cpu cache effects on high resolution gaming

[windie]

Hi. Just googling around and I read that at lower resolution gaming for eg are more cpu bound. From my understanding that means the more cache the better?

How about at higher resolutions like 1920x1200 +. For sure games are extremely gpu bound so cache wont play a big factor (like hardly any differnce between say 3mb cache and 6mb? Just looking for some general answers from experience. thanks.

 

[blashyrkh]

Hello mate. You have to take your facts straight. Low resolution gaming is indeed CPU bound and there is a simple explanation for this. When gaming at low rez, due to the low complexity of the graphics the GPU has to calculate, it finishes, for example, passing over a texture much much faster than doing the same for a texture of higher rez. That means it finishes the job faster and then sits and waits for the next data from the CPU. In this state, the GPU calculates faster than the CPU and hence, the performance of the game depends on the raw CPU power you have. When gaming in high rez, it's the other way around. The CPU has to wait for the GPU to finish doing complex calculations and hence, the performance of the game depends on how strong your GPU is.
Now, about the different cache sizes. You can google around and you'll definitely find articles comparing the performance of a coreduo (i.e the 2180 which runs at 2.2Ghz i think) overclocked, with a high model coreduo at the same speed (i.e. a 8300 which runs at 3,2Ghz i think).
If you have the 2180 OCed at 3,2; when compared to the 8300 running at its normal speed (3,2Ghz), the difference in performance is something like 5%. The internal CPU cache makes some difference depending on what programs you run (not much difference in games though) but generally it's not much of a difference.

I hope you understood what i'm trying to say.

 

[Pico_w]

Is this what you are looking for?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclocking-core-2-E7200,2072.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cache-size-matter,1709.html

 

[malveaux]

Heya,

He's asking about cache fellas, not just the CPU's core speed. Essentially, he wants to know if he needs to get a 12mb cache Q9550, or if he can get by with a cheaper one with only 2mb or 3mb of cache.

The answer is that in gaming, you don't really need a big wig pile of cache on your CPU. You won't see tremendous differences between a high clocked i7 and a high clocked Q9950 in terms of cache in gaming, but rather from the bus pipeline difference and higher clock speed. The cache just didn't even factor in.

This is why you can game on a celeron/sempron so long as you have a good GPU. Cache just doesn't make a huge difference in gaming.

Cache makes a bigger difference, one that you'll feel, using multitasking software in Windows for example.

Cheers,

 

[tenaciousleydead]

blashyrkh: the E2180 and 8300 are based upon different cores and different sized dies, the cache is not the only difference. If you wanted clear results you'd pick up one of the C2D 4xxx line of cpus with up to 2mb's of L2 cache.

 

[windie]

thanks for the replies guys. Much clearer.

 

[Pico_w]

Please read the link I posted.. It has a section that shows how cache affects performance.