Explain something to me (GFX and CPU)

[Pooky]

How much impact does a processor have on gaming?

So... say I have a Core2Duo 6300 1.86GHz; and then a GeForce 9600GT

Then on that setup I play a game like The Witcher 2 but it is laggy even on lowest graphics.

If I now upgrade the graphics card, will the game run faster, or is it the processors fault?

Thanks!

[scotty777]

How much impact does a processor have on gaming?

So... say I have a Core2Duo 6300 1.86GHz; and then a GeForce 9600GT

Then on that setup I play a game like The Witcher 2 but it is laggy even on lowest graphics.

If I now upgrade the graphics card, will the game run faster, or is it the processors fault?

Thanks!

It can have a big impact. However, the Witcher 2 was coded by gorillas. I would upgrade my entire PC though. I had to buy a new GPU to replace my 9800gt as it was struggling with battlefield 3, and also I had to overclock my Q8200 to 2.8Ghz...

Seeing as your CPU is a dual core @ 1.82, I really think that won't do too well in games either . Sorry man.

[TJ99]

A CPU doesn't have that much effect on games, provided it's powerful enough to handle the game properly. I.e you won't see much (or any really) difference between a midrange Core i5 and a super expensive i7. I'm sure the usual crew (i.e suckers who spent R10k on some EXTREMEZ0RZ Edition or something) will be in to disagree shortly.

In your case though, I'd say it's both, a 6 year-old CPU would very likely be a factor. That is to say, you will see the biggest improvement from a new graphics card, but the CPU will probably still hold you back.

[Pooky]

Okay thanks so if I was to upgrade my GPU only (cheapest option) would it run The Witcher 2?

It's odd because the game looks pretty crap on low graphics and I can run things like Skyrim on high.

[killadoob]

Cpu has a major impact, you need a new gpu and cpu. No point having a good gpu limited by a kuk cpu and visa versa. I am not saying your cpu is kuk but for gaming it is.

Quadcore intel and perhaps a 560 should do the trick.

Really depends on the game but most modern games would require more power cpu wise.

[TJ99]

You'll definitely see a big improvement, but whether it will be enough, I don't know. Like scotty said, Twitcher 2 is very poorly coded and needs a lot of horsepower to run well.

Skyrim, on the other hand, is a console port so that will run great on almost anything.

[killadoob]

You'll definitely see a big improvement, but whether it will be enough, I don't know. Like scotty said, Twitcher 2 is very poorly coded and needs a lot of horsepower to run well.

Skyrim, on the other hand, is a console port so that will run great on almost anything.

Odd i would have thought games ported from console would run poorer on pc and have more issues over games made for pc. At least that is how i understand it.

they would also make use of more than 2 cores so ported pc games would usually love a quadcore over a dual core but i could be mistaken.

[Pada]

+1 to what TJ99 said.

You'll need to get your CPU to like a minimum of say an i5 2400 to ensure that your CPU isn't the bottleneck when it comes to gaming.
Once you have a good CPU like that, you can upgrade your graphics.

At this moment you can launch like MSI AfterBurner and Task Manager/Process Explorer to see whether it is your CPU/GPU that is the bottle-neck. Most likely it would be your CPU, closely followed by your GPU.

Often the resolution has a much bigger impact on the framerate than the level of detail (with the exclusion of AA/AF).

[Ry4n]

A CPU doesn't have that much effect on games, provided it's powerful enough to handle the game properly. I.e you won't see much (or any really) difference between a midrange Core i5 and a super expensive i7. I'm sure the usual crew (i.e suckers who spent R10k on some EXTREMEZ0RZ Edition or something) will be in to disagree shortly.

Your first point is very important the provided part...

The CPU is very important depending on the game - games like Civ V and BF3 require a lot of CPU.
A friend and I have an identical GFX cards but he has a i5 and I have a i7 - my FPS doesn’t budge from 60fps his hovers around 45fps. But yes I agree the extreme CPUs are for the supa $$$

[Chevron]

How much impact does a processor have on gaming?

So... say I have a Core2Duo 6300 1.86GHz; and then a GeForce 9600GT

Then on that setup I play a game like The Witcher 2 but it is laggy even on lowest graphics.

If I now upgrade the graphics card, will the game run faster, or is it the processors fault?

Thanks!

A quad is needed to game. Even a slow quad core is better than a fast dual core.

[Barfish88]

that pc is good for old school games, half life 2, css etc. For newer games you will have to upgrade to at least a i3 and gtx 450. u should be fine then.

[Pooky]

that pc is good for old school games, half life 2, css etc. For newer games you will have to upgrade to at least a i3 and gtx 450. u should be fine then.

Thing is I can run something like Max Payne 3 fine.

[PsyWulf]

So much ****e information in one thread it makes the head spin Both CPU and GPU are important for a number of reasons that would take pages to go entirely through
In your case I would actually add RAM to the mix too,as you seem to be running quite an old rig

As for what would give you the best performance boost,I assume you have a gig of RAM: Graphics card,RAM,CPU

Save a bit,can get a nice upgrade bundle cheap these days,even an i3,4Gig RAM and a 5750 would make you wet your pants at the speed increase

[Pooky]

So much ****e information in one thread it makes the head spin Both CPU and GPU are important for a number of reasons that would take pages to go entirely through
In your case I would actually add RAM to the mix too,as you seem to be running quite an old rig

As for what would give you the best performance boost,I assume you have a gig of RAM: Graphics card,RAM,CPU

Save a bit,can get a nice upgrade bundle cheap these days,even an i3,4Gig RAM and a 5750 would make you wet your pants at the speed increase

I have 4 gig RAM already.

[PsyWulf]

At least that's mildly okay,if you really can't afford to get an upgrade bundle check if you can get at least a 75xx series Core 2 Duo and a 57xx series ATI card on the cheapo ( lots flying around on sites like carbonite ),will give you some breathing room,though ideally you should upgrade everything