[SOLVED] CPU usage vs GPU usage

[ManOfArc]

This is kind of a dumb question I suppose. But I've often wondered if when I increase the in-game graphics settings, does that increase the usage of the CPU as well as the GPU? Or is all the extra demand strictly on the GPU?
Or maybe my question is too vague?

 

[Aeacus]

Depends on a game, but most of the times, graphical settings are to do with GPU. Still, in some aspects, namely particle tracking, is about CPU.

 

[drea.drechsler]

This is kind of a dumb question I suppose. But I've often wondered if when I increase the in-game graphics settings, does that increase the usage of the CPU as well as the GPU? Or is all the extra demand strictly on the GPU?
Or maybe my question is too vague?

Types of games that are often GPU limited are triple-A games...like CyberPunk, Ghost Recon. Games that are often CPU limited are e-Sports games, sims and turn-based games.

Playing games at high resolution (4k) and (most) settings taxes the GPU greater than CPU. e-Sports games are often played at low setting, even low resolutions in some cases, to attain super-high FPS and that taxes the CPU even more.

 

[ManOfArc]

So then it's safe to say that any time I increase the in-game graphics settings, the CPU will see some increase in usage... from minimal to somewhat severe, am I understanding that correctly? And that it depends on which graphics setting are being increased.

 

[drea.drechsler]

So then it's safe to say that any time I increase the in-game graphics settings, the CPU will see some increase in usage... from minimal to somewhat severe, am I understanding that correctly? And that it depends on which graphics setting are being increased.

I would say the opposite. Since increasing in-game graphics settings (something like enabling ray tracing where it was disabled before) should put a greater load on the GPU so it can't render frames as fast as the CPU prepares them. Therefore the rate at which the CPU gets frames to prepare must go down, reducing its load.

All that assumes an "everything else remains the same" scenario with a graphics setting change, I'm pretty sure there are some settings where that's not the case.