What can i do with a fast CPU?

[str8todamoney]

Other than gaming what else is it useful for. I got an amd phenom ii 970 oc @ 3.9Ghz. What else can i do. What types of programs require fast cpus?

 

[scottiemedic]

IF you have a Hyundai, you can get anywhere, but if you have a Ferrari, you can get there faster, no matter where you are going.
So no matter what program you are using, it is going to work faster with a faster CPU, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, Photoshop, whatever you use...

 

[melikepie]

Other than gaming what else is it useful for. I got an amd phenom ii 970 oc @ 3.9Ghz. What else can i do. What types of programs require fast cpus?

it's just a faster cpu but sadly i think it might be the same as a 2500k but i think you can make it a 6 core?

 

[amuffin]

no^

Anyways, video editing will be faster. 3d Rendering, physics simulation. Programming, etc. etc. etc.

 

[andrew_rs]

You can always run benchmarks and post your results on hobbyist forums.

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

SETI.....

All the best Brett

 

[loneninja]

Folding@Home or other distributed computing
3ds max and other 3d modeling/animating software and rendering
Video encoding
Photo editing with programs like photoshop
compressing/decompressing files and folders
compiling code/programming

There are plenty of reason for a faster computer other than gaming.

 

[Chip in a box]

For most people gaming is the only place they will see the difference and it's not much of a difference at that.

With what most people do on their PC's, the difference between a $100 and $1000 chip is counted in milliseconds.

 

[Anonymous_26]

More like what can't you do with a fast CPU. Anything you decide to do (gaming, fooling around on the internet, work..) wil be done faster over a slower CPU. Like Scottie said:

"IF you have a Hyundai, you can get anywhere, but if you have a Ferrari, you can get there faster, no matter where you are going.
So no matter what program you are using, it is going to work faster with a faster CPU, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, Photoshop, whatever you use..."'


.

 

[bwrlane]

CPU intensive apps like video editing, photo editing, simulation software and modelling run better on a fast CPU. Plus, these apps can fully use all your cores or threads. It's these ones that the phenom 6 core and i7 quad or hex core are especially good at.

But don't underestimate how having a fast CPU makes your whole computer feel faster, more responsive and more of a pleasure to use, and what a difference this makes.

My desktop has has an i7 2700k which I sometimes run at stock and sometimes oc to 4.9. It feels tangibly and perceptibly quicker in general use when overclocked compared with stock.

My laptop has an i7 2630qm which runs 2ghz base, sometimes turboing to 2.8. Now, anyone will tell you this is way overkill for general use but it feels slow compared with the desktop, even though they both have a fast ssd and 8 gb ram.

Its interesting to see that since getting an ssd, all 8 threads of the i7s are maxed for the first few seconds as the os is loading, suggesting that boot times can be CPU limited, even with a fast CPU.

Actually games are one area where you don't need a particularly fast CPU. Most games are GPU limited even with the most powerful sli setups.