Is there going to be any difference between a P4 2.53 and a P4 3.2 running HL2?

[BroadbandGamer]

Am I correct in thinking the video card is going to be the limiting factor here? Wouldn't the FPS be about the same on a 2.53 and a 3.2 running HL2 using the same video card because HL2 is going to be more dependant on the video card?

I'm trying to decide if I should just upgrade my video card to whatever ATI's next top of the line card is going to be or upgrade my video card, mobo, memory, and CPU. I'm thinking upgrading my mobo, memory, and CPU isn't going to get me much in HL2 performance.

So am I off base here or what?

Thanks,

 

[Richdog]

It depends how powerful the video card is. A 9700PRO/9800PRO have lots of bandwidth which can be utilised by faster processors such as the P43.2Ghz, but a slower card such as a Geforce3/9500/9600 etc won't run much faster on a 3.2Ghz over a 2.53Ghz. With your 9700PRO it's not really worth upgrading your CPU to a higher one though, as while a 3.2Ghz CPU will give you more framerates, you won't notice it in-game, your current CPU should be easily powerful enough to run Half-Life2 at more than acceptable speeds. If I were you i'd hold on for Prescott or A64, whichever you prefer. Unless you have the cash to spare of course in which case by all means, knock yourself out and buy a 3.2Ghz chip! :beer:

 

[BroadbandGamer]

So I should just stick with my current setup and upgrade the video card?

 

[oldfart]

A 9800 is not much faster than a 9700P. A faster CPU would make more of a difference (I think). I've seen reviews that say even a P4 2.8 holds back performance on a 9700/9800 card. Why not overclock that CPU a little?

 

[BroadbandGamer]

Originally posted by: oldfart
A 9800 is not much faster than a 9700P. A faster CPU would make more of a difference (I think). I've seen reviews that say even a P4 2.8 holds back performance on a 9700/9800 card. Why not overclock that CPU a little?

I've been thinking about overclocking it. I had it running stable at 2.8GHz when I first purchased it but decided I didn't really need to overclock it at the time. Maybe now that HL2 is finally coming out I may just crank it up a little and see what happens.