Dota 2: Which PC component is the bottleneck?

[sunnybubblegum]

Hello,

I would like to get into the free-to-play game Dota 2. However, I'm currently only getting about 30 to 40 frames per second on my PC on Medium-Low-ish settings. It's alright, but I'm not feeling that responsiveness I think this game requires.

I'm considering upgrading my graphics card. I'm just wondering if that will do the trick, or if it's my processor that is the bottleneck.

Here are my current PC specs:
AMD Athlon II X4 645, 3.10 GHz Processor
Mushkin 8 GB PC3 Blackline RAM (2 x 4 GB)
500 GB Hard Disk
Nvidia GeForce GT 240 Graphics Card

I would like to play on Ultra settings at 1920 x 1080 at 60 frames per second. If I invested in the Nvidia GeForce GTX 950, would this get me there with my current PC?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ryan_78]

Definitely the GOU like oh my that's a bad one

 

[mdsiu]

That would not likely get you there on Ultra, but Medium to High certainly.

 

[mattji104]

I'm not going to give the best solution, and I'm not the most knowledgable, but I'm almost certain that the GT 240 is struggling extremely hard. I don't know enough to tell you if that processor will bottleneck AFTER upgrading your video card. Literally only based on the following link I think you'll be okay with the 950 if the CPU doesnt bottleneck.

http://www.legitreviews.com/moba-gaming-performance-is-the-nvidia-geforce-gtx-950-worth-it_170988/5

If you want to REALLY get into DoTa, you'll wind up caring more about maximizing your FPS and not the graphics quality, so keep that in mind.

 

[geofelt]

CPU vs. gpu is a perennial question.
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To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You should also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option. You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. Set the number of processors to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
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If you decide on graphics upgrade, make it a sufficiently large jump.
GTX950 would be a big jump.

If you decide on a cpu upgrade, much will depend on the nature of the game.
I see no conclusion as to how single threaded DOTA2 is.
Most games depend on a single fast core for performance.
Few can use more than 2-3 threads.
Your X4-645 has a passmark rating of 3545 and a single thread rating of 1077.
A FX-6300 would be 6344 and 1408 single thread.
The FX-8xxx are better in total, but the single thread rating is still in the 1500 range.
Do not be mislead by task manager showing activity on all threads.
That is just windows spreading the activity over tall available threads.

If single thread performance is what you need, then you are looking at a motherboard change and Intel of some sort.
The i3-6100, for example is 5500, but with a single thread rating of 2102.