Matching up video card with a processor

C

CoolPony7thyst

New Member
Hi guys, I'm wondering a few things. When I built my computer 1.5 years ago, I purchased an MSI GTX 460 Hawk and AMD AthlonII x4 3ghz because I was told processors don't make a significant difference when gaming.

At the time my GPU was $230 and the processor was $99 from Newegg.

I haven't had any problems with my computer, but I'm wondering how big of a difference choosing a processor makes. Would I notice any difference if I went out today and bought something like an AMD Phenom II X4 980 - 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor for example?

It seems like most people just go out and buy the newest graphics card and processor available, but could they actually buy a much cheaper one and see no difference in performance and frame rate?
 
A cpu makes a huge difference in some games, not so big in others, but it is still important to have an good one. That cpu is fine for now, upgrade in 2 years. The 460 is getting old, upgrade at the 700 series. Also, for the last one, yes, to a certain extent. At 800x600 res a 560ti and 580 will not be a big difference at all. At 3D 2040p it will make a big difference.
 
It makes a difference because if you choose a crappy and cheaper processor and a high end video card, it will bottleneck your system. You want to match a higher end cpu with a higher end video card to have normal performance.
 
Your combo is fine. I don't think really any card will be bottle necked by that CPU except the really high end ones.

As long as its serving you well no need to worry. If your lagging behind in terms of performance I'd upgrade GPU first.

You don't want to match a 680 with a Pentium 4 nor do you want to have an 8400 GS with an i7-2700K
 
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