2ghz processor enough for newer games?

Is a 2ghz processor enough to play most of the latest games on med - high settings? Games like Prince of Persia, Far Cry 2 and Crysis?

The graphics card will probably be a Nvidia 9600M GS 256 MB RAM (DDR3)

I've heard that processors are usually the chokepoints.

 

I have crysis and far cry 2 and from my experience crysis benefits most from a higher CPU speed. GTA 4 I hear is very processor sapping 2 ghrtz is enough but will struggle. Try system requirements lab, my processor doesn't even qualify as a "recommended" processor for that game!

 

I would recommend getting a faster processor if you're buying a new computer - even if you're not gaming it would be worth it to save a little more money to spend on it.

 

Thanks man, sounds like the CPU is pretty important. 2.86 sounds ridiculously good can't believe it doesnt reach recommended, crazy.
Unfortunately I don't have the laptop yet so cant run it through System Labs, but am planning on buying it next month so was just hoping that it would run well. Do you think Crysis would work on med settings? 30 FPS min? Thanks. If anyone has any ideas on other games like Prince of Persia and Mirrors Edge would be great, thanks.

 

Problem is the longer I keep putting of buying a comp the more tech progresses. I think now is a good time to buy a laptop cos it doesn't seem that there are any significant upgrades in tech in the near future.

 

my processor at stock is only 2.4 ghrtz so thats what the software uses in its analysis, yesh my OC does boost my performance It will run crysis on med settings at 30 fps at a moderate resolution 1200 x 1050 or lower I think, but does depend on your ram etc. As recommended above do try and get a faster processor I advise at least 2.6 ghtz. Have fun

 

It really depends on the games you plan on playing. The processor in my sig was fine when I tried crysis out. Didn't bottleneck me at all. How do I know? When I set my clocks higher on my GPU, my fps increased in proportion to my clock increase (30% higher clocks yielded roughly 30% higher fps at 1024x768). I have the same results when I play Left 4 Dead, and also Mass Effect.

Your system will only run as fast as your slowest component. I think a 2ghz combined with a 9600m gs would be a fine combination.

 

Seen the laptop I want with a 2.26 processor for a bit more...however is that step up worth it? Or will it not really have a big difference? Kind of on a tight budget so anything above 2.26 is usually out of my price range.

 

Thanks Jaydizz...not really knowledgable when it comes to over clocking, though I've heard that it can lead to over heating and hence failing parts...however it sounds like the processor is decent enough for gaming...thanks again

 

Tis fine. A successful OC on your video card will yield good enough results to run everything out there for years. Can you get the 9600M GT would be good step up

 

Actually the laptop I'm looking at the Samsung R560, comes with a 9600M GT as well as 2.26ghz processor however not in the UK, which is annoying. If it will make a difference will definitely look into importing it from somewhere nearby. I thought I would just ask this question here as well...will having a 7200 RPM HDD make a difference in gaming? Thanks.

 

If you are into gaming the GT version makes quite a difference with 500 vs 430 core clock speed, 1250 shader vs 1050. Also 512MB DDR3 will have good performance increase over 256 MB ddr3. I would love one of those in mine if only it would officially supported, maybe just maybe asus will be kind enough to panda to my wishes

 

Haha, alrite sounds good. I was just doing some research and it turns out the Samsung R560 comes in a model with 2.56 processor (DDR3) and 9600GT 512 (DDR3) as well but only in certain countries! the UK sucks.

 

I know hehe I bought mine in the US a year back before coming back to the hole that is britain! How much is the lappie going to set you back?

 

Nice...would ask my friend to get it in Hong Kong, problem is I need to use the installment scheme...cant afford a down payment. Haven't found a price on the high spec on yet...will ask my friend abt it and hopefully will get a price on that in a few days. But the one I'm currently seeing in the UK is 636 pounds.

 

Why dont you get a gateway fx 7811 or something like that,

 

Gateway unavailable in the UK unfortunately.

 

truth is, tech always progresses. it might not seem like there is anything big right around the corner, but a few months from (guaranteed) something big will come out.

buy when you need it, no sooner no later.

if you are serious about gaming, go for sager/clevo and get a desktop replacement type notebook.

have you looked at something along the lines of a dell m1530 or the macbook pro (if money isn't a concern) and you aren't as serious about gaming?

 

I'm serious about gaming, but money is definitely a concern...right now constrained by a budget limit of 700 pounds. Plus prefer smaller laptops (15"). But yea

"buy when you need it, no sooner no later."

is great advice for laptops

 

This also really depends on the game you are playing.

Most games designed for the PC will load the necessary files into the ram, and only access the hard drive at a minimum during gameplay. Therefore, a faster hard drive would mainly affect load times.

Console ports are a different story. Consoles are designed to stream the data off of the disc because of the lack in memory. So, for a poorly optimized console port (and certain game engines designed to do this, UT4 for example), a faster hard drive would mean faster streaming of texture data, and more fluid gameplay.

 

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=results
check this link gives you laptop with T9400 2.53 Ghrtz
2 GB ram 667 (easily upgradable when you get cash) 512 mb 9600M GT etc 775 quid. Great website - configure away

 

Nice find, looks like great value for money. Any idea if their reliable though? Are the computers built solid and how's their after sales service? Thanks, looks like a mint find.
Thanks Jaydizz for the answer, doubt I'll spend the extra dough for a 7200 HDD then.

 

2ghz is enough for my SLI setup so...

 

The above computer can use up to 8 GB of 800 mhz ram. Just wait a year then upgrade from 2 GB to 8GB on the cheap and maybe even get a cheap SSD drive (tonnes better than any spindle drive esp in a year's time), spend extra money on the best processor if anything. If I were you ring them to find out if its the ddr3 card and make sure you have an insurance policy. They seem legit enough.
Good luck and happy shopping

 

a 2GHz core 2 duo won't bottleneck a 9600mGS or GT. Alot of people misinterpret the meaning of a bottleneck. The bottleneck is one component that is limiting the capability of another component. A GPU does not limit the capability of any other component, and therefor cannot be a bottleneck. Getting a faster CPU than that with that GPU won't yield significant results, even twice the CPU speed would probebly have very minimal improvements in games probebly around <5%

 

Having a laptop that can factory OC from 2.26 to 2.5GHz, I can tell you there isn't much of a real difference performance-wise with even a 9800m GS.

Anything in the 2GHz to 2.4GHz range is more than enough and you are better off spending the money you might spend on higher CPUs for a laptop with a better GPU than a 9600m.

Most shooters right now are GPU-limited, not CPU-limited. This is different for strategy games, but almost universally the lower CPU/higher GPU mixes will stomp the high-CPU/mid GPU laptops pretty easily.

This isn't to say a better CPU isn't better, its to say that the best benefit right now is from buying the best GPU you can afford and a reasonable (2GHz+) CPU and upgrading the CPU if necessary in the future.

 

The GPU is more important than the CPU, especially with a lower end video card like the 9600m GS. Now to answer your question: 2GHz should be enough to run most games.
Crysis? hell no. My laptop is an Asus N50 with a t5800 2GHz, 9650m GT, and 4GB DDR2-800. Crysis runs at medium settings, 25 FPS. It dips into the high teens during intense firefights.
the 7200rpm hdd will only help in the loading times, you probably won't see any FPS increase.

 

I see....that's news to me. So even if I had a 2.5ghz processor but still only a 9600GS, I shouldn't really expect to see a big improvement in playability?

 

Yup i had a 120gb @5400 rpm and i upped it to 200gb@7200 rpm. and there was no increase in fps at all. but it helped loading times significantly. by alot. what also increased my fps was upping my ram from 2gb to 4gb. there was a big difference.

 

dondadah, were you running a 64-bit version of windows?

 

Yes i was. I had x86 of vista first. then i changed my hdd and put x64 of vista. there was still no inprovement. but then i upped to 4gb of ram from 2gb of ram and it was all clear(lol).

 

Alrite thanks man. So is it safe to assume that buying a 2.5ghz processor with a 9600M GS GPU would be a waste of money as a 2.0ghz processor with said GPU would perform as well as possible with the 9600M GS?

 

In games you presently won't see a difference. But a faster processor will give you a more fluid OS, also more future proof I think. If gaming is your number one priority then yes save money on CPU and get best ram and GPU, but overall performance won't be quite as future proof.
I wouldn't fret over it, computers become outdated so quickly these days, especially laptops. Good luck with finding a good deal.

 

Alright thanks man. Yeah basically just want to play games, already have another laptop for uni etc. Will go for the 2.0ghz cos its in my price range right now. Hopefully in two years I'll be able to afford the cutting edge gaming machine. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Show us the specs before you buy.

 

2.6 and above is my recomandation...

 

Also keep in mind, just becasue a CPU has a higher clock does not mean it will be the faster of the ones compaired. You can have a 2.4Ghz 800Fsb 2 MBl2 cache system and have a 2.0Ghz 1066FSB 3MB cache cpu beat it out and so on... so be carful and don;t get so fixed on Ghz.

 

I agree with dondadah88. Let us know specs for better advice. Good luck

 

Hey guys. Just wanted to thank you all again for the help with the processor. Here's the spec for the laptop I plan to buy (hopefully this month ):

Samsung R560
15.4" screen
Processor: Core 2 Duo P7350 2 GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Graphics: GeForce 9600M GS - 256 MB DDR3

link: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148709/show_product_specifications#specifications

Looks like good value, solid build and from a well known company. I've owned a Samsung before which lasted 4 years without a problem so I'm fairly happy to be returning to the company.

 

nice choice. seems like a powerful one.

 

Grab it! 630 quid is pretty good. No doubt the RAM, processor and HDD are upgradable in future if need be, maybe even the graphics card. For now the machine will be plenty fast.

 

Question:

What would performance gains in games (FPS wise) be if one was to switch from P7350 (2.0 Ghz) to P9600 (2.66 Ghz)?

Considering the fact resolutions at which games would be played at would be 1280x800 (less than 1280x1024), I'd say there is a good possibility that games would experience a boost of about 10 to 12 FPS.

I realize the fact that games are more gpu dependent, but at the same time, a decent cpu apparently increases performance by a good margin if you ask me.

 

From what I hear the performance gain would be marginal as it would likely still be constrained by the GPU. Don't take my word for it though...just what I gathered through the topic.
I have a really random question and wasn't sure where to post it...it's basically about the payment scheme at eBuyer. They have a buy now pay in 9 months scheme which I hope to use. It says that if you buy on the scheme basically you have to pay a 10% deposit and 29 pound admin fee. But then if you pay the total back in 9 months there will be no interest charged. However there's a "charge for credit" is this a amount I have to pay towards the total? Sorry if I'm not being clear, here is the example they give:

* Order Value (Inc. delivery & VAT) £600.00
* Deposit (10%) £60.00
* Admin Fee £29
* Loan Amount £540.00
* Charge for Credit £400.43
* Balance Payable £911.43
* 39 monthly repayments of £23.37
* Total payable £1000.43

Do I only have to pay the extra 400 if I don't pay back in the 9 months? Or is it the total payable either way? Sorry for the totally noob question, I'm ridiculously bad with numbers, and wasn't sure where to ask. Thanks.

 

People and benchmarks have been consistent in these estimates to tell you the truth.
A boost of 10 FPS was experienced when transitioning from T8300 to T9400 for example.

And given the fact there is even a larger difference between P7350 and P9600, I'd say it could provide a pretty good boost.
Although I don't understand why didn't Intel set P9600 to 2.8 Ghz compared to 2.66.
Sigh.

 

not that enough for latest games.. atleast core2duo T8300

 

I'm not help at this because u are in the UK. i thought the gateway 7811fx would be a good choice but you said that it is not available in your area.


Why don't you get the Ocz WhiteBook barebone. and build it to your liking.

 

Checked out the OCZ Whitebook. Again it doesn't seem to be unavailable in the UK, unless anyone knows a reseller? Yeah envious abt the states cos of the Gateway...seems really good value for good performance.

 

i really really want to see the comparison, the 10 FPS are definatley on max FPS..