CPU and Games

[UltimaBoB]

I just bought a new computer w/ E6700 CPU and twin crossfired ATI x1950XTXs.

My friend told me that the CPU really matters not at all for gaming *right now* and that I could have bought a cheap AMD or an E6300 and not noticed ANY difference in *current* gaming - that at worst I spent way too much on my CPU, or at best I was "future proofing". But according to him current gaming is not like 90% GPU even - it is 100% GPU practically and CPU is really unimportant.

I am pretty noobish about comps. Is this true? Does the CPU not mattert at all? Why did I buy an expensive CPUs then if all I do is game, surf, word prcessing, music and movies (watching/listening not editing etc...). I almost feel like I probably spent too on my CPU lol...

What do you need a high-end conroe CPU for then? WHy do the custom gaming rigs overclock CPUs as well as GPUs - why not JUST GPUs?

 

[Bobthelost]

He's pretty much right.

The CPU just needs to calculate enough to run your AI and feed the GPUs. That doesn't take much power in comparison to current generation processors. A high end CPU is needed for some things like media transcoding (or doing it quickly). The reason the CPUs are overclocked is mostly tradition, dating back to the time when games did need a lot of CPU power rather than GPU. Also, why not overclock the CPU?

 

[UltimaBoB]

All this hype over Conroe seems pretty silly then if 90% of the people here would RARELY engage in activities that would benefit from more CPU power than they had before lol

Is this really just about people wanting bragging rights lol like saying my sports car will go 190mph when yours will only do 175 - but noether of us have ever clocked over 120 lol?

 

[Bobthelost]

It is pretty bloody silly for gamers, but i don't just game. I transcode films quite regulary and a C2D would easily halve my transcoding times (coming from my X2).

Others it's just ignorance, (like you), where they don't realise what is important for gaming systems.

Finally remember that most people here do not buy 6800EEs or 6700s, they get 6400s or 6300s and overclock them to far faster. Why not overclock them and get a few extra frames here and there (when it's not GPU limited), why not get faster transcoding times?

 

[TheSpaceman]

Also, my understanding is that it depends on the game. IIRC a recent AT investigation of how the PhysX card performs in the City of Villains MMORPG found that particular game is CPU limited (and I think they were testing using an X6800).

In general I think RTS games are much more CPU dependent than GPU, so in reality it depends on what type of gaming you are planning. For some people the FPS is not the be all and end all. And like Bob says, not everyone uses their PC just for gaming.

 

[UltimaBoB]

hehe yeah I know everyone isn't just a FPS junky lol

What else needs a powerful CPU then? I'm more curious than anything and while I agree that certainly many people are using the CPU power they bought, it does strike me as just possible that a lot of people are spending a lot more energy and attention talking about their CPU speeds than is justified by how much they will need them.

I mean the vast majority of computer "enthusiasts" are gamers I would think.

What other games can get occassionally CPU bottlenecked I wonder?

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: UltimaBoB
What else needs a powerful CPU then? I'm more curious than anything and while I agree that certainly many people are using the CPU power they bought, it does strike me as just possible that a lot of people are spending a lot more energy and attention talking about their CPU speeds than is justified by how much they will need them.

You're right, we do.

I mean the vast majority of computer "enthusiasts" are gamers I would think.

What other games can get occassionally CPU bottlenecked I wonder?

Oblivion takes advantage of higher CPU speeds, it's a GPU bound game for the most part but there's nothing wrong with getting even more fps in the non GPU bound stages.

 

[Lemon law]

For all the hype about overclocking---and getting the last bit out of a computer---I am wondering why
the computer community is not harder on coders who rush bloatware out to an eagar buying public.

The fact is that lots of clock cycles are wasted when better written code could cut those clock cycles down considerably---and or programs try to be all things to all people and become overbloated in the process.---but there I speak to mostly the general run of the mill programs---and for most---CPU speed is over hyped and not needed.