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How much difference does the cpu make in games at the moment?

MrMonkeh

MrMonkeh

MrMonkeh

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Joined
29 Sep 2005
Posts
39
Hi Guys,

I just installed a EVGA 8800 gts 320 in Vista 32 and Im wondering if I've been a bit naive...

I've always thought that the cpu doesnt make that much difference so I stuck with my socket 939 athlon 64 3700+ - is that a bad idea?

I only ask as im a little dissapointed with performance in game like company of heroes and rainbow six vegas. I was hoping i could just max everything out running at 1280x1024, but its not the case

socket 939 cpus are limited - they only go up to x2/4400 - will this make a big difference? Any recomendations?

3dmark06 score is 5730 on all defaults

Mobo: A8n SLi
Ram: 2gb ddr 400, cas 3

Cheers guys,

Monkeh
 
Depends on the Gfx engine the game is using.

Unreal engines for instance have always been limited by CPU power, but the new Unreal 3 engine will definately be a GPU and CPU hogg.

In fact any game that makes use of DX10 will need a good CPU as well as GPU.

The trouble is, until the new dual core and quad core CPU's came along, GPU's were being held back by slower development times for new, more powerful CPU's. Hardly any game in the last 2 years has pushed a top end GFX card to its limit because the CPU's simply didnt provide enough throughput for the GPU's to put on screen.

DX10 will change that though, and we could find the roles being reversed, the main limitation being the GPU, which hasnt been the case for a good 3-4 years.
 
Well with a better cpu you could expect upwards of 8k points on 3d mark with the card you have, in general performance from the 8800 series seems to be pretty cpu dependent. Before I upgraded my cpu I was getting around 7k points with a 8800 GTX, now i'm getting about 12.5k points, and the card clocks haven't been changed - they are all stock. my housemate also has an 8800 gts 320 and a X2 4200, clocked to about 2.5 ghz, which nets him near enough 8000 in 3d mark.
 
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so is it worth going for a 4400 x2 from an A64 3700? Bare in mind thats the best i can get on my 939 mobo...

Or will one of the lesser cpu's do (4200, 3800)

Cheers for your help
 
I would expect a noticeable improvement in general performance upgrading to any dual core from where you are now, especially if you are prepared to do a moderate overclock. Multitasking becomes much easier, and your graphics card wont be so hampered. Obviously if you want the maximum performance increase then go for the best cpu that is compatible with your board. :)
 
I upgraded to a 4200+ X2 from a 3200+ venice and the CPU benchmark dropped :confused:

Its definitely a better CPU though, the X2 for multitasking.
 
If you can find them you should be able to run an X2 4800 (2.4Ghz), or up to an Opteron 185 (2.6Ghz) being the fastest dual core without overclocking. FX 57 was fastest single core ran at 2.8Ghz.
 
I have a AMD 4800+X2 and its runs very smooth and is defiantly up there regarding performance. I’ve OC the CPU on stock heatsink and fan up2 2.8Ghz (Asus 32sli deluxe) and it runs fine and doesn’t get too hot.

You could push 2.9Ghz with some good cooling, however From stock to 2.8Ghz I can tell a massive difference. I’m no expert, but my chip just seems a lot better clocked at 2.8Ghz

With regards to gaming, I have a Nvidia 7950GX2 which although I hate the bast*rd thing, does run games very well.

Ive seen benchmarks with similar setups, and I don’t really know where these results come from. My setup benches much higher in some game.

However I did notice a reasonable improvement in game performance when I upped the CPU clocks.

I’m also a big fan of good RAM. Like the other guy said… If you can find a 4800+X2 and you have some good ram, you will be happy in the performance. Well, happy for long enough to save some £££ and buy a real beast for the nex-gen DX10 games that loom in the no-so distant future.
 
MrMonkeh said:
Hi Guys,

I just installed a EVGA 8800 gts 320 in Vista 32 and Im wondering if I've been a bit naive...

I've always thought that the cpu doesnt make that much difference so I stuck with my socket 939 athlon 64 3700+ - is that a bad idea?

I only ask as im a little dissapointed with performance in game like company of heroes and rainbow six vegas. I was hoping i could just max everything out running at 1280x1024, but its not the case

socket 939 cpus are limited - they only go up to x2/4400 - will this make a big difference? Any recomendations?

3dmark06 score is 5730 on all defaults

Mobo: A8n SLi
Ram: 2gb ddr 400, cas 3

Cheers guys,

Monkeh
Click to expand...

Socket 939 goes upto x2 4800+

i noticed a HUGE speed increase with games going from a 3500+ to a 4600+ x2
 
In all honesty CPU wise, i've just gone the long way to nowhere better with my upgrade path.

Originally had:

P4 3.2 @3.6
6800 Ultra
1 gig 5300
Handled games reasonably well

Upgraded gfx:
P4 3.2 @3.6
8800 GTS
1 gig 5300
8800 made a monster gfx difference. Maxed everything at 1280 1024 in Lord Of The Rings Online. Looked superb. Smooth as hell but with the odd bit of locking due to low (1GB) ram.

Upgraded ram:
Upgraded gfx:
P4 3.2 @3.6
8800 GTS
4 gig 6400
Same as above but no locking due to loading etc. Everything smooth and maxed out.

Upgraded CPU & MOBO
Gigabyte P35C DS3R
E6420 @ 3.0 100% stable
8800 GTS
4 gig 6400
Mobo and CPU.... Sod all difference. Infact oddly i'm getting the odd bit of jerking in LOTRO and part of me wishes i never bothered.

So you can see here it was the GFX and ram upgrade that made the difference for me.

Infact now, rather than sell my old mobo/cpu i'm gonna use it to upgrade my second network system, buy another 8080 and get my lass in LOTRO with me. To stop her whinging would be a good upgrade in our relationship :D
 
with my current set up i can play most games at a fairly good rate, eg bf2 everything on high,4xaa @90fps according to fraps, the only game i have problems with is stalker,my graphics card is good enough but i think my cpu and ram are holding me back
 
Just to add the last post about stalker, i have the rig in my sig (hey it rhymes!) and run stalker fine with the advanced lighting etc, just not masxed out. Seems the game has a mind of its own regarding it playing well or not.
 
3D 05/06 mark is a dualcore bench mark most games at the minute are still single core .If u need to go dual core 939 opteron 165's can be had for £65 inc vat and x2 3800's for less. I think it would be mad to spend over £120 on a last generation chip when when for about round £180 u could have c2d new motherboard and ddr2 ram or £100 if u go for an asrock motherboard and use your ddr1 ram.
 
ill have a new rig on the go soon, e6600,2gb team xtreem pc 6400. just waiting the arrival of an evga 680i a1 mobo. so i hope to see an improvement with stalker cause it seems to be a pretty good game
 
I just bought a half decent gaming laptop with a GF 7700 go and T7200. It is faster than my old X2 3800 (even overclocked to 2.4+) and 7800GT in 3D mark 03 and 05. Not the latest or most definitive testing in the world but I was surprised at the NOTICABLE difference.
 
3700+ imo is holding you back from eye candy gaming with the Strategy/God games, my old 4000+ couldn’t run full gfx options using 8800GTS 640 (575/1800) when playing Company of Heroes. Dropped in 4800+, now could run max gfx fine with the game mentioned, all my Strategy/God games gained on average between 10 to 20fps dependent on game. Price point of the 3800/4200 is not bad once you sell old CPU to make small amount back. :) First person shooters bit hit n miss, some gained a few fps & some did not.

Decided to over clock further down the line, managed 3 GHz, 1.4v, 24hr tests and was stable so was very happy with results.


Recently moved onto Core 2 Duo build. ;)
 
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