560ti + q6600 cpu = extremely slow compared to benchmarks

[person101_68]

Hi, I currently have a Gigabyte geforce gtx 560ti soc installed on a dq35jo mobo with a q6600 core 2 quad cpu @ 2.4ghz using Windows 7 64-bit. Compared to various benchmarks I'm seeing, I'm noticing that my fps is a lot slower than what it should be getting at 1920 x 1200 (and yes I do disable all background processes). For example, when I play Modern Warfare Black-ops at maxed out settings with no aa, I get a 25 - 50 fps range, with my average being 32 fps. However, benchmarks done with a modern cpu show the average fps being 114 and the minimum being 91 at 1920 x 1200 WITH 4x AA, even though I'm not using AA at all. (Benchmarks here: http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_560_ti_soc,5.html). Suspicious that my cpu is destroying my fps, I looked for a list of compatible cpu's using intel's compatibility tool on their website. Here is that list: http://processormatch.intel.com/CompDB/SearchResult.aspx?BoardName=dq35jo
My question is what is causing such a slowdown in this case - I'm seeing this in other games, but I don't want to waste your time - this is the most extreme example I could find. Is it my cpu that is doing this or is it my old mobo - could this be bottlenecking even though that this is at a high resolution which should mostly prevent it (1920 X 1200)? If so, what should I do? (I really don't want to overclock my cpu, as I have never done so in my entire life) If I have to upgrade my cpu, would any of those in that compatibility list provide a drastic improvement that would thus alleviate such a drastic fps decrease in comparison with benchmarks done with a modern processor? Do I have to upgrade my mobo and then my cpu to run the game normally, akin or at least a little close to the previously mentioned benchmarks? Is this even normal for others who have this combination of a cpu and a gpu?

Thanks,
a concerned 560 ti owner

 

[wintermint]

I suspect it's your motherboard. 560 ti should be on a PCIe 2.0 x16 not a PCIe x16. This is a good time for you to upgrade your system. For mainly gaming use, the Intel core i3 2100 has the best gaming performance around $125 dollars. You can pair it up with a cheap H61/H67 motherboard. This will be using LGA 1155 by the way. If you have more to spend, I would go for the i5-2500k and P67/Z68. The i5 2400 is a good choice if you don't plan to overclock but the i5-2500k is way better haha.

 

[person101_68]

I suspect it's your motherboard. 560 ti should be on a PCIe 2.0 x16 not a PCIe x16. This is a good time for you to upgrade your system. For mainly gaming use, the Intel core i3 2100 has the best gaming performance around $125 dollars. You can pair it up with a cheap H61/H67 motherboard. This will be using LGA 1155 by the way. If you have more to spend, I would go for the i5-2500k and P67/Z68. The i5 2400 is a good choice if you don't plan to overclock but the i5-2500k is way better haha.

So you don't think its a bottleneck - you think its the fact that a 2.0 card is running on a PCIe 1.0 slot? Would simply upgrading my cpu to the most powerful core 2 quad 9550 solve the problem, or is it solely my mobo doing this? I thought 1.0 and 2.0 speeds don't make that much of a difference, but I may be wrong in this case.

 

[person101_68]

-edit: the q9550s

 

[4745454b]

I don't think its the board at all. A stock Q6600 simply can't provide faster GPUs data fast enough for them to run flat out. Try OCing your Q6600 to 3.2GHz and look for any improvement.

 

[wrazor]

So you don't think its a bottleneck - you think its the fact that a 2.0 card is running on a PCIe 1.0 slot? Would simply upgrading my cpu to the most powerful core 2 quad 9550 solve the problem, or is it solely my mobo doing this? I thought 1.0 and 2.0 speeds don't make that much of a difference, but I may be wrong in this case.

wintermint is correct here, and its the pcie slot indeed. Your q6600 is quite a decent cpu(on par with almost phii 955), so its your card. You can do one thing though. Return your current GPU and get a pcie 1.1 card. Nevermind, i just checked newegg and they dont have any decent cards with 1.1 or 1.0 notations. The least is the 2.0 now. I guess, if dont want a complete system overhaul, you could buy a new mobo for that cpu. But as wintermint correctly pointed out, a completely new system will do you more good. Plus, q6600 will still fetch you decent wonga on ebay i think. GL.

 

[person101_68]

so pcie 1.0 vs. 2.0 really makes that much of a difference?

 

[person101_68]

If the slot makes that much of a difference (still don't know if it's that that is degrading my performance so badly)does anybody have any suggestions for motherboards that support the q6600 and the i5 and i7 series, but are cheap, allow for sli and have the 2.0 or up pcie x16 slots then? I'm looking at the 100 - 200 budget here.

 

[clonazepam]

You could keep all of your existing hardware except replace the motherboard.

You could search for the asus p5n-d motherboard. Here's a link to a refurbished unit for $70 -

http://computerpartsdirect.us/asus-p5nd-nvidia-750i-daul-sli-775-1333fsb-atx-p-16451.html?zenid=9d339205939eb8c186bb71aad39c15bc

This board will also unlock the full potential of your q6600... allowing overclocks above 3ghz, my q6600 on the asus p5n-d is at 3.6ghz, your mileage may vary.

That's the budget option. If you don't already have an aftermarket cooler, I'd definitely suggest that for overclocking.

It's hard to warrant spending anymore money on your current system.

For best results, the ideal upgrade would be the intel i3 2100-2105 for $130ish, you can find a compatible motherboard for $100 with decent features, and less than $50 for the proper ddr3 ram.

But, like I said, the minimal upgrade of $70 for the p5n-d and a good cpu cooler will really allow you to unlock more performance from what components you already have. You may even be able to find it for less. It just depends how far you want to take the upgrades.

 

[4745454b]

I still disagree.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/charts/index.php?pid=73,76&tid=4

If you can OC it up to 3.2GHz or so you'll see a lot of improvement. Just take the time to see if I'm right. It won't cost you anything. There are no boards that support Qxxx and the I series. They have a completely different socket.

 

[clonazepam]

He's got an old intel board. it probably doesnt allow any overclocking.

Specs for his mobo - http://downloadmirror.intel.com/15038/eng/DQ35JO_TechProdSpec.pdf

Here's some of my experiences with a q6600 and asus p5n-d and gtx 260 and gtx 570.

just played a little black ops. its a cpu bound game.
q6600 @ 3.6ghz - reference gtx 570 - 1920x1080 - 16x AA, all settings maxed - ran
on average 60+. Some dips down to 45, highs in the 90s.

Crysis 2 (dx9) running on the gtx 260, the game didn't really care whether my q6600 was running at 2.4ghz, 3.2ghz, or 3.6ghz - settings - high = 60fps, higher = 45fps, and extreme = 30fps and this stayed pretty constant in heavy battles and very little variance between cpu clocks.

OP needs to list his complete specs - brand, model, etc for all components, bios version, drivers used, etc.

 

[4745454b]

Ahhh, missed the Intel board. If it doesn't allow for OCing perhaps a BSEL Pin mod?

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1287918

If not a new CPU or board will be required.

 

[manu 11]

i previously experimented bsel mod on my e2180,it ran fine for 8 months and then fried.
but if done properly,it worth a try.

 

[swifty_morgan]

4745454 is correct in his first statement. the q6600 can't process fast enough compared to more modern processors. the people who are talking about PCI-E 1.0 vs 2.0 have absolutely NO IDEA what they're talking about.

pay close attention to the hardware being used in the benchmarks.

 

[badtaylorx]

nope.....its only a 560Ti so the limited pci bandwidth will have little effect in this situation.....not much different than running on a pci-e x8 lane......

however if it was a 590 or 6990..............

 

[benski]

so pcie 1.0 vs. 2.0 really makes that much of a difference?

No, absolutely not, it makes no noticable difference.

 

[person101_68]

So, currently, its the cpu thats severely lowering my fps? Would my fps be boosted to the norm by upgrading to a q9650?

 

[person101_68]

No, absolutely not, it makes no noticable difference.

would upgrading to a q9650 be a feasable option for realistically bringing my fps to the norm?

 

[person101_68]

sorry, double post - shouldn't have done that

 

[clonazepam]

A q9650 could be anywhere from $200-$300 new. Or, like I suggested, replacing your motherboard for $70 will allow you to overclock that q6600 to *atleast* 3.0ghz. You could pick up a cooler master hyper 212+ for about $30. That'd put your total investment to $100+/-. The q6600 is still an excellent processor, especially when overclocked. I run my q6600 at 3.6ghz on the asus p5n-d.

Your processor at 2.4ghz is still good for many games. It's still pretty competitive, even at that speed. You want to just boost it up above 3ghz and that'll hold you over in gaming well into next year.

I highly recommend you do not invest anymore than $100 into your current system, and start looking around for a complete swap of cpu, motherboard, ram.

Like intel core i3 (socket 1155), socket 1155 mobo, and ddr3 ram.... or.... look at the AMD alternatives, but compared to an overclocked q6600 it won't be a very big jump.

The Q6600 processor is plenty for most of today's games thanks to console ports. Your example of the CoD black ops isn't a good representation of the available games for pc. It's cpu bound, and run smooth as glass by simply overclocking the q6600.

Don't be affraid to overclock. There's tons of great help here on the boards.

 

[clonazepam]

I've done extensive research comparing the overclocked Q6600 (3.0+ghz) compared to the newer I5-2500k. Even though I'm still running the "slower" DDR2 RAM, clock for clock comparisons and pouring over benchmarks tells me upgrading to the 2500k would probably net me a measly 5-10% gain in performance.

Why doesn't that 5-10% matter to me? In gaming, you only need to hit a minimum frames per second of 30-35 for pretty fluid gameplay. Anything else is icing on the cake. Now that's debatable as all people are not made equally, and some will swear they need atleast 60 fps or it looks bad to them.

I have a q6600. I could easily go spend $200-$300 or more for a better socket 775 processor. I just spent $500 on 2 SSDs instead. Upgrading the q6600 to any other socket 775 processor is a complete waste of money. The supply and demand is such that the price has gone up much higher due to low supply.

Imagine that, if you had $200-$300 for a Q9650, you might get flamed to high heaven because the I5-2500k is around $200, and the I7-2600k is around $300. That's why I see it as pointless to do anything other than overclock your Q6600 for $100 instead of the above.... for now.

I'd also add that spending another $30 on the cooler master hyper 212+ is perfectly fine because you will be able to take that with you, if you should decide on a complete overhaul. It'll support your socket 775 q6600, and any upgrade to sandy bridge or if you go AMD with socket AM3.

 

[4745454b]

For gaming yes, the S775 is still fine provided your system is fast enough. A Q6600 over 3GHz or a Q9550 is fine for gaming. Newer systems are better however for the better power numbers you get, along with faster times when converting video or audio. If its a pure gaming machine the quad S775 is fine. But if you do other things, you'll want something newer.

 

[clonazepam]

Additionally, the OP hasn't listed all the specs. For all we know, he's got a micro-atx case and a small form factor psu. That'd pretty much change all the recommendations, leaning toward a completely new system.

Edit: To the OP, please list all hardware specs from the case down to the last detail.

Overclocking is way more fun and addicting than clicking "Add to Cart". Trust me! ::big grin::

 

[benski]

would upgrading to a q9650 be a feasable option for realistically bringing my fps to the norm?

I would say it's feasable but financially unwise, Q9650s were still close to 300 bucks last time I looked, you can get an i5 2400 and a new motherboard for less than that. The new MB and overclock route mentioned by clonazepam is probably your cheapest option to boost performance. I have yet to see you mention how much ram you have, maybe I just missed it though. Less than 4gb can be a problem with a 64 bit O/S.

 

[person101_68]

Additionally, the OP hasn't listed all the specs. For all we know, he's got a micro-atx case and a small form factor psu. That'd pretty much change all the recommendations, leaning toward a completely new system.

Edit: To the OP, please list all hardware specs from the case down to the last detail.

Overclocking is way more fun and addicting than clicking "Add to Cart". Trust me! ::big grin::

I have a "Centurion 534" - with a 700 watt power supply. Not sure about my cooling system.