This is an endless topic of conversation, with everybody you meet having their own pet opinion. What brings better results, purchasing a faster graphics card, or investing your cash in a more powerful processor? In an effort to find out, Tom’s Hardware has taken a good look at the most important chips. In this article, the Geforce 6800 GT, 7950 GT, 8800 GT, 8800 GTS 512, 9600 GT 1024 and 9800 GTX are up for cross-testing in terms of performance comparisons, and pitted against current CPUs like the E2160, E6750, Q6600 and X6800EE.
The results should clarify how much performance is obtained by upgrading the various components, as well as which combinations work best or are cheapest. It will also show us how high the basic performance level of the processor needs to be in order for the new G92 graphics chips from Nvidia to develop their full 3D speed potential. The comprehensive tables and performance analyses show clear results detailing the effects of a CPU upgrade on Geforce 6 and 7, and whether it might just be better to go for the new graphics card generation with DirectX 10.
The test platform used is based on an X38 chipset with DDR3 memory and PCI Express 2.0 interface, and remains identical for all of the individual tests. Generally speaking, only the graphics and CPU performance is changed for each run. In order to ensure that the E2160 and Q6600 are able to keep up with the other processors, two additional test runs have been performed in which the Front Side Bus (FSB) was overclocked by 33-34%. The test results indicate whether simply overclocking the small cache budget CPU is able to compensate for its initial performance deficit, and how much performance the quad core is able to pull from its reserves as a result of the increased frequencies.
- Test Subjects: Four Generations of Nvidia Chips
- Comparison of Graphics Chips and Introduction of the Test Configuration
- Graphics Cards have More Potential
- CPU Power for the Graphics Cards
- 3D Performance for the CPU
- Benchmarks BlackSite Area 51 v1.2
- Call of Duty 4 v1.4
- Crysis v1.2
- Half Life 2 Episode 2
- Microsoft Flight Simulator X SP2
- Prey v1.4
- World in Conflict v1.05
- 3DMark06 1280x1024p v1.1.0
- What Advantages does Overclocking the CPU have for the Graphics Card?
- Overclocking the E2160 Processor to 3 GHz
- Overall Performance and Price Comparison
- Power Consumption, Noise Levels and Temperatures
- Overall Energy Consumption and Energy Saving
- 3D Performance Sorted According to Resolution and Anti-Aliasing
- Conclusions: Changing the Generation of Graphics Card has More Benefits
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)
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.
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.
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.
Its people with david_t's attitude that give other techie types who may already know all this a bad name.
Cheers