CPUs Do Affect Gaming Performance, After All 220
crookedvulture writes "For years, PC hardware sites have maintained that CPUs have little impact on gaming performance; all you need is a decent graphics card. That position is largely supported by FPS averages, but the FPS metric doesn't tell the whole story. Examining individual frame latencies better exposes the brief moments of stuttering that can disrupt otherwise smooth gameplay. Those methods have now been used to quantify the gaming performance of 18 CPUs spanning three generations. The results illustrate a clear advantage for Intel, whose CPUs enjoy lower frame latencies than comparable offerings from AMD. While the newer Intel processors perform better than their predecessors, the opposite tends to be true for the latest AMD chips. Turns out AMD's Phenom II X4 980, which is over a year old, offers lower frame latencies than the most recent FX processors."
Re:Err (Score:3, Funny)
For years, absolutely nobody has maintained that CPUs have little impact on gaming performance; all you need is a god-tier video card setup, and a game engine that magically handles everything via GPU.
There, I fixed it.
Seriously, this has to be the most nonsensical Slashdot summary I've read all day. CPU hasn't been a minor factor in gaming for several gaming aeons now, and there are no shortage of games that are critically dependent on it (Hi, Skyrim!).
time for upgrade? (Score:5, Funny)
so... i should finally give in and buy the coprocessor for my 386!!
Re:time for upgrade? (Score:4, Funny)
Yep, nothing like being able to calculate 1+1=3 quickly. Err...
Re:how to tell (Score:2, Funny)
In a game, look at the sky. If your framerate shoots up, the video card was your bottleneck. If it doesn't, your CPU is.
I'm playing Ultima Underworld, you insensitive clod!