Dragon Age: Origins -- CPU or Video upgrade first?

[handyrandyrc]

I am trying to determine whether I am CPU bound or Video card bound with this game. My LCD panel is 1280x1024, so that is the resolution I would like to play at. I am using FRAPS to get an idea of where I'm at. I turned VSYNC off just for the testing

800x600, Low, NoAA, Low - 36 FPS
800x600, V.High, 4xAA, High - 28 FPS

1024x768, Low, NoAA, Low - 38 FPS
1024x768, V.High, 4xAA, High - 23 FPS

1280x1024, Low, NoAA, Low - 37 FPS
1280x1024, V.High, 4xAA, High - 17 FPS (BIG DROP HERE, I think Video card is maxing out here?)

I am not seeing a gain in FPS by lowering resolution. Does that mean my CPU is holding me back for the most part?

Specs: Athlon 64 @ 2.4GHz, 3GB DDR 333, 7800GT - everything stock speeds

 

[Denithor]

Replace both. Seriously. Today's games aren't going to perform well on a single core CPU no matter how much GPU you throw at them. And that GPU is like four generations back also, not going to go fast even with a modern CPU.

What is your budget?

 

[handyrandyrc]

Well I was hoping I could get either a CPU or a video card in the 100 dollar range and see if it helped. However, if what you say is true, I will likely need to go whole hog to get it to perform half-decently and look the way it should.

*sigh* - I may just then push my plans out a ways and save for a while for new MB/CPU/RAM/Video.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

If you are using PCI-E slot, which I assume you are as most 7800GTs are PCI-E, then I suggest doing a mild video card upgrade. Your CPU seems capable of 30+ fps, but it will definitely hold back any modern card today because (I'm also assuming) it's single core. I say grab a Radeon HD4670 (cheap and more powerful than your 7800GT) and enjoy a boost in performance. Then start saving up to replace your MB/CPU/RAM, because you will need to do so if you ever want to get better performance. Since video cards are all using PCI-E, you can reuse the HD4670 until you can then afford a better card. So you don't have to upgrade everything at once, but you will indeed have to replace the motherboard, CPU, and RAM at the same time.

You are very much correct in your assumption that at very high settings your video card is definitely holding you back. At low settings it's obvious your CPU is "to the max". Another test you could do is re-run those benchmarks but keep task manager open in the background. Take note of the CPU utilization throughout the benchmark.

 

[handyrandyrc]

CPU is 100% in Task Manager, no matter what resolution I am at. Thanks for the feedback. I was looking at 4670 cards today, seems to be the sweet spot, no? Low current draw, fairly cool, etc. And yes, on the PCI-E slot.

If I go that route, I'll update with more info to show what kind of effect the upgrade made.

 

[error8]

Dragon Age is quad core optimized, so it uses all four cores of a quad. Imagine that a single core is a serious bottleneck for it. A dual core would probably speed up things a lot. Also, your videocard should be changed as well. Get the 4670 first and I'm sure that you'll realize afterwards that you still need to change the CPU too.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

CPU is 100% in Task Manager, no matter what resolution I am at. Thanks for the feedback. I was looking at 4670 cards today, seems to be the sweet spot, no? Low current draw, fairly cool, etc. And yes, on the PCI-E slot.

If I go that route, I'll update with more info to show what kind of effect the upgrade made.

Even on high settings?

There's no doubt you'll have to replace both. Hopefully you'll get the game to be at least playable if you do the GPU first. And doing the GPU first would be cheaper than replacing the CPU, mobo, and RAM first. But to get decent performance they will need to be replaced.

 

[handyrandyrc]

Yes, even on the highest settings, I still am maxed out on CPU... Thank you for the advice, everyone!

 

[OVerLoRDI]

If you have to chose I'd say CPU. Getting off of Socket 939 and moving to a modern CPU was huge. I moved from a x2 3800, I thought hey I have 2 cores good enough for now, to a Phenom II X4 940. The difference is night and day. Also a 7800gt paired with a solid CPU should be able to play that game fine at medium setting, especially at resolutions like 1024x768 and 1280x1024. If you can't afford a new card, the 7800gt is a fine card if you are willing to sacrifice detail in a lot of current games.

 

[manimal]

I know this isnt what you want to hear but throwing money at a ddr motherboard is folly. Even switching out the cpu will not do much for you. With some of the fantastic deals out today-microcenter-frys instore deals- I would recommend jumping to a cheap phenom 2 quad and board for 150ish and building something around it.

 

[KeypoX]

to give you an idea my core 2 duo 8200, overclocked to 3.4GHZ is always at 100% usauge. Also with gtx 260 896MB. This game requires a ton of cpu power, i dont think so much on gpu.

but still your stuff is a bit dated... but i think a mobo/cpu upgrade would do you best. i have seen some great combo deals on amd x3s and x4s. They run this game really well.

Here is a for example its only a P2 X2 but tis only 110 with mobo Frys has a combo of AMD Phenom II X2 550 + MSI 785GMT-E45 AM2+ Motherboard for $120 - $10MIR= $110. In-store only.
Unlockable to x4, i believe?

 

[palladium]

During a typical gameplay, Dragon Age uses about 80% of core 0 and core 2, 30-50% of core 1 and 3 , and about 10% of the remaining 4 cores (these are from taskmgr) of my core i7. Even with that, my frame rate still dips into the mid 30s-low 40s in some areas. This game eats CPU time like no tomorrow, get a quad or at least a triple core for best experience.

 

[error8]

During a typical gameplay, Dragon Age uses about 80% of core 0 and core 2, 30-50% of core 1 and 3 , and about 10% of the remaining 4 cores

I get 80-90% of all four cores eaten up during this game. Only GTA 4 manages to score a higher cpu usage.

 

[Dribble]

As this is basically optimised for consoles you can look at their spec's to see what's enough to run. They have the equivalent of a 7800GTX graphics so 7800GT not so far off there, it's also easier to turn down graphics options. However both consoles have faster cpu's (e.g. xbox has triple core), and generally it's harder to reduce cpu work (e.g. you can't just turn down the ai). Hence your cpu is much further of the mark then your gpu.

 

[Marty502]

I've got an X2 @ 2.4 Ghz. I get almost the same performance at 1680x1050 than at 1024x768 with my 4670 in Dragon Age.
Haven't tested for accurate numbers.

I'm seriously CPU bound in this game. Just for reference.

EDIT: Just noticed I can crank AA up to 4x and the difference is barely noticeable, if any at all. Decent performance still.
It's amazing how a game like this eats CPU and then Crysis almost skips it, giving my 4670 hell.

 

[MrK6]

handyrandyrc, as others have mentioned in this thread, your entire PC needs an overhaul. Considering your budget, I'd recommend upgrading your video card first. Since you want to get the most bang-for-your-buck, with any upgrade, the best way to do this is to buy a cheap but highly scalable chip and then overclock the hell out of it. Also, you want to buy as much as you can - stretch your budget as far as possible. This is especially true in the lower market segments, as $20 can make a huge difference in what you're getting for your money.

All that said, I'd grab this 4870 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0293728 . It just overshoots your $100 budget, but even giving up $20 to get something less will have you lose a lot of performance. That is an incredible bang-for-your-buck deal. Also, what power supply are you using? If it's old (4 yrs.+), I'd recommend upgrading that as well.

 

[toyota]

its really an all or nothing deal. theres no point in putting a modern fast card in a system with an old single core cpu. at the same time the best cpu in the world wont really matter in most games with an old 7800gt.

 

[Occ]

id definitely advocate a cpu/mobo/ram upgrade over a video card. i myself just moved from socket 939, 3800+, to a phenom ii x3 720 + 4gigs of ddr. breathed new life into my x1800xt, especially since most of the games i play are more cpu dependent (which it sounds like dragon age is) + i play @ 1280x1024. total cost was around 300 shipped. you could cut $20 and grab the $99 quad core and maybe cut some more by getting a single stick of 2 gig ddr3.

 

[sticks435]

As this is basically optimised for consoles you can look at their spec's to see what's enough to run. They have the equivalent of a 7800GTX graphics so 7800GT not so far off there, it's also easier to turn down graphics options. However both consoles have faster cpu's (e.g. xbox has triple core), and generally it's harder to reduce cpu work (e.g. you can't just turn down the ai). Hence your cpu is much further of the mark then your gpu.

Not true. DA was originally designed to be a PC only game. When they first started working on it 5 or 6 years ago, the current consoles didn't even exist. Read the reviews, and every one of them states that the PC version is far superior to the consoles in terms of graphics, therefore, will require much more hardware than the consoles.

 

[NoSoup4You]

My E8400 @ 3.6Ghz is pegged at 100% useage at all times while playing Dragon Age, but I have no issues playing at max settings with 8xAA and vsync on.

I'd agree that a full platform upgrade is required here. Just go for the cheapest but still good hardware you can get. Intel E5200, a cheap $60 motherboard (ECS?), and the cheapest 4GB of RAM you can find. And the 4670.

That's maybe $210-220, give or take. If you're able to sell your current hardware online then deduct that and it's looking even better.