Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Solved

Fast GPU, Slow CPU

Tags:
  • GPUs
  • Games
  • CPUs
  • Components
Last response: in Components
Share
February 24, 2014 6:25:31 AM

I'm trying to play Skyrim with 'High' graphic settings. What happens is that the frame rate drops to the point where the game starts to become laggy. This also happens when I try to use PCSX2, a playstation 2 emulator.

Here's the specs of my PC
CPU: Intel Pentium G620, 2.60 GHz, 2 cores
RAM: 4 GB
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GT 640, 2 GB
OS: Windows 8.1, x64

I am thinking that it's the CPU that is bottlenecking my GPU, given that my OS is Windows 8.1. Should I be buying a new CPU, it won't be any time soon.

I am thinking of downgrading to Windows 7 for the mean time.

What can you say guys? Any suggestions for a compromise that I can do?

More about : fast gpu slow cpu

Best solution

a b à CPUs
February 24, 2014 6:33:52 AM

That cpu is definetly bottlenecking that gpu. But all is not lost. The CPU sits in a socket 1155 motherboard. These, and the matching cpu's, are still available even though they are last gen.

I'd recommend you buy an Intel Core i3 3250 which is a dualcore CPU that runs a clockspeed of 3,5 gigahertz. If you have the cash you could a cheap i5 CPU such as the i5 3330, i5 3340 or i5 3350p depending on which is cheapest in your country.
Share
February 24, 2014 6:40:04 AM

Xiembeest said:
That gpu is definetly bottlenecking that cpu. But all is not lost. The CPU sits in a socket 1155 motherboard. These, and the matching cpu's, are still available even though they are last gen.

I'd recommend you buy an Intel Core i3 3250 which is a dualcore CPU that runs a clockspeed of 3,5 gigahertz. If you have the cash you could a cheap i5 CPU such as the i5 3330, i5 3340 or i5 3350p depending on which is cheapest in your country.


Thanks for this brother. Although, for the mean time, do you think that downgrading my OS to Windows 7 would do me any good?
m
0
l
Related resources
a b à CPUs
February 24, 2014 7:02:32 AM

etnonloquaris said:
Xiembeest said:
That gpu is definetly bottlenecking that cpu. But all is not lost. The CPU sits in a socket 1155 motherboard. These, and the matching cpu's, are still available even though they are last gen.

I'd recommend you buy an Intel Core i3 3250 which is a dualcore CPU that runs a clockspeed of 3,5 gigahertz. If you have the cash you could a cheap i5 CPU such as the i5 3330, i5 3340 or i5 3350p depending on which is cheapest in your country.


Thanks for this brother. Although, for the mean time, do you think that downgrading my OS to Windows 7 would do me any good?


Windows 8 does make for lower framerates than Windows 7 in general, it usually benefits the framerate as far as I know.
m
0
l
a b à CPUs
February 24, 2014 7:28:21 AM

I bet it is the other way - video is the bottleneck.
To be sure - use a video tweak utility - I have used MSI Afterburner.
Run the afterburner and open Windows task manager on Performance tab.
If you can run any of the games windowed then observe CPU load (in Task manager) and GPU load in Afterburner.
Whichever load is higher - it is the component that bottlenecks the system.
If you can not run the games windowed - start it fullscreen and play until it becomes laggy. Then minimize the game and check the CPU and GPU graphs.
m
0
l
February 24, 2014 7:39:03 AM

Nikola Aslanov said:
I bet it is the other way - video is the bottleneck.
To be sure - use a video tweak utility - I have used MSI Afterburner.
Run the afterburner and open Windows task manager on Performance tab.
If you can run any of the games windowed then observe CPU load (in Task manager) and GPU load in Afterburner.
Whichever load is higher - it is the component that bottlenecks the system.
If you can not run the games windowed - start it fullscreen and play until it becomes laggy. Then minimize the game and check the CPU and GPU graphs.


I've tried playing Skyrim in Windowed Mode so that I can check the CPU Performance on Task Manager. As the game further loads to the main part of it, the CPU performance blasted off to around 50% and above. I doubt that it's the GPU brother. The GPU is a bit modern, needless to say, it is at least 2 GB.
m
0
l
a b à CPUs
February 24, 2014 7:45:49 AM

I'd spend 10-15minutes trying the afterburner before spending the money. So I can check the GPU load.
50% is not a high load, high load is above 90%.
640 is relatively recent but not extremely good.
I bet it is a DDR3 model (which is slower than the GDDR5). I like to bet and usually win. ;) 
But - your money, your call.
m
0
l
a b à CPUs
February 24, 2014 7:50:42 AM

Actually I believe it is your CPU AND your GPU. The 640 gets about 30fps at 1080p high and the Pentium 630 gets about 30fps at high. Try lowering it to a mix of high and medium and you should get better performance. Otherwise I believe you would need a new CPU and new GPU
m
0
l
February 24, 2014 8:31:22 AM

I tried running Skyrim on the lowest graphic option possible, but still to no avail. Also, I tried running it with a low resolution (800x600), and still, the same slow FPS goes.

I'm thinking that if it's a GPU issue, then I should at least be able to get a decent speed using a the lowest settings possible.
m
0
l
a b à CPUs
February 24, 2014 8:44:39 AM

I know someone with a laptop that has an i7 cpu and gt 640m gpu that is able to run Skyrim on medium to high settings, you can't just put a high end graphics card next to a slow cpu and expect to perform optimal.
m
0
l
February 24, 2014 8:49:08 AM

Xiembeest said:
I know someone with a laptop that has an i7 cpu and gt 640m gpu that is able to run Skyrim on medium to high settings, you can't just put a high end graphics card next to a slow cpu and expect to perform optimal.


I guess your right buddy. And actually, I think I saw a justification as to why I get around 10-20 FPS with Skyrim. Here's what I saw on GeForce's article about Skyrim.

"The graph shows that progressively higher resolutions will reduce your FPS, but not necessarily by as much as you will experience in other games. This is because Skyrim is a CPU-limited game, and if you have a low-end CPU and a relatively powerful GPU, then altering resolution may not have much of an impact on overall performance."

Source: http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/the-elder-scrol...

Well, thanks anyway buddy. :-)
m
0
l
a b à CPUs
February 24, 2014 9:14:29 AM

No problem! Select best answer if you feel like it.
m
0
l
February 25, 2014 12:57:02 AM

Today, I cleaned my CPU, inside-out. I made sure that all the fans are cleaned properly as well, removing all the obstructing dust that makes them inefficient and ineffective. After doing so, I tried running PCSX2 and Skyrim, and both applications gave me around 60 FPS. I think I know what's happening.

The CPU itself is overheating, to the the point that the CPU's performance is already being affected. I also realized that the Thermal Paste between the CPU and the fan had already run dry.

I guess I'll make it a habit to clean my CPU every so often, to ensure that the fans aren't obstructed, making them fully capable of keeping the CPU at a functional temperature.

Thank you for all your insights everyone.
m
0
l
!