Core i3 for upcoming games and multi-threaded games

Jawwad Iqbal · Sep 3, 2013

I have the following specs:

Core i3 2120 @3.3ghz
Gigabyte H61M-DS2
Gigabyte 7870 Ghz Edition (1100mhz clock)
Corsair 4GB DDR3 1333mhz
Cooler Master GX550

Up until now every game I have thrown at it, it has ran it beautiful. Except for Crysis 3 which runs arond 30fps and drops down as low as 13fps when in a field. Is my CPU holding back the performance and what kind of boost can I notice with an i5?

I am holding on to the i3 cause of the possibility that future games might be utilizing multi-threading more efficiently. As the new consoles have lower clock speed but more threads. If a game is built on PC then it should automatically run good on PC, if a game is ported from the consoles then it should still do the same. AMD processors are likely to benefit from it the most. Is this is a possibility?

I remember this Planet Side 2 developer interview and he mentioned regarding porting the game to PS4, that even though it's easier to work for but the AMD chip inside is heavily multi-threaded and their engine currently sucks at it and they have to go back and re-do to make it utilize the multi-threading. He also mentioned that once that happens, PC gamers with AMD CPUs should notice significant boost in performance cause AMD processors lag behind in terms of raw horsepower.

MEC-777 · Sep 3, 2013

What resolution/settings are you playing Crysis 3 at?

That game is notorious for making even $1000 graphics cards sweat.

8350rocks · Sep 3, 2013

Yes, your i3 is no longer sufficient to run top notch games. You should go to a quad core of some kind...if you can go to a 6 or 8 core, all the better.

Your FPS in Crysis 3 alone should nearly double. Crysis 3 can run 6 heavy threads at once...

EDIT: AMD CPUs have more horsepower, it's just designed differently from Intel CPUs. Once they begin adapting games to that architecture...things will be flipped. (I am a game designer...just FYI)

bobbybamf12 · Sep 3, 2013

Well you will get a huge performance gain since most games are more optimized for multicores now then they used to be. (obviouis i know) Getting the i5 will be a very good idea right now since the new intel socket has been release, which means they will discontinue making the ivy bridge cpu's. Once retailers stop selling those cpu's the prices will skyrocket. I wouldn't go with AMD since you already have a Intel motherboard it will be cheaper just to buy the i5. I don't really believe AMD has more horspower just because they have more cores. Intel has way higher IPC which AMD is really bad at.

HillBillyAsian · Sep 3, 2013

kinda being nit picky there, saying "if it's made on pc then it should automatically run well" isn't the case. From what you said i can dust off my pentium 3 500mhz gateway computer and pop in BF3 and im off to the races right? Basically you have a dual core, some games utilize more then 2 cores like BF3 for instance. As for frequency on consoles, they get by because games are made specifically for the specs of the machine unlike PC's where i run a amd 720 and you run a i3 there's a difference in architecture and performance so they have to make a game that can be played on basically a unlimited amount of different builds.

Jawwad Iqbal · Sep 3, 2013

MEC-777 :

1920x1080 with everything set to high and FXAA. By 30fps I mean the 30ish experience. It dropped down to 22-25fps in the first mission in open areas with heavy rain. Inside closed corridors it has even gone up to 50+.

bobbybamf12 · Sep 3, 2013

Jawwad Iqbal :

One thing i would like to point out if you do get an Ivy Bridge i5 make sure you update your bios so your motherboard supports your cpu.

MEC-777 · Sep 3, 2013

Jawwad Iqbal :

How much Vram does your GPU have? 1GB? It's possible you're system is being bottlenecked by the system ram (only 4GB at 1333) and/or the Vram (GPU memory) if only 1GB.

By what you've described, that is my guess. You could try upgrading to the i5-3350p, but you may still run into the same problem if you're running out of system ram and or Vram.

8350rocks · Sep 3, 2013

Jawwad Iqbal :

Crysis 3 runs 6 threads concurrently...it puts an i7-2600k @ 85% CPU usage across 4 cores and 2 HTT threads.

Your i3 is running at 99%+ on 2 cores and 2 HTT threads and there are 2 threads left over you cannot even process.

Trust me, your CPU is the bottleneck. I have a HD 7870XT and I play @1080p on High and I get in the mid 40s to low 50s constantly....though I have the 8350. I can run it MAXED out and get something like 30-35 FPS, though, I prefer the smoother gameplay on high.

spentshells · Sep 3, 2013

Well if it were me I would simply get the I5 3330P and be done with it as mentioned by everyone above. That will last you a for a few years into the future.

8350rocks · Sep 3, 2013

hafijur :

See...? That 2600k is at 85% core resources consumed counting the HTT threads...(both of them)

See the i3? it's at over 100% CPU resources used trying to keep up.

You could buy a GTX Titan and not break 50 FPS with your i3 consistently...

Even the 6 and 8 core CPUs from AMD are heavily loaded...his dual core has no chance.

Jawwad Iqbal · Sep 3, 2013

MEC-777 :

Jawwad Iqbal :

How much Vram does your GPU have? 1GB? It's possible you're system is being bottlenecked by the system ram (only 4GB at 1333) and/or the Vram (GPU memory) if only 1GB.

By what you've described, that is my guess. You could try upgrading to the i5-3350p, but you may still run into the same problem if you're running out of system ram and or Vram.

2GB vram, mate. I haven't seen Crysis 3 taking more than 1100mb Vram on very high and FXAA on 1920x1080. Oh and I meant "very high" in my previous post not "high".

bobbybamf12 · Sep 3, 2013

hafijur :

Yeah I believe he is right cause I'm sure his gpu is closed to 100% or near it.

Jawwad Iqbal · Sep 3, 2013

I'm not the kind of guy who prefers maxed out everything @60fps like some enthusiasts demand and not someone with deep pockets. I had a 7770 before this and a 1366x768 HDTV, I finished Crysis 3 on high settings.

Only and only Crysis 3 has been a difficult game to handle. I have had zero problems with my i3 otherwise. I don't my RAM is the bottleneck here, or is it? I haven't noticed my memory usage crossing 2.5GB in task manager when I'm running a game in background.

spentshells · Sep 3, 2013

hafijur :

Getting more frames doesn't indicate a bottle neck it shows the game is more cpu dependant, the 560ti is in no way bottlenecked by a i3 2130 not at all.

mohit9206 · Sep 3, 2013

The bottleneck is the CPU no doubt.However getting an i5 won't drastically improve his performance either but i recommend getting a cheap i5 anyways as it should be a decent and noticaeble performance increase.Just don't expect too much.

MEC-777 · Sep 3, 2013

Jawwad Iqbal :

MEC-777 :

2GB vram, mate. I haven't seen Crysis 3 taking more than 1100mb Vram on very high and FXAA on 1920x1080. Oh and I meant "very high" in my previous post not "high".

In this case, I'd have to agree with the others. The i3 is probably the major contributing factor in holding this system back. An i5-3350p would be a nice upgrade that should keep your system relevant for another year or so.

jaguarskx · Sep 3, 2013

Jawwad Iqbal :

Yes, unfortunately Crysis 3 is a very demanding and the dual core i3 is not enough to effectively run the game. Note that at this time Crysis 3 is the exception and not the rule. Based on the below performance chart, with a GTX 680 with medium quality graphics @ 1920x1200, an Ivy Bridge i3-3220 only gets 36 FPS while the i5-3470 get 60 FPS. The FX-8350 comes in at 61 FPS. The i5-3570/3570k will be at least equal to the FX-8350 given they have a base clockspeed of 3.4GHz as opposed to the i5-3470's 3.2GHz.

http://www.techspot.com/review/642-crysis-3-performance/page6.html

Jawwad Iqbal · Sep 4, 2013

I am just hoping that games like Watch Dogs and Battlefield 4 don't give me trouble. I know Battlefield 4 will lag cause BF3 already utilizes four cores. But the situation won't be like Crysis 3 as Crysis games have been demanding for no reason in the past.

bobbybamf12 · Sep 4, 2013

Jawwad Iqbal :

bf4 might on a 64 player map.

MEC-777 · Sep 4, 2013

Jawwad Iqbal :

It's not that games are demanding for no reason. Developers are pushing the envelope in terms of more realistic visuals and physics engines, which requires more data to be processed at any given time. This can be done more efficiently and quickly using more cores at once.

Core i3 for upcoming games and multi-threaded games

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