Running a stock E6600 with an HD 4870

[AmberClad]

I think that's going to depend on the types of games you play.

In general, with most graphics-intensive FPS games, no. With strategy games, especially with a lot of AI, I think you might find it worthwhile to overclock.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: Eucharistadorer
Does overclocking cause a decrease in fps, or what does it exactly do? I've perfectly understood it to be honest with you guys.

The person on the other forum wasn't exactly saying that it won't improve my fps, they just said that it wouldn't be worth the money because the faster gpu would only be limited by what the slower cpu could do. In essence, that the excess speed that would be lost due to the bottleneck would be like throwing away money, because it wouldn't be used and I'd be spending extra money for nothing.

Unless you are only playing something absolutely CPU bound like World in Conflict he's flat out wrong. You will have a noticeable performance increase in pretty much everything else.

 

[Eucharistadorer]

Gonad, if I don't overclock, how much (if any) of a performance decrease would I experience from the bottleneck? I'm asking you individually because I'd like each person's point of view on that one question, which is my main question in this topic. I'm trying to get a consensus on the issue.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

It depends on the game and situation. If you are hitting points where the GPU is limiting your fps then overclocking your CPU won't matter at all. If you are hitting points where the CPU is the limiting factor then overclocking or a faster CPU will help. But generally speaking you are limited by your GPU far, far more frequently than your CPU.

Look, I can tell you from first-hand similar experience that upgrading that GPU on that CPU will not be negligible. I'm running a 4850 on a E6550 after upgrading from a 3870. In the things the 3870 struggled with the 4850 runs through like butter. Now if I had a faster CPU it would be even more buttery, but just upgrading the GPU was buttery enough to justify the upgrade. And you will be taking a much greater step from that 1900xt to a 4870.

If any debate should be taking place it's whether or not it's worth it for you getting a 4870 vs. a 4850.

 

[chizow]

Look at the THG Comparison linked earlier. Let's break it down so its easier to see. Focus only at 1680x1050 since that is your resolution. COD4 is a game that scales well with both faster GPU and CPU and looks great, so its a good example.

At 1680 you have:

7950GT + E2160@1.8 = 36.2
7950GT + X6800@2.94 = 36.6

This is your control, your X1900XT that is completely GPU bottlenecked as a faster CPU does not help your FPS at all.

Now let's look at the 9800GTX, the fastest card in this review keeping in mind the 4870 you want to upgrade to is 1.25-1.5x faster without AA:

9800GTX + E2160@1.8 = 120.7
9800GTX + E2160@2.41 = 133.9
9800GTX + X6800@2.94 = 140.6

So yes you will absolutely see a HUGE increase upgrading to the 4870, however you may still be CPU bottlenecked at 2.4 as you will see continuous scaling in performance as you increase CPU clockspeeds. The reason this is significant is that even if you see a huge increase with a 4870, there might be little separation from slower parts like the 9800GTX. While its not as significant in your case, it should be something to consider for someone with any of the cards in that THG article or anyone considering a 2nd card in SLI or CF.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

^ That's perfect right there.

 

[Eucharistadorer]

Originally posted by: chizow
Look at the THG Comparison linked earlier. Let's break it down so its easier to see. Focus only at 1680x1050 since that is your resolution. COD4 is a game that scales well with both faster GPU and CPU and looks great, so its a good example.

At 1680 you have:

7950GT + E2160@1.8 = 36.2
7950GT + X6800@2.94 = 36.6

This is your control, your X1900XT that is completely GPU bottlenecked as a faster CPU does not help your FPS at all.

Now let's look at the 9800GTX, the fastest card in this review keeping in mind the 4870 you want to upgrade to is 1.25-1.5x faster without AA:

9800GTX + E2160@1.8 = 120.7
9800GTX + E2160@2.41 = 133.9
9800GTX + X6800@2.94 = 140.6

So yes you will absolutely see a HUGE increase upgrading to the 4870, however you may still be CPU bottlenecked at 2.4 as you will see continuous scaling in performance as you increase CPU clockspeeds. The reason this is significant is that even if you see a huge increase with a 4870, there might be little separation from slower parts like the 9800GTX. While its not as significant in your case, it should be something to consider for someone with any of the cards in that THG article or anyone considering a 2nd card in SLI or CF.

That helps a lot. So as far as bottlenecking goes, how much of a performance decrease are we talking? 10 fps, 20 fps? What? That's the only thing I'm not really clear on. I know it depends on the game, but I'm just asking on average across all games...a guesstimate if you will.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

It's not a performance decrease, it's just less of an increase. The 9800GTX scores there demonstrate CPU "bottlenecking."

 

[Eucharistadorer]

Oh ok, that's what I wasn't understanding. Looking back at the part of the chart you quoted, it seems that the bottleneck I'll experience is maybe 10-20 frames less than I would with a faster cpu.

Does that seem right from what I'm seeing?

 

[Eucharistadorer]

Anyone else?

 

[betasub]

Originally posted by: Eucharistadorer
Does that seem right from what I'm seeing?

Yes, you've read it right.

Different games and different comparisons between CPUs may show this effect to a greater or lesser extent (so be specific if you feel the need to question this further). But the point has already been made in this thread & made well - upgrade your gfx first!

 

[TC91]

if your games all play well then dont worry about overclocking

 

[Eucharistadorer]

Well that remains to be seen, seeing that I haven't even gotten the 4870 yet. I just ordered it from newegg tonight.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Eucharistadorer
Well that remains to be seen, seeing that I haven't even gotten the 4870 yet. I just ordered it from newegg tonight.

You should do a benchmark with your X1900 card and then do the same benchmark with the 4870 with your CPU at 2.4Ghz then 3.0Ghz and report back all four results.