The Game Rundown: Finding CPU/GPU Bottlenecks, Part 2

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We're back with Part 2 of our bottleneck exploration in a mainstream gaming PC equipped with a Core i5 and GeForce GTX 460, ready to dive into test results from ten additional games. All of the results are summarized and analyzed in our conclusion.

Game Loading Times

Why you should switch to a powerful multi-core CPU? Loading times could be one reason. Differences can be quite significant, and the more complex a game is, the more impact the CPU has. The shorter the bar in our graphs, the faster the game loaded. All numbers are in seconds.

Overclocking the CPU finally has an impact here. And if these charts make you think about memory usage, then keep in mind that a lot of games like GTA 4, Oblivion, and Fallout 3 have an almost open environment that loads on the fly. A multi-core CPU can permanently and constantly speed up this process, leading to a smoother experience. In RTS games like StarCraft II and Supreme Commander 2, frame rate drops due to the loading of new effects are less severe.