System Performance: DX10 Games
Crysis is an excellent system test because its affected by CPU performance, GPU performance, DRAM performance, and even HDD performance (though not so much when an SSD is installed). It’s also the oldest gaming benchmark around to bring modern hardware to its knees.
With memory performance locked in through the use of consistent settings and HDD performance muted through the use of an SSD, Crysis shows the clock-for-clock performance advantage of Intel’s newer CPU. That difference grows smaller at higher resolution due to increased GPU bottlenecking.
Though the frame rates are higher, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 shows a similar performance pattern as Crysis, with the newer CPU pulling ahead when GPU bottlenecks are reduced.