CPU/GPU Bottlenecks

[cvrefugee]

I currently have the following setup:

2.6GHz P4 Northwood
2x512MB DDR400
Radeon 9800XT

I'm about to get a 3.4GHz P4 Prescott (not ready to upgrade the mobo yet) and I want to know what's the best video card that won't be CPU-bound.

Any ideas?

 

[videopho]

Originally posted by: cvrefugee
I currently have the following setup:

2.6GHz P4 Northwood
2x512MB DDR400
Radeon 9800XT

I'm about to get a 3.4GHz P4 Prescott (not ready to upgrade the mobo yet) and I want to know what's the best video card that won't be CPU-bound.

Any ideas?

To answer your question in the most direct way: There is none. Null. Zero
But I do have answer for this question though:
What's the best cpu that won't be gpu-bound? The answer is AMD.

 

[CaiNaM]

Originally posted by: cvrefugee
I currently have the following setup:

2.6GHz P4 Northwood
2x512MB DDR400
Radeon 9800XT

I'm about to get a 3.4GHz P4 Prescott (not ready to upgrade the mobo yet) and I want to know what's the best video card that won't be CPU-bound.

Any ideas?

pretty much anything over 3.2ghz will be gpu bound, so get the fastest you can afford.

there's a review about it somewhere that i can't recall.. if i find it i'll update it, but essentially anything over a 3000+ a64 or 3/3.2 intel there's no appreciable difference when running today's high end gfx cards.

 

[cvrefugee]

So if I bought a 7800GT and kept my old CPU, would the CPU become a bottleneck? In other words, was the upgrade to the 3.4 necessary in order to run a better graphics card?

 

[v8envy]

You're talking about the xbit labs cpu scaling article, I bet.

The end summary is: at a certain point, faster CPUs result in nearly no noticeable frame rate improvements in games they tested. The cut off point varies by game, but an amd64 3200+ is definitely a CPU which is above the bottleneck threshold. Anything above a 3000+ (or sempron 3400+) is good.

In the intel camp, that maps to 3.2 ghz == 3000+ or so.

In summary, your CPU is quite a bit slower than the minimum, and will definitely impact your minimum frame rate in games. However, you'd get a HUGE frame rate boost over a 9800 even with the current CPU if you get the fastest video card you can.

The question you didn't ask: is it better to get a 3.4 and a wimpiper GPU or the fastest GPU you can lay your hands on and keep your 2.8? Answer: get the fastest GPU you can afford. Overclock your current CPU by 20% if you need to.

 

[CaiNaM]

Originally posted by: cvrefugee
So if I bought a 7800GT and kept my old CPU, would the CPU become a bottleneck? In other words, was the upgrade to the 3.4 necessary in order to run a better graphics card?

with a 2.6ghz intel cpu, yes you will run into situations where your cpu will be the bottleneck

 

[CaiNaM]

thanks v8envy, it was xbit. here's part of their conclusion copied from their article:

Conclusion

Everything we said in our previous article called Contemporary CPUs and New Games: No Way to Delusions! was absolutely right. It is true: you don?t need a high-end processor for real gaming with realistic settings and high image quality. The gaming performance will still be limited by the graphics card. The recommended system requirements mentioned by all the game developers are absolutely correct. Do not be surprised that the game developers mention Pentium 4 3GHz+ and Athlon 64 2GHz+ processors as the minimum suitable CPUs for comfortable gameplay, even though today we can get 3.8GHz Intel CPUs and 2.8GHz AMD CPUs easily. It is true that faster CPUs than those mentioned in the minimum system requirements do not really stimulate and significant fps rate increase. So, the slower processors models from the Pentium 4 and Athlon 64 processor families can cope easily with the latest generation 3D shooters. So, if you already have one of those CPUs in your home system, then you shouldn?t worry about upgrading them for your gaming needs.

 

[aatf510]

Originally posted by: cvrefugee
So if I bought a 7800GT and kept my old CPU, would the CPU become a bottleneck? In other words, was the upgrade to the 3.4 necessary in order to run a better graphics card?

Just notice that a 7800GT wouldn't work for your system since it's PCI-E and currently there is no 7800GT level gfx availabe, and even if there is, it wouldn't be reasonably priced.

 

[AzNPinkTuv]

Originally posted by: toattett

Originally posted by: cvrefugee
So if I bought a 7800GT and kept my old CPU, would the CPU become a bottleneck? In other words, was the upgrade to the 3.4 necessary in order to run a better graphics card?

Just notice that a 7800GT wouldn't work for your system since it's PCI-E and currently there is no 7800GT level gfx availabe, and even if there is, it wouldn't be reasonably priced.

ah you tied the loop hole.. there is a 7800gt 512 from gainward that runs on AGP

 

[lifeguard1999]

Originally posted by: cvrefugee
I currently have the following setup:

2.6GHz P4 Northwood
2x512MB DDR400
Radeon 9800XT

I'm about to get a 3.4GHz P4 Prescott (not ready to upgrade the mobo yet) and I want to know what's the best video card that won't be CPU-bound.

Any ideas?

It depends partly on your monitor. If your monitor is 1024x768 or 1280x1024, then buying the latest in graphics cards is wothless. At that point, lower end cards can perform just as well as 7900 GTX / 1900XTX.

It also depends partly on what type of game you are playing. The latest games are GPU bound at 1600x1200 (or higher) resolutions with AA/AF turned on. Older games are not as GPU bound.

In short, we need to know a little more about your setup.

 

[cvrefugee]

Originally posted by: lifeguard1999
It depends partly on your monitor. If your monitor is 1024x768 or 1280x1024, then buying the latest in graphics cards is wothless. At that point, lower end cards can perform just as well as 7900 GTX / 1900XTX.

It also depends partly on what type of game you are playing. The latest games are GPU bound at 1600x1200 (or higher) resolutions with AA/AF turned on. Older games are not as GPU bound.

In short, we need to know a little more about your setup.

I play all of my games at 1280x1024 (native 17" LCD resolution). Right now I'm mainly playing DoD:S and other FPS games. I don't like the frame rate I get with DoD:S, it's around 30-50fps and will sometimes dip down to 20fps (with lots of players).

 

[cvrefugee]

Originally posted by: v8envy
...The question you didn't ask: is it better to get a 3.4 and a wimpiper GPU or the fastest GPU you can lay your hands on and keep your 2.8? Answer: get the fastest GPU you can afford. Overclock your current CPU by 20% if you need to.

I thought about that, but I first wanted to max out my S478 system with the fastest CPU I could get my hands on (plus it cost me a mere $150). Eventually I want to upgrade to one of the best AGP cards around (since the interface is dying/dead). It just seems that GPU prices are so volatile it never seems to be the right time to get one.

Another thing...which is better, 7800GS or X850XT? I think I'm going with nVidia this time around because I detest ATi's CCC drivers.

 

[cvrefugee]

So I received my new CPU yesterday...it runs pretty damn hot!

Anyways, I'm not sure my PSU can handle a 6800GS or even the 7800GS. I have the Antec 380W PSU that comes with my Sonata case - http://www.antec.com/specs/TPII380_spe.html

I see that the 6800/7800GS have the following requirement:

Minimum of a 350 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 18 Amp Amps.)

Am I screwed? I'm NOT buying a new PSU since that defeats the whole purpose of extending my computer's life for another two years. Does the X850XT or 6800GT have this same requirement?

 

[cpacini]

no, that PSU is fine. You have 2 12v rails with 16A on each rail, giving you a total of 32 amps. It will handle your system just fine.

 

[cvrefugee]

That's good to hear...now I will wait until the 7800GS get it's bugs worked out (take a look at the eVGA Forum.

EDIT: Arggh! I did some more research and I found out that I have a different PSU: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article61-page1.html

So it seems I only have a single +12V rail with a rating of 18A.

 

[cvrefugee]

Bump for help!