GPU or CPU Limits...

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dave_the_nerd

dave_the_nerd

Lifer
Feb 25, 2011
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If I'm playing a game (Mechwarrior Online, Crytek 3 engine) and my CPU is 80-90% utilized (System Resource Monitor), but my GPU is only 50-60% utilized (GPU-Z) it's a pretty good bet my framerate (30-35fps mostly) is CPU limited, right?

C2Q6600 @ 2.4 (Stock) & Radeon 7750 @ 1GHz Core / 1.25GHz Mem

Thanks
 
Last edited:
toyota

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
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according to what you said, yes the cpu is the bigger limitation. you have plenty of untapped cpu power so get an aftermarket cooler and oc it. of course you need enough system memory to play games smoothly too.
 
dave_the_nerd

dave_the_nerd

Lifer
Feb 25, 2011
16,991
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toyota said:
according to what you said, yes the cpu is the bigger limitation. you have plenty of untapped cpu power so get an aftermarket cooler and oc it. of course you need enough system memory to play games smoothly too.
Click to expand...

6GB. I should be fine there.
 
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f1sherman

Platinum Member
Apr 5, 2011
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Even if CPU is being say 40% utilized per core, that still does not mean you're not CPU limited.

80-90% means heavy trashing, your CPU is struggling for its very life, and can't keep up with his duties.

As toyota said - new cooler and OC for a new life to your Q6600
No guarantees, but 3.6GHz should be esy enough
 
F

Face2Face

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2001
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f1sherman said:
Even if CPU is being say 40% utilized per core, that still does not mean you're not CPU limited.

80-90% means heavy trashing, your CPU is struggling for its very life, and can't keep up with his duties.

As toyota said - new cooler and OC for a new life to your Q6600
No guarantees, but 3.6GHz should be esy enough
Click to expand...

3.6 seems high, I would say 3.2 should be easy on any motherboard.
 
dave_the_nerd

dave_the_nerd

Lifer
Feb 25, 2011
16,991
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2.9 (320FSB) took 1.34v (CPUZ reported 1.26v, but BIOS disagrees...) and was Prime95 stable overnight - but my load temp was 80C when I checked it this morning. That was with the GPUs idle.

I'm guessing I shouldn't go higher without re-evaluating my cooling and airflow.
 
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Face2Face

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2001
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Ha... 80C , yeah move it back down to stock and wait until you get a better cooler. Buy a CM 212 and you can go 3.0-3.6 with reasonable temps.
 
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poohbear

Platinum Member
Mar 11, 2003
2,284
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huh? no it doesn't mean its being overworked, it just means ur CPU is working because a 3d app is running. My 2500k @ 4.4ghz is running 100% when running games with my GTX 670, it doesn't mean im CPU limited.
 
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Face2Face

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2001
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62°C is the Tcase max for B1, B2, and B3 steppings, along with the Allendale steppings that correlate to those steppings. 71°C is the Tcase max for G0 and M0 steppings.

This was copied off of an old post here in the forums.
 
dave_the_nerd

dave_the_nerd

Lifer
Feb 25, 2011
16,991
1,620
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F

Face2Face

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2001
4,100
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Hmmm.. Your right, that cooler looks to be on par with the CM 212. Are you using the manual fan control for it? I can't remember what voltage I had my Q6600 @ 3.2Ghz.
 
dave_the_nerd

dave_the_nerd

Lifer
Feb 25, 2011
16,991
1,620
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Greenhell6 said:
Hmmm.. Your right, that cooler looks to be on par with the CM 212. Are you using the manual fan control for it? I can't remember what voltage I had my Q6600 @ 3.2Ghz.
Click to expand...

I don't remember it having a manual control. If the FrostyTech dB readings are accurate, it's gotta be running in low-speed mode though.
 
KingFatty

KingFatty

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2010
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poohbear said:
huh? no it doesn't mean its being overworked, it just means ur CPU is working because a 3d app is running. My 2500k @ 4.4ghz is running 100% when running games with my GTX 670, it doesn't mean im CPU limited.
Click to expand...

What does 100% CPU utilization mean? Can you get the game to run faster at all when you hit 100% CPU utilization?
 
V

VulgarDisplay

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2009
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F

Face2Face

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2001
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When I looked at the link you posted, it looks like it includes a PCI bracket type manual fan control. If you didn't use it, is the fan on the CPU Heatsink a 4 pin or 3 pin?
 
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Face2Face

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2001
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VulgarDisplay said:
How old is your TIM? If you built that system when the q6600 came out your TIM could be worn out and causing your cooler to not work as well as it should.
Click to expand...

You bring up a good point. I would definitively replace the thermal paste if you haven't in a couple years.
 
BrightCandle

BrightCandle

Diamond Member
Mar 15, 2007
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Be careful because some games are more CPU limited than others. You need to test a variety of games you play to get a better picture of its just one game that is showing CPU limitations or most things. I have played plenty of games that top out the CPU and not the GPUs but are running at decent FPS.
 
B

boxleitnerb

Platinum Member
Nov 1, 2011
2,605
6
81
The percentage numbers of the CPU utilization are not very accurate. I had games where each thread was at 50% or below but I was still CPU bottlenecked.

Basically, there are only two ways to check for a CPU bottleneck:

1. GPU usage below 99%. This is mostly reliable, but in some cases it may not be a good indicator due to a driver problem or SLI/CF profile problem

The absolute best and most reliable way to check is this:

2. fps scaling with CPU clock speed scaling. Meaning if at 3 GHz you have 30 fps and at 3.6 GHz you have 36 fps, it is a complete CPU bottleneck. If you only have maybe 34 fps at 3.6 GHz, then it is a partial CPU bottleneck, meaning parts of the scene are CPU bottlenecked, the other parts are GPU bottlenecked.
 
dave_the_nerd

dave_the_nerd

Lifer
Feb 25, 2011
16,991
1,620
126
Greenhell6 said:
When I looked at the link you posted, it looks like it includes a PCI bracket type manual fan control. If you didn't use it, is the fan on the CPU Heatsink a 4 pin or 3 pin?
Click to expand...

3-pin, connected to the CPUFAN header on the motherboard.

I applied new TIM a couple months ago when I swapped in a new motherboard. It's the same tube of OEM grease that came with the HSF. (Rice-grain sized amount, spread evenly)

I could reapply with AS5 or something.
 
F

Face2Face

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2001
4,100
215
106
dave_the_nerd said:
3-pin, connected to the CPUFAN header on the motherboard.

I applied new TIM a couple months ago when I swapped in a new motherboard. It's the same tube of OEM grease that came with the HSF. (Rice-grain sized amount, spread evenly)

I could reapply with AS5 or something.
Click to expand...

If you replaced the thermal paste as described you should be fine there. I would bet that your CPU fan is staying at a low RPM and never fluctuating because the lack of the 4th pin. The 4th pin being for PWM. Can you adjust the CPU fan speed in your bios or using Speedfan? That may help your temps.
 
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