Do you need a powerful processor for computer games? Is the processor important for FPS and stability against drawdowns in games? How much does the processor depend on in games?
* There are always pressing questions about what you should pay attention to when choosing a processor, so as not to make a mistake.
Our goal in this article is to describe all the factors affecting processor performance and other operational characteristics.
It's probably no secret that the processor is the main computing unit of a computer. You could even say – the most important part of the computer.
It is he who processes almost all processes and tasks that occur in the computer.
Be it watching videos, music, Internet surfing, writing and reading in memory, processing 3D and video, games. And much more.
Therefore, to choose C central P processor, you should treat it very carefully. It may happen that you decide to install a powerful video card and a processor that does not correspond to its level. In this case, the processor will not reveal the potential of the video card, which will slow down its operation. The processor will be fully loaded and literally boiling, and the video card will wait its turn, working at 60-70% of its capabilities.
That is why, when choosing a balanced computer, Not costs neglect the processor in favor of a powerful video card. The processor power must be enough to unleash the potential of the video card, otherwise it’s just wasted money.
Intel vs. AMD
*catch up forever
Corporation Intel, has enormous human resources and almost inexhaustible finances. Many innovations in the semiconductor industry and new technologies come from this company. Processors and developments Intel, on average by 1-1,5 years ahead of the engineers' achievements AMD. But as you know, you have to pay for the opportunity to have the most modern technologies.
Processor pricing policy Intel, is based both on number of cores, amount of cache, but also on "freshness" of architecture, performance per clockwatt,chip process technology. The meaning of cache memory, the “subtleties of the technical process” and other important characteristics of the processor will be discussed below. For the possession of such technologies as well as a free frequency multiplier, you will also have to pay an additional amount.
Company AMD, unlike the company Intel, strives for the availability of its processors for the end consumer and for a competent pricing policy.
One could even say that AMD– « People's stamp" In its price tags you will find what you need at a very attractive price. Usually a year after the company has a new technology Intel, an analogue of technology appears from AMD. If you are not chasing the highest performance and pay more attention to the price tag than to the availability of advanced technologies, then the company's products AMD– just for you.
Price policy AMD, is based more on the number of cores and very little on the amount of cache memory and the presence of architectural improvements. In some cases, for the opportunity to have third-level cache memory, you will have to pay a little extra ( Phenom has a 3 level cache memory, Athlon content with only limited, level 2). But sometimes AMD spoils his fans possibility to unlock cheaper processors to more expensive ones. You can unlock the cores or cache memory. Improve Athlon before Phenom. This is possible thanks to the modular architecture and the lack of some cheaper models, AMD simply disables some blocks on the chip of more expensive ones (software).
Cores– remain practically unchanged, only their number differs (true for processors 2006-2011 years). Due to the modularity of its processors, the company does an excellent job of selling rejected chips, which, when some blocks are turned off, become a processor from a less productive line.
The company has been working for many years on a completely new architecture under the code name Bulldozer, but at the time of release in 2011 year, the new processors did not show the best performance. AMD I blamed the operating systems for not understanding the architectural features of dual cores and “other multithreading.”
According to company representatives, you should wait for special fixes and patches to experience the full performance of these processors. However, at the beginning 2012 year, company representatives postponed the release of an update to support the architecture Bulldozer for the second half of the year.
Processor frequency, number of cores, multi-threading.
During times Pentium 4 and before him - CPU frequency, was the main processor performance factor when selecting a processor.
This is not surprising, because processor architectures were specially developed to achieve high frequencies, and this was especially reflected in the processor Pentium 4 on architecture NetBurst. High frequency was not effective with the long pipeline that was used in the architecture. Even Athlon XP frequency 2GHz, in terms of productivity was higher than Pentium 4 c 2.4 GHz. So it was pure marketing. After this error, the company Intel realized my mistakes and returned to the side of good I started working not on the frequency component, but on performance per clock. From architecture NetBurst I had to refuse.
What same for us gives multi-core?
Quad-core processor with frequency 2.4 GHz, in multi-threaded applications, will theoretically be the approximate equivalent of a single-core processor with a frequency 9.6 GHz or 2-core processor with frequency 4.8 GHz. But that's only in theory. Practically However, two dual-core processors in a two-socket motherboard will be faster than one 4-core processor at the same operating frequency. Bus speed limitations and memory latency take their toll.
* subject to the same architecture and amount of cache memory
Multi-core makes it possible to perform instructions and calculations in parts. For example, you need to perform three arithmetic operations. The first two are executed on each of the processor cores and the results are added to the cache memory, where the next action can be performed with them by any of the free cores. The system is very flexible, but without proper optimization it may not work. Therefore, optimization for multi-cores is very important for processor architecture in an OS environment.
Applications that "love" and use multithreading: archivers, video players and encoders, antiviruses, defragmenter programs, graphic editor, browsers, Flash.
Also, “lovers” of multithreading include such operating systems as Windows 7 And Windows Vista, as well as many OS kernel based Linux, which work noticeably faster with a multi-core processor.
Most games, sometimes a 2-core processor at a high frequency is quite enough. Now, however, more and more games are being released that are designed for multi-threading. Take at least these SandBox games like GTA 4 or Prototype, in which on a 2-core processor with a frequency lower 2.6 GHz– you don’t feel comfortable, the frame rate drops below 30 frames per second. Although in this case, most likely the reason for such incidents is “weak” optimization of games, lack of time or “indirect” hands of those who transferred games from consoles to PC.
When buying a new processor for gaming, you should now pay attention to processors with 4 or more cores. But still, you should not neglect 2-core processors from the “upper category”. In some games, these processors sometimes feel better than some multi-core ones.
Processor cache memory.
is a dedicated area of the processor chip in which intermediate data between processor cores, RAM and other buses is processed and stored.
It runs at a very high clock speed (usually at the frequency of the processor itself), has very high bandwidth and the processor cores work directly with it ( L1).
Because of her shortage, the processor can be idle in time-consuming tasks, waiting for new data to arrive in the cache for processing. Also cache memory serves for records of frequently repeated data, which, if necessary, can be quickly restored without unnecessary calculations, without forcing the processor to waste time on them again.
Performance is also enhanced by the fact that the cache memory is unified, and all cores can equally use data from it. This provides additional opportunities for multi-threaded optimization.
This technique is now used for Level 3 cache. For processors Intel there were processors with unified level 2 cache memory ( C2D E 7***,E 8***), thanks to which this method appeared to increase multi-threaded performance.
When overclocking a processor, the cache memory can become a weak point, preventing the processor from being overclocked beyond its maximum operating frequency without errors. However, the advantage is that it will run at the same frequency as the overclocked processor.
In general, the larger the cache memory, the faster CPU. In which applications exactly?
All applications that use a lot of floating point data, instructions, and threads make heavy use of the cache memory. Cache memory is very popular archivers, video encoders, antiviruses And graphic editor etc.
A large amount of cache memory is favorable games. Especially strategies, auto-simulators, RPGs, SandBox and all games where there are a lot of small details, particles, geometry elements, information flows and physical effects.
Cache memory plays a very important role in unlocking the potential of systems with 2 or more video cards. After all, some part of the load falls on the interaction of processor cores, both among themselves and for working with streams of several video chips. It is in this case that the organization of cache memory is important, and a large 3rd level cache memory is very useful.
Cache memory is always equipped with protection against possible errors ( ECC), if detected, they are corrected. This is very important, because a small error in the memory cache, when processed, can turn into a gigantic, continuous error that will crash the entire system.
Proprietary technologies.
(hyper-threading, HT)–
the technology was first used in processors Pentium 4, but it didn’t always work correctly and often slowed down the processor more than it speeded it up. The reason was that the pipeline was too long and the branch prediction system was not fully developed. Used by the company Intel, there are no analogues of the technology yet, unless you consider it an analogue? what the company’s engineers implemented AMD in architecture Bulldozer.
The principle of the system is that for each physical core, one two computing threads, instead of one. That is, if you have a 4-core processor with HT (Core i 7), then you have virtual threads 8 .
The performance gain is achieved due to the fact that data can enter the pipeline already in the middle of it, and not necessarily at the beginning. If some processor blocks capable of performing this action are idle, they receive the task for execution. The performance gain is not the same as that of real physical cores, but comparable (~50-75%, depending on the type of application). It is quite rare that in some applications, HT negatively affects for performance. This is due to poor optimization of applications for this technology, the inability to understand that there are “virtual” threads and the lack of limiters for the load of threads evenly.
TurboBoost – a very useful technology that increases the operating frequency of the most used processor cores, depending on their load level. It is very useful when the application does not know how to use all 4 cores and loads only one or two, while their operating frequency increases, which partially compensates for performance. The company has an analogue of this technology AMD, is technology Turbo Core.
, 3 dnow! instructions. Designed to speed up the processor in multimedia computing (video, music, 2D/3D graphics, etc.), and also speed up the work of programs such as archivers, programs for working with images and video (with the support of instructions from these programs).
3dnow! – quite old technology AMD, which contains additional instructions for processing multimedia content, in addition to SSE first version.
*Specifically, the ability to stream process single-precision real numbers.
Having the latest version is a big plus; the processor begins to perform certain tasks more efficiently with proper software optimization. Processors AMD have similar names, but slightly different.
* Example - SSE 4.1(Intel) - SSE 4A(AMD).
In addition, these instruction sets are not identical. These are analogues with slight differences.
Cool'n'Quiet, SpeedStep CoolCore Enchanted Half State(C1E) AndT. d.
These technologies, at low loads, reduce the processor frequency by reducing the multiplier and core voltage, disabling part of the cache, etc. This allows the processor to heat up much less, consume less energy, and make less noise. If power is needed, the processor will return to its normal state in a split second. On standard settings Bios They are almost always turned on; if desired, they can be disabled to reduce possible “freezes” when switching in 3D games.
Some of these technologies control the rotation speed of fans in the system. For example, if the processor does not need increased heat dissipation and is not loaded, the processor fan speed is reduced ( AMD Cool'n'Quiet, Intel Speed Step).
Intel Virtualization Technology And AMD Virtualization.
These hardware technologies make it possible, using special programs, to run several operating systems at once, without any significant loss in performance. It is also used for the proper operation of servers, because often more than one OS is installed on them.
Execute Disable Bit AndNo eXecute Bit – technology designed to protect a computer from virus attacks and software errors that can cause the system to crash through buffer overflow.
Intel 64 , AMD 64 , EM 64 T – this technology allows the processor to work both in an OS with a 32-bit architecture and in an OS with a 64-bit architecture. System 64 bit– from the point of view of benefits, for the average user it differs in that this system can use more than 3.25GB of RAM. On 32-bit systems, use b O A larger amount of RAM is not possible due to the limited amount of addressable memory*.
Most applications with 32-bit architecture can be run on a system with a 64-bit OS.
* What can you do if back in 1985, no one could even think about such gigantic, by the standards of that time, volumes of RAM.
Additionally.
A few words about.
This point is worth paying close attention to. The thinner the technical process, the less energy the processor consumes and, as a result, the less it heats up. And among other things, it has a higher safety margin for overclocking.
The more refined the technical process, the more you can “wrap” in a chip (and not only) and increase the capabilities of the processor. Heat dissipation and power consumption are also reduced proportionally, due to lower current losses and a reduction in core area. You can notice a tendency that with each new generation of the same architecture on a new technological process, energy consumption also increases, but this is not the case. It’s just that manufacturers are moving towards even greater productivity and are stepping beyond the heat dissipation line of the previous generation of processors due to an increase in the number of transistors, which is not proportional to the reduction in the technical process.
Built into the processor.
If you don't need a built-in video core, then you shouldn't buy a processor with it. You will only get worse heat dissipation, extra heating (not always), worse overclocking potential (not always), and overpaid money.
In addition, those cores that are built into the processor are only suitable for loading the OS, surfing the Internet and watching videos (and not of any quality).
Market trends are still changing and the opportunity to buy a powerful processor from Intel Without a video core, it drops out less and less. The policy of forced imposition of the built-in video core appeared with processors Intel under the code name Sandy Bridge, the main innovation of which was the built-in core on the same technical process. The video core is located together with processor on one chip, and not as simple as in previous generations of processors Intel. For those who do not use it, there are disadvantages in the form of some overpayment for the processor, the displacement of the heating source relative to the center of the heat distribution cover. However, there are also advantages. Disabled video core, can be used for very fast video encoding technology Quick Sync coupled with special software that supports this technology. In future, Intel promises to expand the horizons of using the built-in video core for parallel computing.
Sockets for processors. Platform lifespan.
Intel has harsh policies for its platforms. The lifespan of each (the start and end dates of processor sales for it) usually does not exceed 1.5 - 2 years. In addition, the company has several parallel developing platforms.
Company AMD, has the opposite policy of compatibility. On her platform on AM 3, all future generation processors that support DDR3. Even when the platform reaches AM 3+ and later, either new processors for AM 3, or new processors will be compatible with old motherboards, and it will be possible to make a painless upgrade for your wallet by changing only the processor (without changing the motherboard, RAM, etc.) and flashing the motherboard. The only nuances of incompatibility may arise when changing the type, since a different memory controller built into the processor will be required. So compatibility is limited and not supported by all motherboards. But in general, for a budget-conscious user or for those who are not used to completely changing the platform every 2 years, the choice of a processor manufacturer is clear - this AMD.
CPU cooling.
Comes standard with processor BOX-a new cooler that will simply cope with its task. It is a piece of aluminum with a not very high dispersion area. Efficient coolers with heat pipes and plates attached to them are designed for highly efficient heat dissipation. If you do not want to hear extra noise from the fan, then you should purchase an alternative, more efficient cooler with heat pipes, or a closed or open-type liquid cooling system. Such cooling systems will additionally provide the ability to overclock the processor.
Conclusion.
All important aspects affecting the performance and performance of the processor have been considered. Let's repeat what you should pay attention to:
- Select manufacturer
- Processor architecture
- Technical process
- CPU frequency
- Number of processor cores
- Processor cache size and type
- Technology and instruction support
- High-quality cooling
We hope this material will help you understand and decide on choosing a processor that meets your expectations.
Many players mistakenly consider a powerful video card to be the main thing in games, but this is not entirely true. Of course, many graphics settings do not affect the CPU in any way, but only affect the graphics card, but this does not change the fact that the processor is not used in any way during the game. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the principle of CPU operation in games, tell you why a powerful device is needed and its impact in games.
As you know, the CPU transmits commands from external devices to the system, performs operations and transfers data. The speed of execution of operations depends on the number of cores and other characteristics of the processor. All its functions are actively used when you turn on any game. Let's take a closer look at a few simple examples:
Processing user commands
Almost all games use externally connected peripherals in some way, be it a keyboard or a mouse. They control vehicles, characters or certain objects. The processor receives commands from the player and transmits them to the program itself, where the programmed action is performed with virtually no delay.
This task is one of the largest and most complex. Therefore, there is often a delay in response when moving if the game does not have enough processor power. This does not affect the number of frames in any way, but it is almost impossible to control.
Generating random objects
Many items in games do not always appear in the same place. Let's take as an example the usual garbage in the game GTA 5. The game engine, using the processor, decides to generate an object at a certain time in a specified location.
That is, objects are not random at all, but they are created according to certain algorithms thanks to the computing power of the processor. In addition, it is worth considering the presence of a large number of different random objects; the engine transmits instructions to the processor what exactly needs to be generated. From this it turns out that a more diverse world with a large number of non-persistent objects requires high CPU power to generate what is needed.
NPC behavior
Let's look at this parameter using the example of open-world games, so it will be more clear. NPCs are all characters that are not controlled by the player, they are programmed to do certain actions when certain stimuli appear. For example, if you open fire from a weapon in GTA 5, the crowd will simply scatter in different directions; they will not perform individual actions, because this requires a large amount of processor resources.
In addition, in open-world games, random events never occur that the main character does not see. For example, on a sports ground, no one will play football if you don’t see it and are standing around the corner. Everything revolves only around the main character. The engine will not do anything that we cannot see due to its location in the game.
Objects and environment
The processor needs to calculate the distance to objects, their beginning and end, generate all the data and transfer it to the video card for display. A separate task is the calculation of contacting objects; this requires additional resources. Next, the video card gets to work with the built environment and finalizes small details. Due to weak CPU power in games, sometimes objects do not fully load, the road disappears, and buildings remain boxes. In some cases, the game simply stops for a while to generate the environment.
Then everything depends only on the engine. In some games, the deformation of cars and the simulation of wind, fur and grass are performed by video cards. This significantly reduces the load on the processor. Sometimes it happens that these actions need to be performed by the processor, which is why frame drops and freezes occur. If particles: sparks, flashes, water sparkles are executed by the CPU, then most likely they have a certain algorithm. The fragments from a broken window always fall the same way, and so on.
What settings in games affect the processor?
Let's look at a few modern games and find out which graphics settings affect the processor. Four games developed on our own engines will participate in the tests, this will help make the test more objective. To make the tests as objective as possible, we used a video card that these games did not load 100%, this will make the tests more objective. We will measure changes in the same scenes using an overlay from the FPS Monitor program.
GTA 5
Changing the number of particles, texture quality and lowering the resolution do not improve CPU performance in any way. The increase in frames is visible only after reducing the population and rendering distance to a minimum. There is no need to change all settings to a minimum, since in GTA 5 almost all processes are taken over by the video card.
By reducing the population, we have reduced the number of objects with complex logic, and the draw distance has reduced the total number of displayed objects that we see in the game. That is, now buildings do not take on the appearance of boxes when we are away from them, the buildings are simply absent.
Watch Dogs 2
Post-processing effects such as depth of field, blur, and cross-section did not increase the number of frames per second. However, we got a slight increase after lowering the shadow and particle settings.
In addition, a slight improvement in the smoothness of the picture was obtained after lowering the relief and geometry to minimum values. Reducing the screen resolution did not give any positive results. If you reduce all the values to the minimum, you will get exactly the same effect as lowering the shadow and particle settings, so there is not much point in doing so.
Crysis 3
Crysis 3 is still one of the most demanding computer games. It was developed on its own CryEngine 3 engine, so it is worth taking into account that the settings that affected the smoothness of the image may not give the same result in other games.
Minimum settings for objects and particles significantly increased the minimum FPS, but drawdowns were still present. In addition, performance in the game was affected after reducing the quality of shadows and water. Reducing all graphics parameters to the minimum helped to get rid of sudden drawdowns, but this had virtually no effect on the smoothness of the picture.
22.10.2015 16:55
Not just reviews. This is exactly how we should start today’s article, which will become another useful link in our “” section, in which we rarely, but still, conduct research not on specific products, but on the useful capabilities that such devices carry.
The test results obtained eloquently indicate that there is no need to install a powerful processor in a home gaming system.
We remember about three key devices in a personal computer that every gamer needs: processor, RAM and video card. Now the IT world is moving towards reducing power and miniaturizing PCs, but powerful systems and productive games have not yet been canceled. Which means inherent in every enthusiast collection rules competent machines will live for a long time.
Everyone knows that the key PC component that affects the number of frames per second in any gaming application is the video adapter. The more powerful it is, the greater the resolution and detail of the picture the user can afford. Everything here is more or less simple.
Everything is also clear with RAM, because its quantity, and even its frequency (in almost 100% of cases), do not in any way affect the game fps. gold standard today it is 8 GB, but we dare to assure you that 4 GB is quite enough to run your favorite games.
It's much more important to have more videos in 2015 brains(and here 4 GB is no longer enough, especially for ).
And finally heart of the system- a processor that can do so much and mean so much, but still remains somewhat dark theme for players.
Two, four or six cores; three, four or still two and a half gigahertz? There are enough questions for the CPU (and then there’s the notorious unlocking potential powerful video cards), but not many answers are given in the media; the most important thing is that they do not pop up as often as users demand.
Everyone knows that the key PC component that affects the number of frames per second in any gaming application is the video adapter.
What processor is needed for modern games? And what video card should I choose for it? This is what we decided to look into.
Participants of today's answers to questions Intel processors of different generations (fourth, fifth and sixth) became available. Why are there no devices from AMD? Yes, because AMD itself is practically gone. Do you remember the last time this company released high-performance desktop processors? We remind you that this was in 2011, Bulldozer architecture (AMD K11) at 32 nm. We are promised AMD Zen () in 2016, but can we trust the meager information available? Time will show.
So, we have three different processors, three different platforms and three different sockets (even memory standards vary).
There is reason to believe that even Intel Core i3 processors with 4 MB of cache and Hyper-Threading technology will be enough for any gaming applications.
However, we have one video card for all systems - the key aspect of today's testing, which levels all three platforms with each other, giving the desired answer in the title. And it is she who will have to process the image in all test games.
The screen resolution in applications is Full HD (perhaps this is still the most popular and standard format for displaying game images). Graphics quality settings are maximum.
For the purity of the experiments, each of the processors was even overclocked in order to reflect in even more detail the influence of CPU power on the final frame/s (or the lack of this influence). Although after the first results it became obvious that there was no point in overclocking, and it turned out to be impossible.
Test stand:
First system:
Second system:
Third system:
The test results obtained eloquently indicate that there is no need to install a powerful processor in a home gaming system. Additional physical cores are of no use, as is the clock speed (which negates the open multiplier in processors with the “K” suffix for the stated purpose). The key factor is still the video card.
As you can see, one of the most powerful single-chip adapters is capable of to uncover even the initial series Intel Core i5. Indeed, you can observe some difference in fps between an overclocked processor and a default one or a six-core and a four-core one, but in all games and benchmarks it does not exceed 15%. The only exception was the game GTA V (this line has always been famous for its extreme processor dependence), but even in it 50-60 frames/s is enough for anyone gaming maniac. There are hardly any users who can notice the difference by eye between 70 and 100 fps.
There is reason to believe that even Intel Core i3 processors with 4 MB of cache and Hyper-Threading technology will be enough for any gaming applications. The situation is somewhat reminiscent of a combination with two adapters, the use of which is practically not noticeable compared to a single, but powerful 3D accelerator, but there is more than enough hassle with setting up.
Games are not tasks where quantity is important; optimization and the developers’ ideas are more important here (as a rule, they try to target their products to the widest possible audience of users, including those with weak systems).
If you are a gamer and still face the dilemma of choosing the right processor, do not rush to spend hundreds of extra dollars on a powerful CPU (and especially with an unlocked multiplier). Better take a closer look at a more powerful video card or a functional motherboard. Such a purchase will make much more sense.
ASUS STRIX GTX 980 Ti in all cases
For ease of understanding, we can understand FPS as FPS output by a processor with an infinitely powerful video card and FPS output by a video card with an infinitely powerful processor. in all cases, FPS is objectively finite and limited by the weakened part.
further then-yes. microfreezes and wet freezes can come from the processor part. Macro friezes are already true, either the PSL Express controller cannot push the video card or from the memory subsystem, micro friezes are common due to the fact that there are few cores-threads or the game is optimized for few threads and the power of the cores is not enough. Naturally, problems can also arise from the video card, but the usual picture with a weak processor and a good card is that the game gradually loses FPS until it slows down.
For clarity, if we take GTA 5, which I had the pleasure of testing with Pek-Pek AMD fx6100 and Zhifors 690 (with the exception of video memory dependence) at 1600x1200, the processor can run the game in a year densely populated with machines up to 25fps and probably lower. however, if you go out of town you can actually get around 50-60 fps. Posons usually had a diametrically opposite picture, since outside the city there is graphon and grass, which creates a load on the video card and the pitch balance is shifted towards the GPU.
is fx 8300 enough? and does the RAM frequency affect games or not?
with 970 and 1080p resolution, such a combination will be quite balanced (even I would say tending to a deficit in GPU performance with the correct selection of components for the processor) in games starting from 15-16 years old if one strives to set the maximum settings. since the performance of 970 is usually 30 fps
If you answer how RAM affects FPS - it affects 2 channels to a greater extent than the memory frequency in a single channel. For the default frequency of fx 8300, 2x 1333 memory will be enough. Then proceeding to overclocking that a separate topic with 2-channel memory may require 1600 or faster memory. maybe in the sense that after about 3.8-4 GHz AMD will start cranking with 1333 memory, giving out FPS less than it could and with increasing frequency the cuckoo coefficient will increase
I would call a normal solution to take this fuyx with a normal full-size motherboard and drive it up to 4.-4.4 GHz without a turbo with an increase in the NT multiplier. Such performance, in principle, will be enough for most modern assassin-type players up to 30 fps and will ensure the expansion of cards up to about 1080 or 1080 if we consider it with a margin.
With old processors, in turn, there can be such a curiosity that despite some performance in benchmarks equal to some processor of the new generation - it will be significantly slower and run games somewhere on the verge of being unplayable (and the situation may be the opposite when some 32 the thread processor will, let's say, suck in games of the pastgen era). so I wouldn’t make a reliable forecast of how some very old processor with a normal card will trample and at max speed I wouldn’t do it
