Will CPU Hold Me Back

madmansingh

Distinguished
Sep 9, 2007
10
0
18,510
Hey im thinking about upgrading my vid cards to a 8800GTS/GTX but im not sure if my CPU will hold me back or not my current system is:
FX-57 @ stock but can overclock to about 2.9GHz due to cooling limitation
A8N SLi Deluxe
2Gig DDR333 Ram running in 2.5,3,3,6
2x XFX 7800 GTX XXX edition 490/1300
Asus VW192s 19" Monitor (1440x900)
and a 550W PSU

Ill prob wait until G92 is out and see the price but im wondering if i should upgrade to a dual/quad core now or just upgrade vid card for now.
 

Rolenio

Distinguished
Jul 20, 2007
58
0
18,630
I don't think a single 8800GTS is much faster than a pair of 7800GTX's...
And if you go with SLI again, than CPU will definitely be a bottleneck.

Anyway, no need to rush with upgrades, IMHO.
 

madmansingh

Distinguished
Sep 9, 2007
10
0
18,510
ok thanks just was thinking about it cuz ive got about £600 - £700 Saved up specifically for upgrading but i think ill hang on and just save up more. thanks for your replies.
 

dragonsprayer

Splendid
Jan 3, 2007
3,809
0
22,780
very few games are cpu intesive

only the newest d10 games like cyrsis will have quad ready code - maybe - more the physics the more the cpu is needed

low physics game the cpu is simply a bystander
 
As this chart and others on the net show:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=946&model2=882&chart=423
There really is no cpu that can bottleneck the high-end video cards. And that includes the 8800GTS (1900XTX, 2900XT, 8800GTX, Ultra). But as one already posted, very few games are cpu intesive.
So If you changed the cpu to a QX6850 type (just for example) you get a really big performance boost, as the video card would NOT be the bottleneck (hense the speed increase).
Just look around at benchmarks. Note the cpu being used. Then judge for yourself.