GeForce GTX 260

[AliasX]

My current build:

2gb OCZ dual channel
Windows XP Home
AMD Athlon X2 4400+

I was thinking of also upgrading to 4gb ram along with the GTX 260, but will my processor bottleneck performance?

 

[MBrown]

Your 4400 X2 would be holding you back. What socket do you have?

 

[NXIL]

I think that 4400+ is socket 939; 2 x 1MB cache, and runs at 2.2Ghz stock.

I cannot speak from experience, but I think that CPU will hold the videocard back some, but not terribly; that is not a super slow CPU, but of course it is a few years old.

One factor: what games do you play? Some are more CPU bound, some are GPU bound.

NX

 

[AliasX]

I'm hop around all sorts of different games. Yes, it is socket 939

 

[techboie]

I have enough experience with slow CPUs with fast GPUs and you will be terribly bottlenecked. Going for a better CPU may be a better decision. Going for a cheap rebuild with E5200 won't cost much and is recommended.

If you have to go for GPU bound titles, then don't waste anything over a 4830 for $80 which is slower but not night and day slower than the GTX 260 and will hold your CPU less.

 

[AliasX]

Hmm. What socket am I looking at, and what type of processor would compliment the GTX 260 well?

 

[AliasX]

Or could my setup w/ a 4830 run Crysis well?

 

[cubeless]

depends on your definition of 'well'... in the definition of most folks around here, the answer is 'no'... u would be able to run at 1280 or 1440 with some most eyecandy turned down... turn down postprocessing, too... crysis is a pig...

and depending what u have running iin the background, it may push u over 2gb of memory, which kills perf...

my subjective measurement (kids crab about performance) for running crysis minimally is > 2gb memory; >3ghz c2d; 4850; xp; runs good at 1440... add a second 4850 and >3.5mhz c2d and u run good at 1650...

 

[Tempered81]

Q6600 / E8400 / Q9550

Socket 775

E5200 / E7200 are also good buys

 

[alcoholbob]

I would sell your 939 socket system and use that to help you move into your new system. Your CPU and RAM should net you about $200 on ebay. If you have an SLI 939 motherboard that should get you another $80-100. And depending on the rest of the components you could either cannibalize for your new build or sell on craigslist.

Firingsquad's 8800GT review in November 2007 with Crysis on High at 1920x1200. They tested from a Core2 Extreme X6800 to an AMD X2 3800+.

During the C-130 descent scene, all the cards averaged between 15-17 fps.

The minimum framerate for the 3800+ was about 6fps
The X6800 was about 15.

There is a huge difference in minimum framerates with your CPU. CPU scaling with minimum framerate for most games these days well scale linearly up to about 3.5-3.6GHz, after which it will taper off. So, faster CPU will ALWAYS help. The toughest scenes in high end games are CPU bound regardless of resolution.

 

[Ichigo]

Originally posted by: Astrallite
I would sell your 939 socket system and use that to help you move into your new system. Your CPU and RAM should net you about $200 on ebay. If you have an SLI 939 motherboard that should get you another $80-100. And depending on the rest of the components you could either cannibalize for your new build or sell on craigslist.

Firingsquad's 8800GT review in November 2007 with Crysis on High at 1920x1200. They tested from a Core2 Extreme X6800 to an AMD X2 3800+.

During the C-130 descent scene, all the cards averaged between 15-17 fps.

The minimum framerate for the 3800+ was about 6fps
The X6800 was about 15.

There is a huge difference in minimum framerates with your CPU. CPU scaling with minimum framerate for most games these days well scale linearly up to about 3.5-3.6GHz, after which it will taper off. So, faster CPU will ALWAYS help. The toughest scenes in high end games are CPU bound regardless of resolution.

No...

 

[techboie]

if you oc your cpu + 4830 then u should be okay with crysis at 1024x768 Medium-High.

 

[Rick James]

Originally posted by: AliasX
I'm hop around all sorts of different games. Yes, it is socket 939

I would move up to an AM2 and get a Athlon X2 5400 black. It would run you 130 for the Mobo/processor and would easily clock to 3.2-3.4ghz

 

[techboie]

if you have to invest moolah then go out for intel or amd 720 or 810

 

[Rick James]

Originally posted by: techboie
if you have to invest moolah then go out for intel or amd 720 or 810

Agreed. The 720 X3 is a screamer.