CPU to GPU ratio

[Shingi]

Hi Guys,

I need to know if my CPU is the bottleneck for my GPU and also if power is becoming an issue with the x1950pro.

My setup is:

athlon xp 2400+ - running at 2.2gig with 210x10.5 at 1.6V
memory timing is at 2.2.2.5-1t.

abit nf7s v2.
1.5gig memory
x1950pro AGP 256mb.

the reason I'm asking is because it seems that previously my system has a 7600GS in it and my min FPS doesn't drop below 40 at all on 1280x1024.

with the same setting on the x1950pro my mininum sometimes dips down to 20. I don't think it's a driver issue. I test on 3dmark06 and it seems to be getting 3875-3900.
I'm using the omega radeon drivers. 7.1xx something i can't recall exactly.

the gs get 2200-2300 on 3dmark06.

The system has 5 hardrives and 1 cdrom and 1 zip drive. also 4 fans all power by a 400watt PS rated at 31AMPS on the +12 rail.

Any clues guys? I know the x1950pro is power hungry could this also be the issue?

Shingi

 

[toyota]

fps in what? that cpu is horrific for anything remotely modern. my back up pc is an athlon xp 2400+ and 6600 and it cant run anything newer than HL2 even with settings on low.

 

[alcoholbob]

Sometimes your memory might be not as clear as you think.

What I recommend to swap the cards and load the same savegames or timedemos to verify if in fact the new card is performing worse than the old card.

Another thing to look at is the settings (AA/AF?) which may perform differently on different hardware.

It's not like the system is terrible, it's perfectly fine running games like Serious Sam (which still looks good) and Doom 3 without a hiccup. I haven't really been impressed much by new games these days anyway.

 

[SonicIce]

Well either way your CPU is severely limiting your system. Upgrading to like a medium AM2 CPU alone will double your fps. My 3200 Athlon 64 with old 6800GT CPU would be faster in everything but the very highest res/AA. So if you upgrade your CPU a little but you'll see huge gains.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuch...howdoc.aspx?i=2149&p=7

You said minimum fps was 40 on 76GS but 20 on X1950 but your 3DMark score went up so maybe you just need to run the exact same benchmark on both cards where you get that minimum fps. Could just be a differant map or game or server or something.

What brand PSU?
Max load temps?

 

[Shingi]

AA is both at 4x and AF is both at 4x for comparison.

PSU is hippro 400W
max load temp for the 7600GS is about 60 i think.
max temp for the x1950pro is unkown, ATT doesn't tell. I dont' have a way to find out.
But I do have 2 fans on the side screen blowin into where the AGP is located.
Also both cards are not OC, I did OC both and they seem to perform a little bit better but not much.

my memory is hyperX mem. I memtest it for 5 hours straight with no problems.
did an hour of test 5 loop and no problems. I know its definitely not the memory.

I mean for most scenes when it's not that heavy it seems that the x1950pro is almost always at 95-99 fps constantly. the 7600gs is most between 80-99 fps in most scenes. The problem is when it really gets dirty then the 7600GS will drop down to about 35-40 and the x1950pro somestimes dip in the 20s.

I also did a test with everything at max on the x1950pro and still i got the same fps.
I'm beginning to think that it's the CPU. But it doesn't explain why it I get 20 sometimes.

Anyone has a guide as to graphics card would max out a 2.2ghz athlon XP. I'm also thinking about getting a minimal upgrade to S939. Which CPU would be suitable for the x1950Pro. I don't want to go overboard on the CPU because the board is gonna be AGP.

 

[TC91]

I have experienced similar issues myself actually, I think it is something to do with ati's cards/drivers. I went from an 8800gts 320mb to a 4870 1gb and in a few of my older games I get worse avg fps or much much lower min fps and I have not been very happy with my 4870 1gb at all. Newer games that are always used in graphics cards review don't seem to have many problems though...

 

[Shingi]

can anyone else confirm that this is in fact an ATI card issue or driver issue? with older games?

 

[dflynchimp]

I have a 4870X2 on the way, replacing an 8800GTS 320MB like TC91. I'll do some benching to see if that's the case.

In practical terms though, the sheer processing power offered by the new card often means that on older games, lower frames than 8800GTS does not necessarily denote unplayability. If I'm getting 40fps vs 60fps I probably won't see much of a difference. Unless ATI really craps out on me and drops performance to sub-30 range. Then I'd be complaining my sorry butt off like everyone else.

Edit-

In response to OP. XP2400 is really old tech at this point. same goes for x1950pro. It would help if you listed the games that you are playing, because unless you're a frame-rates whore for COD4 and Crysis you're upgrade path doesn't necessarily have to be very expensive.

also, you might consider getting a new PSU. quality 500-600 watt 80+ efficiency psus are really coming in the cheap now, and if you're upgrading to a more power-hungry part you might need the juice.

Finally, what is your budget allocation? I whored myself out to ebay because there was a 4870X2 going for $355 there, but that's still a hefty sum to pay. For the same money you could do a near complete overhaul of your system and get twice, if not more, the performance.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Did you use your Athlon XP with the 7600GT?

I'm pretty sure your processor is really holding you back. The X1950 is definitely more powerful than the 7600GT and you should be getting better minimum framerates than that if you had a faster processor.

 

[Shingi]

I'm not planning on major upgrade, just wants to put the x1950pro to good use with some decent games. mostly just older games, not crysis for sure. My games include CS an HL2 along with Fear and Farcry.

I was thinking about getting a K8N along with a 3800+ or fx-57 and a new PS. That is about where I believe the I can make use of the x1950pro. Does that sound reasonable or is the fx57 too powerful for the x1950pro.

 

[TC91]

how much are you paying for the k8n+cpu? If it is a bit high, maybe consider an e5x00/e7x00 based upgrade. I would look into a dual core cpu like the x2 3800+ or similar if you are getting that older amd stuff for really cheap, but otherwise i doubt the fx-57 is too powerful for the x1950pro as long as it isnt too much more expensive than the 3800+.

 

[dflynchimp]

Hunt around a bit. I'm pretty much agreeing with everyone who says you should be getting a Core 2 derivative, but older Athlon X2's are dirt cheap right now if you look for them.

If you're not doing a major upgrade (just cpu) then don't worry about power supplies just yet. Until you're ready (or have the incentive) to do a major upgrade/new build, an X2 or Core 2 should be great with the x1950pro

 

[SonicIce]

Originally posted by: Shingi
I'm not planning on major upgrade, just wants to put the x1950pro to good use with some decent games. mostly just older games, not crysis for sure. My games include CS an HL2 along with Fear and Farcry.

I was thinking about getting a K8N along with a 3800+ or fx-57 and a new PS. That is about where I believe the I can make use of the x1950pro. Does that sound reasonable or is the fx57 too powerful for the x1950pro.

Those would be a good match. The main problem is it's hard to find any 939 stuff anymore thats not way overpriced (especially overclocking mobos). But if you can find that combo under like 100 bucks go for it. Hell I would too because I have an agp/s754 system but I can never find any overclockable s939 mobos that arent $100+ still because people know they're a hot item. The best 939 CPU's are the opterons if you OC.

 

[taltamir]

cpu, gpu, and ram are all so damn old I don't even REMEMBER their relative power... since it has been years since i delt with this level of hardware...

get a c2d or amd 64 X2 with decent mhz, 4GB of DDR2-800, and a modernish video card like the HD4850 or the 9800GT. Heck even an HD4670.

 

[Shingi]

thanx guys,

I'mma go hunt for a K8N and x2 3800+. Also is there any good C2D boards with AGP support. I"m thinking maybe a E4300. I need the board to support 1000fsb so i can OC that e4300 to the 1000 bus instead of the 800. Any suggestions or is the x2 3800+ better?

shingi

 

[Tempered81]

I'd pick up an e5200, p35, and 8800gt for like $200 all together

 

[dflynchimp]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813157115

Intel Core 2 compatible
Asrock motherboard with both AGP and PCI-E 4X so you can pop in a PCI-E card later on.

I know 4X sounds like a huge step down from 16X, but tomshardware did a PCI-E scaling benchmark a year or two ago. At your level of hardware 4X won't be too much of a bottleneck. It's only when you get up to 8800GTX or higher and the associated resolutions that you'll start to see the strain. By the time you actually need that sort of bandwidth, you'd be well on your way to another cpu-mobo change, I think.

 

[alcoholbob]

Iono in my experience the older Athlon64 X2s seemed a lot snappier on the desktop than Intel's "much faster" C2Ds but its probably got to do with the integrated memory controller reducing latency for your average browsing/productivity work. But if you are playing games (and on a budget) then Intel's E-series would be the way to go.

 

[Shingi]

seems tempting on the e5200 and p35 deal. Anyone need an x1950pro?