HT helps, I agree, but there is not better thing than real cores.
The G3258 @ 4.4Ghz works just fine, even combined with high end cards for most games. I agree with the article, no need to waste money on an Intel dual core, dual threaded CPU. There's not enough performance difference to warrant extra cost. It's better spent on the video card or a larger SSD.
Minimums are the real story of playable setups, and the G3258 which I have championed in the past has really struggled in this regard in certain games, GTA V in particular. I don't believe the article featured minimums, I'd revisit it if they update it with such.
What did they announce a new console?Why waste the money on a $70 CPU for a gaming build if it won't be able to play games in 12 months?
That's a pretty insulting comment devoid of any context. Sure a lower end CPU can be set so that minimums will become acceptable, but at what cost? The point of PC gaming is to achieve image quality and resolution better than what is provided by consoles. If you have to turn all that down to console levels or worse, what's the point?What did they announce a new console?
If you get stutter and drops, I'm sorry to say, but you just have no idea how computers work and how to setup your software.
Yes the pentium will be slow on some games,but that's about it,all that stutter and low fps is just bull from tech agnostic people.
If fps is not acceptable, one has to reduce quality and res until acceptable framerates are achieved, regardless of where the weak link is.You don't have to turn down graphics options,besides phisx there is almost no graphics setting that impacts the cpu.
You can see this here,there is practically no difference between low and ultra,and the same is true for almost every game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CJECa8nJ6Q
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Not correct.If fps is not acceptable, one has to reduce quality and res until acceptable framerates are achieved, regardless of where the weak link is.
Not sure then why you can claim that stutter (which is a consequence of transient low frame rates or long frame times) is not inevitable on dual cores in demanding games.Not correct.
This only works as long as the GPU is the bottleneck.
If you get 30FPS at ultra but 40FPS at high than your GPU is bottlenecking your CPU,your cpu can run the game faster than your gpu at ultra.
If your cpu runs a game at 20fps at the lowest options than it will run it at 20fps even at high or ultra,if the gpu allows for it,unless ultra incorporates physix or better meshes.
Not sure then why you can claim that stutter (which is a consequence of transient low frame rates or long frame times) is not inevitable on dual cores in demanding games.
I think his point is that with Celeron G1820/R7 240 playing GTA V at 125 FPS constant @ 1024 x 768 (see post #44), even a weak CPU can power a demanding game engine.
Regarding other detail settings and resolution, apparently running a smaller video card can help keep the game from stuttering (when using weak CPU) compared to running the same detail settings and resolution with a larger card.
Basically, pairing weaker Video card with a weak CPU allows for a degree of GPU bottleneck (which acts like a FPS limiter). This smooths frame rate.
Finally a post that explains to most how Hyperthreading works.
but the Hyperthreading allows for the CPU to use more resources. This is an advantage that can't be overclocked away. Pentiums nowadays are getting terrible minimums and inconsistent frame timings because the CPUs are running out of usable resources. Even though an i3 doesn't have any more physical resources outside of more L3$ on some models, HT allows for better utilize what it has.
That's a pretty insulting comment devoid of any context. Sure a lower end CPU can be set so that minimums will become acceptable, but at what cost? The point of PC gaming is to achieve image quality and resolution better than what is provided by consoles. If you have to turn all that down to console levels or worse, what's the point?
Fair enough, but in my mind the PC's claim to fame in regards to gaming is that it most often provides superior image quality while also being a multi-purpose tool. But if you are happy achieving less than that than good on you, I stand corrected.Well, not necessarily. The idea of PC gaming is to be able to achieve an image quality and framerate acceptable to the user, plus be able to play a much wider variety of games than on console, use mods, etc. I have a PC with a HD7770, which is good enough for me, although I expect the consoles, especially PS4 will give better image quality. But even if all I used it for were gaming, I still would not trade it for a console.
Fact: Lowering settings that strictly affect GPU load (e.g. resolution) will not reduce CPU load, and thus will not reduce stuttering caused by CPU limitations
nVidia's drivers are better (more) threaded, and thus generally cause improved performance on 4+ core CPUs, but have reduced performance on dual core CPUs.
In the highlighted video, you can see that running the game at the high preset (that's one 'notch' down from the ultra-equivalent, very high) in combination with a GTX 760 results in a night-and-day performance differential between the i7 4790K and the Pentium. The additional fidelity in the game simulation, coupled with the immense increase in GPU set-up costs, sees the Anniversary Edition Pentium struggle horrendously to keep pace. What we're seeing here is a classic case of a lack of hardware balance: the G3258 simply can't feed the GTX 760 quickly enough to sustain a consistent frame-rate.
Now, compare and contrast with the secondary analysis, where we drop the GPU down to a far more modest GTX 750 Ti, and lower the overall quality preset to the medium level. In this case, for the most part it is the graphics card that is the bottleneck, and the overall performance level lowers the i7 advantage significantly.
After we completed our testing we went back to the Pentium/GTX 750 Ti combo and decided upon a different testing strategy. Using the Nvidia GPU control panel, we activated adaptive v-sync in its half-refresh mode. This is effectively 'console mode' - locking frame-rate at 30fps, and tearing should the engine drop beneath. The results are absolutely remarkable. Our budget components allow us to run at the high preset with an extremely high level of consistency.
By capping at 30fps, we give both CPU and GPU room to breathe. Almost all of the judder and stutter is gone, gameplay is consistent, and the "bang for your buck" you're getting here is simply phenomenal. In fact, we were so impressed, we continued capturing, and you'll find a makeshift 'Let's Play' further on down the page demonstrating that this set-up isn't just good for one or two levels - it's great for the entire game. In basic terms, the G3258 can't win every battle against a dedicated gaming CPU like a Core i5 or the more expensive i7, but manage your settings and expectations appropriately and you'll be stunned at some of the results you can coax from the hardware.
Fair enough, but in my mind the PC's claim to fame in regards to gaming is that it most often provides superior image quality while also being a multi-purpose tool. But if you are happy achieving less than that than good on you, I stand corrected.
By capping at 30fps, we give both CPU and GPU room to breathe. Almost all of the judder and stutter is gone, gameplay is consistent, and the "bang for your buck" you're getting here is simply phenomenal. In fact, we were so impressed, we continued capturing, and you'll find a makeshift 'Let's Play' further on down the page demonstrating that this set-up isn't just good for one or two levels - it's great for the entire game. In basic terms, the G3258 can't win every battle against a dedicated gaming CPU like a Core i5 or the more expensive i7, but manage your settings and expectations appropriately and you'll be stunned at some of the results you can coax from the hardware.
nVidia's drivers are better (more) threaded, and thus generally cause improved performance on 4+ core CPUs, but have reduced performance on dual core CPUs.
GPU bottleneck resulting in more smoothness can also be see with G3258 and Nvidia cards:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-pentium-g3258-review
And separately the effect of frame capping is mentioned: