Am I CPU limited?

[Lupinicus]

Here are my system stats:
C2D E4500 @ 2.7 GHz
Abit IP35 Pro
4 GB DDR2-800
Radeon 4890 1 GB
Windows 7

I would have thought this system could handle max settings at 1920x1080 in most games, but I have trouble with framerate in Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect 2, and Dragon Age. I'm really hoping I'm not GPU limited as I just bought the 4890 late last summer, and Tom's Hardware still lists it as having "excellent 1920x1200 performance in most games." I wouldn't have thought this CPU was that "slow," but is that probably the case here?

I would prefer not to replace the motherboard and RAM at this time. Are there any LGA 775 CPUs worth getting at this time? Would I be better off saving my money until I can upgrade the mobo et al.?

 

[Cogman]

For an E4500 upgrade, a Q6600 or Q9550 would both be pretty decent upgrades. I love my quad core.

For those games, I think you are running into CPU limitations.

 

[fffblackmage]

If ME2 is anything like ME (and I don't know if it is), then the cpu is definitely the bottlenecking culprit. It is for certain for Dragon Age. Benchmarks have shown Dragon Age loves quad cores.

Considering the Q6600 is about $150-ish on ebay, I would advise against getting it. Your mobo is also a bit dated, but it does appear to support 45nm quads (unlike my old 650i mobo...), so the Q9550 could be a viable path.

So what happened to me was that I didn't want to pay $150 for a used Q6600, and I couldn't go with Intel 45nm quads. So, a friend showed me a deal on a Phenom II X2 550BE + Gigabyte 785G-based mobo for $160 + BCB at tigerdirect (comes out to $136 or so and the mobo uses DDR2). I managed to unlock the disabled cores and ended up with a nice quad core for less than the used $150-ish Q6600 and new $260 Q9550 (newegg price, unless you have a MC nearby?). And just so you know, unlocking the cores isn't a guarantee. So, YMMV.

 

[aigomorla]

If ME2 is anything like ME (and I don't know if it is), then the cpu is definitely the bottlenecking culprit. It is for certain for Dragon Age. Benchmarks have shown Dragon Age loves quad cores.

thats because the GPU is limited without a high performance CPU.

He's running a 5870, and on the recient cards... as recient as the 260GTX, we see cpu's play impact on performance.

I think a member here sum'd it nicely in a thread.

The CPU will hold the minimum FPS in the game.
The GPU will nail the max.

You want the two to be in sync with each other to get the most performance out of games.

 

[Lupinicus]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm trying to decide if I should go the Phenom II route. Part of me says that if I'm going to get a new mobo, just go for the gold and not get something as old (in computer years, of course) as an AM3 board that I might not be able to upgrade CPU in for a year or two. On the other hand, if I can get the CPU and mobo for much less than the price of a new Q9550, then I'm actually still ahead even if I want to upgrade the mobo again in a year. Decisions, decisions...

Would an unlucky (stuck at 2 cores) Phenom II X2 still beat the pants off my E4500? I'm assuming it would from the bit of reading I've done so far.

 

[aclim]

get a q6600 or q9550. You can find a q9550 used for good prices. Hell even a g0 q6600 will get you alot more life out of your pc. If you mostly do gaming then a q6600 will do fine. my g0 OCed to 3.6 easy on my old and cheap board.

 

[nyker96]

I would say yes, at least get a dual core with more cache, like q8xxx. or better get a q9xxx.

 

[n7]

Definitely need a better CPU for a lot of newer games.

I can run ME2 @ 4xAA 16xAF everything maxed other than dynamic shadows @ 2560x1600 w/ your GPU, which pretty much says for that game at least, your CPU is to blame.

 

[soccerballtux]

get a q6600 or q9550. You can find a q9550 used for good prices. Hell even a g0 q6600 will get you alot more life out of your pc. If you mostly do gaming then a q6600 will do fine. my g0 OCed to 3.6 easy on my old and cheap board.

I had an IP35-E (same power plane as the IP35-Pro), I would not recommend putting any quad on that board. Vdroop just got worse and worse, I had to keep increasing the voltage every 6 months to keep my dual cores (first e2180 @ 3.4Ghz and then e8400 @ 3.9Ghz) happy. The quads were even worse. I wouldn't recommend it.

If you have a Fry's nearby I think you can get a Ph2 965 + DDR2 Mobo (has crossfire support) for $180 if you watch the deals. If not, then you could get a Ph2 X2 555 and either overclock to 3.8-4.0ghz or unlock, or if you can unlock to quad then both. Get a cheap Biostar mobo or something that will unlock chips...

The great thing about Ph2's is you can keep your DDR2 ram without losing hardly any performance, and most of the boards have Crossfire (usually 2 8x2.0 PCI-e slots, some are 2 16x2.0 PCI-e slots).

I'm convinced the Ph2 quads are going to be enough performance for at least 2 years.
Alternatively if you have the Fry's around you can get a 32nm Core i3 + mobo for $120, but you'd have to move to DDR3. You can sell your DDR2 on ebay or For-Sale here for a good price, but that's a hassle.

We know Intel is trouncing AMD when it comes to top-of-the-line, so I'm not worried that AMD is going to phase out AM3. I bet we'll get another generation of chips on the AM3 platform, if it's nothing more than a 32nm re-spin of a quad or hex-core. I don't think there isn't an upgrade path.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Hmmm. I'd consider going to a new Gigabyte or Asus LGA 775 board and getting a q9550/9650. I think Soccerball is right about the vdroop. Looks like a board swap is in your future. The video card is no problem whatsoever. Based on the numbers I'm seeing (I'm getting ready to do a board swap) the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P seems to be the consensus choice on NewEgg.

 

[soccerballtux]

Hmmm. I'd consider going to a new Gigabyte or Asus LGA 775 board and getting a q9550/9650. I think Soccerball is right about the vdroop. Looks like a board swap is in your future. The video card is no problem whatsoever. Based on the numbers I'm seeing (I'm getting ready to do a board swap) the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P seems to be the consensus choice on NewEgg.

Why would anyone swap boards to a dead socket lol....AMD would be cheaper....what a goofball

 

[fffblackmage]

Why would anyone swap boards to a dead socket lol....AMD would be cheaper....what a goofball

+1
A PhII X4 + mobo could potentially cost as little as $135 (cost of my unlocked 550BE + mobo with BCB).
Cheaper than getting a Q6600 for $150-ish on ebay.

 

[Markfw]

+1
A PhII X4 + mobo could potentially cost as little as $135 (cost of my unlocked 550BE + mobo with BCB).
Cheaper than getting a Q6600 for $150-ish on ebay.

Comparing dual-core to quad ? And don't say "since it will unlock", because mine didn't unlock.

 

[buildingacomputer]

........ Why would anyone swap boards to a dead socket ........

x2. If it was just one of (mobo, cpu, memory), yeah, it would sense. But mobo + cpu backward?