GPU upgrade for Core2 e8400?

[jhokie]

newer cpus are faster because they have more cores AND because they have better IPC. OP has an E8400 so of course just 2 cores of the i7 will easily provide a better experience. IF he had Core 2 quad then he could most certainly have a huge gain over his E8400 thus we say get a quad. if he was to get an i5/i7 quad then he gets the benefits of a quad AND the additional IPC the improved architecture brings.

This article from Tomshardare compares benchmarks of many different cpus limited to one core and all clocked at 3 ghz:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/processor-architecture-benchmark,2974.html

Aside from the dreadful pentium 4, there was really not as much separation as you would think. Aside from a few benchmarks, most every CPU was within 30% of the top performers in regards to performance with 1 3 ghz core. And this even goes back to the Athlon 64 X2.

Of course these were benchmarks and productivity applications, not games. Nonetheless food for thought.

 

[Tamlin_WSGF]

This article is pretty interesting. COD BO (they are only testing single player here, not multiplayer) was extremely heavy on CPU, but what was interesting, is that it wasn't only core count and frequency, but it also supports what cannondale06 says about IPC.Whats also is to be noted, is how huge the difference is when you come into i5 and i7 territory:

http://www.techspot.com/review/336-cod-black-ops-performance/page8.html

Here's one for BFBC2. From 54FPS to 104.5FPS with different CPU's and thats with an AMD 5870:

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/battlefield_bad_company_2_tuning_guide,7.html