Are Dual-core CPU's just not good enough for gaming or is it just me?

[mike2012]

Hey, Mike2012 here. First off a couple specs from my computer:

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core CPU at 3.20 GHZ(2 CPU's)
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7750 1GB GDDR5
RAM: 4GB
HD: 450GB

But for some reason this setup sucks at gaming. Even when using tools like GBoost to close unnecessary background applications.

For instance, let's take Blacklight Retribution for example. I can get 30-40fps maxed out at 1600x900, but the game will be very laggy sometimes. What will happen is I'll be getting a constant 30-40fps and it will DROP into the 20's for a couple seconds sometimes. This is with hardly anything running in the background.

Or Tribes:Ascend. In Tribes:Ascend on Very High at 1280x720 resolution, I can get 60fps most of the times. But sometimes it will dip into the 30's and 40's. It's quite noticable as well.

It's very noticable in Sonic Generations also. In the demo it will run at a CONSTANT 60fps for the most part, but at some parts of the level it will drop into the 40's and 50's, then go back to 60 again.

Same with Mafia II. It will run in the 30's and 40's most of the time at 1600x900 maxed out(No AA). But in certain areas of the demo, it will spike into the 20's.

However, on certain games like Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV, Combat Arms, Devil May Cry 4, The Darkness II and such; I do not have these issues.

So is it a problem with my computer or does my setup really suck for gaming?

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Theres possibly coding issues with the games in question, some are Cpu focussed and others rely on Gpu power to feed things, it may be that the ones you are having issues with are Cpu-bound,
try googling 'XXXgame cpu driven?' or a similar term to find out but i'm willing to bet thats the main cause behind it,
other options would be checking what **Quad** processors your Mobo will support and upgrading that, then your card when you get the funds/time, don't forget to assess whether your Psu will be enough to power the new card though
**Edited to add 'Quad' specification**
Moto

 

[inzone]

The thing with gaming is that the component that is most important is the video card and you don't have a very good one , it is a lower end video card.
Games will only use two or three cores of any cpu and they are not made to take advantage of two cpus.
If you want to improve your fps and game play performance then you will have to get a better video card. A GTX 660Ti for example will greatly increase your fps and game play performance.
Your twp cpu setup is great for raw processing power like when video encoding or 3D modeling and some buisness oriented computing or scientific calculations as in folding.
It may come to pass at some point in time that games will take advantage of a 6 core , 8 core and dual core cpus but that's a ways off.

 

[quilciri]

The 7750 is an entry level gaming card, but still solid.

Dual core CPU's are fine for gaming. The issue is that your CPU is three or four generations old, depending on who you ask (if I'm reading your post correctly, and by pentium dual core, you mean pentium D). It's reaching the end of its useful life as a gaming CPU. A modern dual-core, such as a pentium G850 or an i3-2120, would do well in games.

 

[amgamer29]

Those are hardly considerable as notable hiccups while gaming. Well never the less as said earlier the dual cores are now aging. Also maybe the issue is with the game itself and not your system. Could be many things you know.

 

[gene_11]

those dips in fps is a result of a weak videocard! if u want to game in more fps and higher res with that videocard, u have to lower the details of the game

 

[jaguarskx]

The Radeon HD 7750 is a great graphics card especially considering the amount of performance you are getting with the low power requirements. However, as others have pointed out it is a bit of an entry level gaming card. I would say that for the Radeon HD line up the HD 6670 and 7670 (OEM only and is just the HD 6670 with a new name) are the basic entry level gaming graphic cards. The Radeon HD 7750 is the next step up. It is significantly more powerful than the Radeon HD 6670, but not enough if you are looking to max everything out at 1600 x 900.

To run games at very high or ultra graphic settings for your resolution I would actually recommend the Radeon HD 7850. At 1920x1080 I would recommend at least a Radeon HD 7870.

Simply stated, if you want high quality graphics and high performance, then you are going to have to pay for it.

 

[Jackerytarded]

This might be because you have a small amount of ram. That's the problem I had when I was using 4gb but I upgraded to 8gb and the performance was far better and Ive got similar specs to you.

 

[jeffredo]

You bumped a three year old thread Jack. I sure the OP has probably answered his question or doesn't even have it anymore.