Conclusions: Changing the Generation of Graphics Card has More Benefits
Geforce 6 and 7 cards are hardly suitable for current games and modern LCD resolutions—the higher graphics settings in the test show that the older graphics chips really have reached their limits. This is obvious, at the very latest, when you try to combine a Geforce 6800 GT with a more powerful CPU, which does not achieve any palpable increase in 3D performance.
However, games are not 100% dependent on the graphics card; the Geforce 8 and 9 require a basic level of power, otherwise they are unable to exploit their 3D potential. The speed of the CPU should lie somewhere between 2600 and 3000 MHz; any lower, and the new graphics chips lose considerable performance.
There is no obvious advantage to quad cores over dual cores, at least according to the graphics-based benchmarks. In order for the Q6600 to compete with the dual core E6750, the same clocking rate is recommended. If you wish to combine an E2160 with a Geforce 8800 or Geforce 9, you will need to overclock. Without a clock rate of at least 2400 MHz, you will lose a considerable amount of graphics performance, because the card is not fully loaded.
The difference in performance among CPUs costing €50, €170, or even €800 is actually relatively low. If you compare an E2160 at 1800 MHz to an E6750 or Q6600, you will find a 30% difference in the overall results. If the E2160 is overclocked to 2400 MHz, though, the difference in overall results is just 15%. The smaller cache of the E2160 budget CPU can be overcome by a higher clocking rate of up to 3 GHz.
The change to a new generation of graphics card achieves more, but the CPU should still have sufficient brawn to provide the basic level the card requires. Changing from a Geforce 6800 GT to a current Geforce 8800 or 9800 can quintuple the overall results for 3D games. Changing from a Geforce 7950 GT to one of the new G92 graphic chips will at least double the overall results.
If you convert the frame rate to percentages in order to filter out the weighting caused by high fps figures, it is possible to obtain an increase of over 1100% by changing from a Geforce 6800 GT to a current Geforce 8800 or 9800. If you change from a Geforce 7950 GT to one of the new G92 graphics chips, you can obtain a performance increase of up to 180%, with improved DirectX 10 effects. The maximum possible values will depend on the CPU’s performance level.
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Shock horror - video cards have a greater impact than CPUs overall on games! Matching your CPU to your GPU has been something that gamers have done for years to make sure that their graphics card was not hampered - since when has this ever been an "endless topic of conversation"? Its like asking whether a better clutch or bigger engine makes a car go faster or not - yes you need a decent clutch to put the power down, but that power comes from the engine. Come on THG - this is not up to your usual standard of asking interesting questions - if you want an endless topic of conversation, try the age old sync / async RAM operation issue.
The overclock potential of a cpu is far greater then a gpu.
The entry level cpu in a series have almost as much overclock potetial as a high end one, sometimes even more due to fsb clock.
The most bang for the buck is to had with a entry level cpu in a current series opverclocked, combined with the best grahics card in your budget (save money on cpu and put it towards gpu)
This review is fantastic. It is best for people who want to see difference between their current configuration and performance gains between old and new hardware per buck.
E.G. If someone has a 8600GT and a low spec CPU, it makes no sense to buy a new graphics card as this review coroborates the relation between GPU AND CPU.
Great stuff Tom's.
Why do you mention overclocking? Anyway, entry level CPUs have less cache and a slower bus speed - none of which can be gained back by overclocking - and then you have to spend loads on a good heatsink (for any clock speed increase worth talking about) which means you may as well have bought a better CPU in the first place.
Also, Mackayde, the fact that you said 'coroborates' makes my point for me - this is ground already covered - we all know that mid range goes with mid range etc... for the best bang for the buck & price/performance ratio.
These test are being made for people who have doubts about cpu/gpu performances, not all people are genius like you david t to know the differences among these 2 chips. Dont take yourself to be too intelligent by trying to contradict thg because I sincerely think you are not that intelligent, you a_sh_le
good for me to know as i have just upgraded to a dfi x48 board and e8400 , i currently have a 8800gt on it but as its a crossfire board im intending to get the 1gb 4870 when its released at the end of the month , my sons machine is an athlon 64 3ghz with pci-x , so it kills two birds with one stone as he can have my 8800gt and get a very good machine also in the process.
Great Review
"Anyway, entry level CPUs have less cache and a slower bus speed - none of which can be gained back by overclocking"
Err, of course you can make the bus speed faster by overclocking. What THG is suggesting is that the hit you get from using a cheaper CPU (i.e. less cache, lower bus speeds) can generally be dialled out by overclocking the CPU to death. i.e. run 3DMark on both, I bet you can easily get the same of better results from a lower prices CPU and many of the premium units.
Great article. At this moment i got very low spec CPU - P4 HT 3.0, ASUS P5KC mainboard, 4GB of Ram and HD 4850 graphics card. I am not very satisfied with overall performance of my machine. I want to upgrade a CPU but I was not sure what kind of performance boost i got. Now I know
THX THG
Very useful article for me - in the process of component hunting for a new PC (upgrading from a P4 2.8, 6800GT (AGP) and 1gb of RAM - yep old stuff indeed) For me the fact the CPU needs to be around 3Ghz to get the best out of the Graphics card is the most useful bit of advice i could get right now, thanks THG
Its sad when "know it all" computer nerds stroke their e-peen by slagging off a feature that is almost definatly going to be useful to countless others.
Its people with david_t's attitude that give other techie types who may already know all this a bad name.
Yes, great article. I have a similar setup to goldfish above and am looking to upgrade now too - glad I searched this out.
Cheers
looking at this my cpu is much under powered i have A E2160 1.8 will the porformance increase be the same for the 9800 gt ?