending on if your GPU is the bottleneck or not that CPU may give a decent boost. Sometimes a higher clocked Core2Duo can be faster with less L2 cache than a Q6600. This is because the
Q6600 is an entry level Quad Core CPU so only has 8Mb L2 cache and 2.40ghz stock clock speed. Q6600 still a good CPU as your PC should feel a lot smoother than a dual core cpu & Windows will be better plus lots of programs use the quad cores well like ripping music & dvd's etc etc. Remember on any PC regardless of cost you are always chasing bottlenecks so you can spend £1K on your CPU then find that your motherboard or Ram are no longer fast enough so you have to upgrade them as well. Its a never ending £££ spiral. Most people find a compromise that works best for their budget

 

[Duke]

Your spec looks fine - I don't know how you are struggling with games with it really?