Sorry for not replying sooner. I thought I'd receive an email notification when there was a reply. I am subscribed to the thread - is the email subscription not working in the forums?
Also, by clean-installing your drivers, you used a program like 'Driver Sweeper' to clean out the old ones, right? CCleaner is also a good idea as well.
Yes, clean install using Driver Cleaner.net. And follow up with a reboot into safe mode and cleaning again.
That is a clear and definite CPU bottleneck. Unfortunately that GTX460 is pretty much a waste of potential until you replace the CPU configuration.
I was planning on building a new system by the end of the year anyhow. Guess the 460 will sit on the shelf for a couple of weeks.
CryEngine2 really craves clock speed from your CPU, so long as you've got 2 cores or more, all it wants is more MHz
To put it into perspective, i had a 4GHz E8500 and i could run an extra 4xAA at 1920x1200 on my 4870X2 without any FPS drop. That's how much CPU bottleneck i was getting with
that much CPU power.
Great info and mini-case study!
I never realized how much the CPU could bottleneck until this experience. Thanks for the information guys!
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As mentioned, I was planning on picking up a new system by the end of the year and this was the impetus to move forward. I went ahead and ordered my base parts which should arrive in a few days:
- Case: Fractal Design's Define XL Black Pearl
- MoBo: ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 AMD 890FX
- CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz
- CPU Cooler: Tuniq Tower 120
- RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 16GB (4 x 4GB)
- PSU: ABS SL series SL1050 1050W
With a few NewEgg promo codes and some combo deals, I picked up everything for around $1,000 U.S. Looking forward to the build next week! And if I get ambitious I should be able to OC the CPU to 4GHz without much effort.
Next step will be to wait for the 460's to come down in price and SLI the system.
Thanks all.
Holy crap man, chill out on the RAM! you really need 16GB?
Also, I'm incredibly jealous of that mobo.