CPU Optimizations

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

I get low FPS quite often and I'm sure it's caused by my CPU as it's my bottleneck and my GPU and RAM are very fast. What can I do to improve performance in this area? I get as low FPS on low settings as I do on high settings.

[razorseal 10]

Oc!!!! :)

[Grizzle 0]

Aside from a new processor and potentially new motherboard and ram to go along with it, the only thing you can try is overclocking.

I'm running a Q6600 @3.2ghz (up from 2.4) and it makes a huge difference for me regarding ARMA2 performance.

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

Alright I've got an AMD Athlon x2 5600+ clocked at it's standard 2.8GHz with a 2x1MB lvl2 cache. I know the basics to overclocking but I'm a GPU guru, not CPU. Any tips to overclocking? How far do you think I can go with standard cooling and how much farther would I be able to go with non-AMD cooling (such as Thermaltake etc)? Thanks a bunch guys!

EDIT: If you think it would be worth the money, here's a list of fans/heatsinks for my CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110574%201371028526&name=Socket%20AM2

Edited December 27, 2009 by JuggernautOfWar

[randir14 10]

I have an AMD 7850 and can go to a (mostly) stable overclock up to 3.2 ghz without any special cooling. The weird thing is it was perfectly stable in XP but in Vista and Windows 7 I would get crashes so I brought it down to 3.0 ghz. Just raise the multiplier and voltage in small increments until you hit the sweet spot.

[razorseal 10]

like others said.. I was somewhat joking but serious... my E4400 runs at 3.0ghz (from 1.8 I think) so it's where its at... looks like it is how it is until we all get some high end i7 or something

[Grizzle 0]

Do a google search for "overclocking 5600+" and/or "overclocking [insert motherboard here]" and you'll usually find a step by step guide from someone who has overclocked your particular combination.

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

OK well my multiplier is locked, so what can I do?

[Dead3yez 0]

Do you mean things like this:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=88095

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=91860

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

Uhh, no I was talking about the CPU multiplier.

[Dead3yez 0]

I get as low FPS on low settings as I do on high settings.

I dont see you talking about the multiplier here.

[Grizzle 0]

OK well my multiplier is locked, so what can I do?

Do you mean it is locked by the motherboard so you can't change it? Is this a home built rig or retail machine (Dell etc.?)

[Bulldogs 10]

I wouldn't suggest trying to raise the multiplier, even if you can. Raising the multiplier can cause heavy stability problems. The best choice is to raise the FSB speed. Many people have found it more stable by lowering the mulitplier and raising the FSB speed higher but I'd suggest just leaving the multiplier as it is and experiment with the FSB.

Most importantly though, have patience, and make sure you fully test with each increase.

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

So you recommend leaving the multiplier alone and just raising the FSB? Shouldn't that effect the RAM speeds then, or should I leave them?

[dogz 10]

to get the best info for OC you should go to an OC forum there are many... and with specific settings for just about any mainboard/cpu combo out there.

You will be able to find ppl with your setup that have found the best settings and the "LIMITS"

[JuggernautOfWar 1]

How about www.hardforum.com? I use that forum fairly frequently.

[SWAT_BigBear 0]

Here are a few I like,

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/newbie-oc-guide.html

[76 0]

As a gamer it always pays to buy a decent MB...

[Grizzle 0]

As a gamer it always pays to buy a decent MB...

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