If GPU upgrade, then CPU Limited?

[Jephph]

Hi guys. I've recently been thinking about upgrading my graphics card to an x800gto. I was wondering, if I do that, will I begin to be CPU limited in the games I play? I don't want to buy a new card if it's not going to increase my fps because I'm limited by my old CPU. I'm currently running an Athlon XP 3000+. Will that be enough to keep up with the new x800gto I might be getting?

 

[JPB]

It should be fine....

 

[v8envy]

An amd 3000+ will not bottleneck an X800GTO, even a rebranded XL GTO. There's a CPU scaling in games article on xbit which shows there's almost no gain in any current game using CPUs faster than a 3200+ or so, even with SLI 7800GTs.

A few cpu heavy games like need for speed: underground and Far Cry might take a slight hit, but not one you'd notice.

 

[n7]

Being CPU limited or GPU limited is always entirely dependant on what resolutions you game at.

IOW, monitor is important for determining that.

I'd always recommend going with better video card/lower CPU than vice versa with modern games though, because that will generally give you better performance.

The higher resolution/settings you run your games at, the less important CPU becomes, in a balanced sense anyway.

 

[Jephph]

Great. Thanks guys. By the way, I'll be running most games at 1280x1024 on my new Syncmaster 940b, which is why I'm needing a graphics card upgrade anyway.