how to compare processors

[Fozzforus]

i have an i7-9750H and I'm trying to figure out how that stacks up against the 4 core processors that are in the system requirements for every game.

Is there a good way to figure out what a game means by listing a particular processor as a requirement?

[Omega]

There is no easy way of check aside from comparing benchmarks.

However I can easily tell you that this modern mid-range CPU can easily handle any game you throw at it.

[Fozzforus]

My processor claims 2.6 GHz and I never had a problem with it until a game this morning and started into looking at requirements and realized that pretty much every game I own claims to require processor that hits over 3 GHz. My uneducated opinion was that maybe it didn't know how to use all 6 cores.

[Omega]

Originally posted by Fozzforus:

My processor claims 2.6 GHz and I never had a problem with it until a game this morning and started into looking at requirements and realized that pretty much every game I own claims to require processor that hits over 3 GHz. My uneducated opinion was that maybe it didn't know how to use all 6 cores.

Ghz is a meaningless metric, it is like comparing cars by the rpm of their engine.

Clock speed on modern CPUs is also a rather complicated topic, the achievable clockspeed will depend on the CPU and the environment it is running in. Temperature, power supply the amount of boosting cores etc.. all play a role in its boosting behaviour.

Your CPU can go up to 4.5Ghz under certain circumstances. These circumstances will probably look something like, no more than 1 or 2 cores at the same time, and only for a few seconds until the chip becomes too hot.

[Illusion of Progress]

The best you can do is with large databases of results which are often just synthetic and not necessarily of real world performance, as different software will vary in how it relies on a CPU. And when you start comparing things way far apart in terms of years, fewer and fewer review outlets will have comparisons of stuff that far apart in age (and mobile to desktop comparisons are often scarcer to begin with).

Mobile comes with its own set of constraints, and sometimes the same CPU in different devices may perform differently due to different power limits.

Unfortunately, rough generalizations is the best you cam probably make here. Going by that, and looking that model up, it's a hyper-threaded hex core (6 cores/12 threads) from the ninth generation of processors (can approximate IPC from this) and runs at up to 4.5 GHz (probably single threaded).

If a game calls for, say, a Core i7 3xx0/4xx0, for example, I'd say such a CPU will fare no worse in such cases. But an 8700K, for example (same core/thread count, same Coffee Lake generation, one generation prior, only up to 200 MHz higher boost) or an AMD close equivalent, like the Ryzen 5 3600X, for example, would both probably outperform it a fair bit. Might be more close to a non-existent 6700K/7700K with 50% more cores/threads, but even THAT is just a rough generalization at best. At the end ofthe day, a 9750H is neither a 4770K, a 7700K, a 8700K, nor a... you get the point. And comparing them gets increasingly broad the farther apart they are. So minus benchmarks, you need to approximate/guess/wing-it unless third party, anecdotal claims of "Ive tried both and had these results" are found and you trust them.

Edit: And yes, clock speed is only one single measure. Not the be all absolute measure. A 3 GHz fourth generation CPU isn't equivalent to a 9th generation 3 GHz CPU. Likewise, Intel and AMD aren't comparable there. Even within the same family, they aren't always equal (cache differences, mobile to desktop differences, etc.). But loosely, the same clock speed within a family is roughly consistent performance (at a per core level) and gets marginally faster with increasing generations.

[plat]

You can use cpu-z software to benchmark your processor and compare it to other processors. There's a to do that under the "Bench" tab and then select a processor for comparison in the menu.

https://i.imgur.com/tFeUIiP.png

I don't know if that's what you're looking for specifically, though. You may want to switch to "High Performance" mode in Windows/Control Panel/Power Options but be aware that this generates more heat as it runs at turbo-boost clocks. Maybe dial it back when you're finished with your game.

https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

[Fozzforus]

Thank you for the wisdom! I was having a crisis of faith in my system.

[pasa]

4 cores and AVX2 that this cpu has will be enough for a long time to meet minimum cpu req. As of general playability at desired settings, the rest of your laptop will be the interesting factor.

[Illusion of Progress]

Originally posted by Fozzforus:

Thank you for the wisdom! I was having a crisis of faith in my system.

This was rather common for a while following the Pentium 4 era especially. CPUs went from higher clock speeds to much lower clock speeds for a number of years, so games that called for a Pentium 4 at 2.8 GHz would have people wondering if their E6600 at 2.4 GHz was woefully inadequate, when the reality was the latter was simply a much, much faster CPU. The Core 2 was so much faster than the Pentium 4 at the same clock speed that it was even much faster at a lower clock speed.

That's less of a concern these days as clock speeds have basically stayed the same/slowly climbed, but mobile devices usually have some lower clock speeds so if you do comparisons there, you might see cases like that and it might appear they're not good enough when they may be.

If those games that are asking for 3 GHz are listing CPUs like from the Intel 2nd through 4th generation CPUs, for example, you're fine.

[Fozzforus]

RTX 2060, plenty of ram, and more fans than some NFL teams have. I run most games on high settings 1920 x 1080 with no issues.

[Illusion of Progress]

Then I'd say there's no issues. If it runs without operational faults, and if you're okay with your performance, then the requirements are an arbitrary thing.

[GOD RAYS ON ULTRA™]

Originally posted by Fozzforus:

i have an i7-9750H and I'm trying to figure out how that stacks up against the 4 core processors that are in the system requirements for every game.

Is there a good way to figure out what a game means by listing a particular processor as a requirement?

You can download cpuz and do a validation. Use the submit and compare option. It will put your CPU on a graph based on your score.

I have the 8300h for my laptop and it scores this:

https://valid.x86.fr/txpa4l

It shows a multi thread and a single thread. I find the program very handy.