The CPU and GPU Debate

[Viruskiller101]

i have a laptop with a intel core i7-2630qm and nvidia gt 525m and a really old desktop computer that has gone through some upgrades so right now it has intel core 2 (im not sure if its a duo or not because it doesnt say intel core 2 duo) and a nvidia gtx 750. my laptop can run games like battlefield 4 and battlefield hardline beta at low settings and battlefield 3 at medium settings. my desktop can barely even run battlefield 4 and i don't know why because i thought the gtx 750 is supposed to be a more superior graphics card then the gt 525m. all drivers for the graphics card are up to date. i am trying to build a better gaming pc but it turns out its still worse than my laptop. is it because of a worse cpu in the desktop or is it because of the extra integrated gpu in the intel core i7 to boost that nvidia gt 525m? do i need a better cpu for my desktop because i think the cpu does most of the work in games like battlefield 3 and 4. maybe it might be a 32-bit difference and 64-bit difference because my laptop it a 64-bit windows 7 home premium and my desktop is a 32-bit windows 7 ultimate.

Please answer like your answering to a newbie at hardware and software stuff because i am not understanding a few of the answers.

 

[huilun02]

Its probably due to the weaksauce Dual Core processor, and 32-bit systems unable to use more than ~3.5GB of total RAM makes it worse.

If you want to upgrade your desktop, change both the processor and board to something more recent, get more RAM (DDR3) and install Win7-64.

 

[okcnaline]

It's both. The GTX 750 is getting old, and the Core 2 Duo is now just weak.

 

[Viruskiller101]

so the graphics card is already relevant just not the cpu and 32-bit OS

 

[Viruskiller101]

oh wow gtx 750 is getting old but i thought it was supposed to be better than gt 525m

 

[photonboy]

1) You don't state what CPU you have in the desktop but for multiplayer in BF4 you need a good 4-core. I'd recommend at minimum an FX-6350 for AMD or 4-core 2nd gen Intel (i5-2xxx) or newer.

CPU-Z can help you find out your exact CPU model.

2) 64-bit vs 32-bit:
Assuming you have a 1GB GTX750 (which may not be enough VRAM either) you only will have about 2.8GB of System RAM even if you have more installed. Windows can only address 4GB so it subtracts the video memory, some minor other things and you end up with 2.8GB. If you have 4GB installed you'll still only use 2.8GB of that (roughly).

Windows will then likely eat up about a THIRD of that after the game starts and it buffers some things back to the hard drive but I'm not sure you'd have enough System RAM other.

So...

Your unknown CPU may be problematic and both your Video and System memory are likely too low.

Other:
The iGPU on your laptop does not work at the same time as the NVidia GPU. It's used for non-gaming generally to save power. There should be "Optimus" software that switches to use the NVidia GPU instead. Note that sometimes programs run on the Intel GPU instead because they aren't on the list (but could be if manually added).

 

[okcnaline]

The GTX 750 is getting old, but the GT 525M is nearly useless. In PassMark benchmark, it's nearly the same as the iGPU you and me have (Intel HD 3000). The only worthy thing on GT 525M is PhysX. For me it plays on low and has like ~10 FPS. For you the GPU may have shadows.

 

[Viruskiller101]

what unknown cpu? the core 2 is just really old and sorry i am not at home right now i will try to get the full specs of both pcs soon

 

[Viruskiller101]

i am getting confused, if the gt 525m is useless why is battlefield 3 and battlefield hardline beta playable?

edit: playable as in about 25 to 30 fps no razor game booster for battlefield hardline beta and no visible frame rate lag in battlefield 3 no razor game booster

 

[photonboy]

what unknown cpu? the core 2 is just really old and sorry i am not at home right now i will try to get the full specs of both pcs soon

No big deal, but knowing the EXACT model makes a huge difference. If it was a 2-core instead of a 4-core for example.

There's a lot of different "core 2" Intel CPU's.

The weakest 2-core versus strongest 4-core DUO model might mean a difference between 10FPS and 30FPS in a setup like this.

It does look like you need to build a COMPLETELY NEW DESKTOP if you want to play any modern games. If possible, I'd try to build around something like THIS (and keep the GTX750 for now if budget is tight):

- i5-4xxx (4th gen Intel CPU)
- 1150 socket motherboard (Z97 for "K" CPU's to overclock)
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz CAS9
- Windows 8.1 64-bit (and Start8 for $5)
etc.

Optionally you can try your luck with "Windows 10 Technical Preview" to save $90 for now.

You may be able to recycle your case, PSU (for now), DVD burner... Quickly guessing I'd say about $500 if you can, and then saving up for a better graphics card later.

UPDATE:
Here's a good link if unaware-> http://pcpartpicker.com/

 

[Viruskiller101]

I'm sorry photonboy, it only says intel core 2 it doesnt say duo or quad etc

 

[huilun02]

Right-click the Computer icon on your desktop or start menu, select Properties.

Now you can see the model of processor it is using.

 

[photonboy]

I'm sorry photonboy, it only says intel core 2 it doesnt say duo or quad etc

No big deal.
I'd say your CPU was definitely your main problem thus bottle necking the GTX750.

System RAM is likely more of an issue than video RAM but it's hard to recommend upgrading your current system. Replacing it makes the most sense.

 

[Viruskiller101]

what unknown cpu? the core 2 is just really old and sorry i am not at home right now i will try to get the full specs of both pcs soon

No big deal, but knowing the EXACT model makes a huge difference. If it was a 2-core instead of a 4-core for example.

There's a lot of different "core 2" Intel CPU's.

The weakest 2-core versus strongest 4-core DUO model might mean a difference between 10FPS and 30FPS in a setup like this.

It does look like you need to build a COMPLETELY NEW DESKTOP if you want to play any modern games. If possible, I'd try to build around something like THIS (and keep the GTX750 for now if budget is tight):

- i5-4xxx (4th gen Intel CPU)
- 1150 socket motherboard (Z97 for "K" CPU's to overclock)
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz CAS9
- Windows 8.1 64-bit
etc.

You may be able to recycle your case, PSU (for now), DVD burner... Quickly guessing I'd say about $500 if you can, and then saving up for a better graphics card later.

from what i can remember, i have 4GB of extra memory installed will that help?

 

[Viruskiller101]

my gtx 750 is from pny it doesnt look like the gtx 750 on the nvidia page just to tell you

 

[huilun02]

...Assuming you have a 1GB GTX750 (which may not be enough VRAM either) you only will have about 2.8GB of System RAM even if you have more installed. Windows can only address 4GB so it subtracts the video memory, some minor other things and you end up with 2.8GB. If you have 4GB installed you'll still only use 2.8GB of that (roughly).

Windows will then likely eat up about a THIRD of that after the game starts and it buffers some things back to the hard drive but I'm not sure you'd have enough System RAM other.

No, adding more RAM to a 32-bit system won't help.

 

[Viruskiller101]

I remembered something else i can run war thunder and minecraft ran really nicely during a play session one time just not battlefield games and planetside 2

 

[Viruskiller101]

what unknown cpu? the core 2 is just really old and sorry i am not at home right now i will try to get the full specs of both pcs soon

No big deal, but knowing the EXACT model makes a huge difference. If it was a 2-core instead of a 4-core for example.

There's a lot of different "core 2" Intel CPU's.

The weakest 2-core versus strongest 4-core DUO model might mean a difference between 10FPS and 30FPS in a setup like this.

It does look like you need to build a COMPLETELY NEW DESKTOP if you want to play any modern games. If possible, I'd try to build around something like THIS (and keep the GTX750 for now if budget is tight):

- i5-4xxx (4th gen Intel CPU)
- 1150 socket motherboard (Z97 for "K" CPU's to overclock)
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866MHz CAS9
- Windows 8.1 64-bit (and Start8 for $5)
etc.

Optionally you can try your luck with "Windows 10 Technical Preview" to save $90 for now.

You may be able to recycle your case, PSU (for now), DVD burner... Quickly guessing I'd say about $500 if you can, and then saving up for a better graphics card later.

UPDATE:
Here's a good link if unaware-> http://pcpartpicker.com/

the cpu i have right now is a intel core 2 cpu 6600 bf4 takes up most of the cpu usage

 

[chenw]

If it is E6600, then yes, that CPU is ancient even by today's standards, I would recommend replacing it.

Now is also as a good time as any to get a new computer, since you will also have stuff like USB3.0, SSD's, 64 bit systems etc., not to mention a better graphics card.

 

[photonboy]

Summary...

1) Your CPU is your main processing bottleneck (not the graphics card).

2) Your lack of System RAM is a major memory issue (about 2.8GB usable with a 1GB video card since using 32-bit Windows). As said, adding more System RAM won't help in 32-bit as it can't be used.

3) There's not much to recommend upgrading. It's really time for a new system.

Other:
If you have a spare hard drive, try getting the Windows 10 64-bit Technical Preview through Microsoft and install that, and a game to see how it runs. Unhook other hard drives before is recommended.

Installing 64-bit Windows 8.1 would help to a certain extent with the memory issue depending on the game but of course that's almost $100 for a system you MAY be upgrading soon. I don't recommend Windows 7 if buying, but I would get Start8.