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GTX 280 SLi Bottlenecking?

BuToNz

BuToNz

BuToNz

Soldato
Joined
18 Jan 2007
Posts
2,796
Location
Eastbourne, East Sussex
Hi guys,

Just wondering, i currently have a Q6600 which i overclock to 3.2GHz but even at that and with my single GTX280 it seems to be limited by the CPU.

I actually planned on adding another GTX280 to the mix but seeing as the CPU is already limiting a single card what overclock would you guys think id need to not be bottlenecked with SLI GTX280's?

Would it be worth upgrading processor?

Cheers! :)
 
I have an E8500 which i've yet to overclock running with a EVGA GTX280 SC and it doesn't feel bottlenecked to me.
What makes you think your processor is holding you back?
 
I play various games...for example in Age of Conan i get around 30-40fps in old Tamaria (Huge City) at stock speeds. When overclocked i get 50-60fps in the same place and i still think its bottlenecking.

I just think if i add another GTX280 to the mix i might not benefit as much as i should be.

The E8600 does look nice but i didnt really think up until now my processor was holding me back!

Any input?
 
No your GPU is bottlenecking.

Age of Conan is a monster especially at higher resolutions/detail. If you can overclock your GPU and see an obvious gain in frames per second then it is your GPU at fault.

Get another GTX and SLI. I bet you get a healthy frame jump of about 20-30 FPS maybe more.
 
I think the OP means he was overclocking his CPU and saw the jump.

I wouldn't have thought a Q6600 at 3.2Ghz would bottleneck that much if that is the case!

Certaintly looking towards the E8xxx series is always good for gaming, and as many people have done, you can get a MONSTER overclock on them.

Have been tempted away to a E8500 for some time but resist the urge to change (from my Q6600)!
 
yes unfortunately I am just overclocking the CPU to gain those extra frames, I guess I shall see when I have the second gtx and make a decision then. Don't really wanna loose the quad core status tho! Impresses my friends too much :p
 
well my monitor is 1680x1050 and my tv is 1920x1080 but I often play games on the tv so max gfx power I'd use is on the tv. But generally my Fps would improve anyway?
 
You will get a fps improvement running at 1920, but don't expect near double improvements, maybe 10-30%. CPC ran a massive dual gfx test a few issues ago, try and get your hands on it.
 
as a general rule I don't count cpc as a reliable source, when I'm back from work I'll check out a few reviews. thanks for the input :)
 
if your CPU is bottleneck then that means underclocking your GPU wouldnt impact frames at all.

if you fiddle with GPU and it does affect fps then its the GPU that is a bottleneck..

some games may be affected by CPU, in that case, overclock your Q6600 to 3.6

i still say a Q6600 is the best choice atm, i'll not get anything else until few months after realse of nehalem or potententially i might wait for the 32nm shrink depending on financial situation
 
I wouldn't say a Q6600 is the best choice for gaming, what game uses 4 cores? A higher clocked dual core is a better choice.
 
BuzZz said:
I play various games...for example in Age of Conan i get around 30-40fps in old Tamaria (Huge City) at stock speeds. When overclocked i get 50-60fps in the same place and i still think its bottlenecking.

I just think if i add another GTX280 to the mix i might not benefit as much as i should be.

The E8600 does look nice but i didnt really think up until now my processor was holding me back!

Any input?
Click to expand...

Aurhinius said:
No your GPU is bottlenecking.

Age of Conan is a monster especially at higher resolutions/detail. If you can overclock your GPU and see an obvious gain in frames per second then it is your GPU at fault.

Get another GTX and SLI. I bet you get a healthy frame jump of about 20-30 FPS maybe more.
Click to expand...

Age of Conan is experiencing difficulties with the GTX 260 and 280, worse if you have a GX2, the best cards for AoC atm are the 4870 and 8800GT
 
True the Q6600 isnt the best processor for games, but it's easy to overclock to speeds that are good for games. at 3.6Ghz you should notice no bottlenecking, and it's relatively easy to get to with a decent enough cooler. There's no real point in 'upgrading' to a dual core processor currently. The speeds you can acheive with a Q6600 are more than enough
 
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