What graphical settings affect CPU the most?

[Tom]

I made the mistake of choossing a CPU way less valuable than my GPU when picking my PC parts, which ended with my CPU hitting the performance bottleneck in many circumstances. Despite the option of upgrading my CPU, which is impossible for me currently, I wonder what I can do with the graphical settings to improve the experience. That is, what graphical effects in particular are generally more CPU heavy than GPU heavy?

What I already know of is that resolution and AA methods have zero impact on CPU performance, while draw distance, if such setting exist in a game, generally have a big impact.

[yusupov]

what game or games are you talking about? and whart cpu do you have?

games are generally just going to eat as much cpu as theyre programmed to be able to/need to. graphics options are generally as you say going to effect GPU. # of entites is CPU heavy, but other than that im coming up short atm.

[Tom]

I'm using Intel i3 2120 and Nvidia GTX 660.

GTA4, Arma 2, Crysis 3. These three games gives me more headache than others as FPS constantly drops below 30 while most of the GPU's processing power sits idle. Other games like Skyrim and AC3 suffer inconsistent framerate.

While lowering the overall graphical settings improves framerate moderately, it makes my GPU an even greater waste. That's why I wish to find out what settings affect CPU more.

I really regret that I didn't choose an high-end CPU plus entry-level GPU combination instead. That way I can at least enjoy a smooth gaming experience, which I understand now is most important.

[Grimminski]

GTA4 is a notoriously bad port; there's no 'fixing it'. Same with ARMA2; it's engine is pretty bad. I haven't played Crysis 3 yet, but if it's anything like 2 you need both a good GPU and CPU to run it right.

Any settings having to do with Lighting/Shadow quality or draw distance are CPU reliant. Things like Model/Texture quality or SSAO are purely GPU dependent.

[Azza ☠]

2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation Intel PCs have redesigned the motherboard to direct link the CPU and memory as well as the CPU with graphic card more, reducing bottlenecks. Optimal RAM for gaming is 8GB DDR3 RAM CL7 or CL9 timing, the CPU will take care of the rest.

The Core i3 2120 can play most games perfectly on high settings, but when you increase detail levels to ultra settings, more work is offloaded onto the CPU- and that's when Core i3 processors start to struggle.

Above the GTX650 Ti, it could start to bottleneck. An i5 CPU would help this (non-K version, overclocking not required). Many games require a quad-core in order to play well on ULTRA settings. On medium to high settings a Core i3 is fine, but when detail levels are increased to ultra/maximum the demand on your CPU increases sharply... and that's when all dual-core processors (even Core i3) start to struggle. That means your effective limit is graphic cards capable of playing games like BF3, Arma II etc on HIGH setting only.

The GTX660 optimal screen resolution is 1920x1024 (1080p) in high settings anyways.

Download GeForce Experience for your graphics:
http://www.geforce.com/geforce-experience

It will keep drivers up-to-date which contain some boosts for the latest games, but most importantly calculate your current hardware and apply optimal settings to most of your latest games for best quality to performance ratio without the lag.

[Funnystash]

i'm downsizing my PC, the EYE CANDY 'large budget games on PC are a waterdowned joke... We need to buy expensive parts because they don't want to optimize their games (ಠ_ಠ)

[Azza ☠]

What are you talking about? PCs have freedom and at least 3x the texture resolution of a crappy limited console, which gets hooked up to blur-o-vision TV. Try sit 3 feet away from that screen without going cross-eyed at the pixels.

Plus Nvidia works along side the game developers, has development tools and resolutions, patches, etc, all going toward optimizing games to work on various different specs.

[Funnystash]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Azza ☠:

What are you talking about? PCs have freedom and at least 3x the texture resolution of a crappy limited console, which gets hooked up to blur-o-vision TV. Try sit 3 feet away from that screen without going cross-eyed at the pixels.

Yeah ALIENS COLONIAL MARINES sure does have superior textures for a AAA+ game, are you high (ಠ_ಠ)

[Azza ☠]

ALIENS COLONIAL MARINES rated 2.2/10, you actually purchased and comparing as the latest and greatest of all time PC game?!?!?!! .... from the budget bin.

[Funnystash]

If i want to see textures i'll watch my 25GB version of Avatar, i want to play games, i don't give a damn about, paying $350 every 1.5 years to see pretty colors, i'm not an insect...

[Azza ☠]

Guess what make your movie of Avatar CGI Animation... PC, dunnn dunnn dunnn!

[Funnystash]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Azza ☠:

Guess what make your movie of Avatar CGI Animation... PC, dunnn dunnn dunnn!

Bash me if you must but don't you dare take it out on my favorite remake of the smurfs...

[Azza ☠]

Okay your game you have there - Max Payne 3 - PC version features over 'four times higher' quality textures than its console counterpart and is optimised to run smoother at ultra settings. All that quality won't even fit on console, let along be handled by it's entry level builtin graphics card which can't be upgraded (therefore you must purchase a brand new console and tv every 3 years). So how dare you not admire each of the pretty bullets as they fly through the air at 954.54 miles per hour!

[Funnystash]

rockstar comparing to any other games would be like the 2 of us in a parking lot and you bashing my car upgrades compared to your Aston Martin parts, even if your right you can also be wrong...

my all time favorite game will always be ZPS, shame everybody ran away for the inferior eye-candy & forgot it's about gaming not GfX, pc gaming wouldn't be where it was today if that was the original plan...

incase you were livin under a rock, there was once a game that rocked
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNMcoD4KDMo

[Tom]

I would appreciate it if you guys can take unrelated discussions elsewhere : (

[Azza ☠]

Yeah, sorry Tom, it's getting well off topic. Have you tried GeForce Experience?

Intel i3 2120 is a Sandy Bridge (2nd Gen) right? If you are considering upgrading, perhaps the i5-2500 or i7-2600 (if hyperthreading/multitasking).