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Does my CPU bottleneck my 6950?

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godfrd824

Registered
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
I'm getting a 3003 on 3dMark11, I have an MSI 6950 unlocked, a Athlon X2 64 6000+, and 4GB of 800 DDR2, why is my score so low?
 
Keep the performance tab of the task manager open while you run the gpu benchmark. If cpu usage is maxxed, there's your bottleneck.
 
CPU+RAM

Upgrade RAM to 6GB (if you want the extra performance) and get a Phenom ii 1100t or an i5 2500k/i7 2600k.
 
I did a small test, where I ran 3dMark11's benchmark 4, below was my CPU usage during the benchmark.

v6ssgz.jpg

So if it's not the CPU causing the subpar performance, what could be the issue?
 
It's not only about cpu usage... It's also (mainly) about CPU speed: how many operation/sec your CPU can process.
Go at least for a Phenom II x4 OC'[email protected]/3.8GHz, and you will get around 5000 points.
 
I'm gonna upgrade once IB comes out, but, I want to make sure it's not a GPU problem.
 
I'm gonna upgrade once IB comes out, but, I want to make sure it's not a GPU problem.

I doubt it's the GPU that is the problem. Unless for some reason you got it underclocked. You have a friend with a newer system you can test the GPU on?

I'd sit tight with what you have until you are ready to upgrade. Not worth it to upgrade CPU or RAM at the moment. Highly recommend a SSD with that next upgrade.
 
I did a small test, where I ran 3dMark11's benchmark 4, below was my CPU usage during the benchmark.

v6ssgz.jpg

So if it's not the CPU causing the subpar performance, what could be the issue?

The CPU is still quite weak compared to the rest of your system.
 
CPU is the problem OP trust me! Your GPU will bet an boost if you get yourself a nice i5 or even a i7 CPU!

Go for it!~

NiTrOwow
 
CPU is the problem OP trust me! Your GPU will bet an boost if you get yourself a nice i5 or even a i7 CPU!

Go for it!~

NiTrOwow

Yes, CPU is definitely the bottleneck. I have a 6970, and was getting over 6000P 3Dmark 11 score when I was using a 1090T/4GB DDR2 RAM.
 
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