Why do some games rely more on the processor than the video card? | esports
3 min read
Anyone who has built their own PC knows that some games rely more on the processor (CPU) than the graphics card (GPU) for good performance. In esports, this is roughly constant: lolAnd the CS: GOAnd the brave And the rainbow six sig These are some examples of games that prefer players with more fluidity in motion – that is, a higher frame rate per second.
Bombside B from CS: GO map Dust2 – Photo: Play
On the other hand, games that focus more on adventure and on stunning scenarios tend to overburden the video card, making the CPU “quiet”. In short, the motive behind this is easy to answer: games with a more precise graphic nature will provide more work for the GPU, while other games require more information processing, which affects the CPU.
To delve into this question, ge spoke with Pietro Colloca, an application engineer at Intel, who detailed the processing path that games take on a PC.
The processor is the main hub, it performs all the arithmetic operations inside the computer. Thinking about the scenario of the game, we will have the physical part of the game, and there will be lighting … Everything related to loading the texture will work with the processor. This information will be passed to the video card for presentation – Colloca explains.
Games like Age of Empires, with a lot of AI, require a lot of processor – Photo: Disclosure / Xbox Game Studios
In short, the processor is the “mathematician” of the computer, which is responsible for calculating all the information that is sent to it. After translating this information, you pass the ball to the graphics processing unit (GPU), which converts the information into an image.
Within competitive games, there are many information that can be processed by the GPU:
– Some physical parts: Shadow, when you throw a grenade in CS: GO and you have the trajectory calculation. Some games that include artificial intelligence, think of a competitive scenario of Starcraft or Age of Empires, have full accounts behind them as well – Colloca example.
The importance of decisions
Of course, games with heavier textures will be a greater challenge for graphics cards. High graphics quality often has a major impact on the GPU, but Colloca explains that this is also a factor for the processor. The practical example he gave is CS: GO, where many players reduce the accuracy to improve the FPS rate.
It’s less information for the therapist to think about. When the game is in 4K, it will have to get all the locations of the things in this 4K “board” to be able to pass them to the video card. By reducing the resolution, you reduce the processing volume – the engineer explains.
How is this technology evolving?
According to Colloca, Intel’s 12th generation processors, the latest on the market, bring new technology to the table. The hardware now runs on two separate fronts: Performance Core, which focuses on heavy tasks and games, and Efficient Core, which is responsible for simpler and more routine Windows operations:
For example, Windows will run some things behind it, system procedures. Therefore, you will not use the part of the processor designed for gaming for these quieter tasks. If you’re running Discord, it’ll be in the background, and won’t consume basic performance processing — he says, noting that opening the dialer won’t affect game performance at all.
Colloca even mentions the Intel line of video cards. For the first time, the brand will allocate graphics processing units (GPUs), and it will feature Deep Link technology – a connection between the Intel processor and the video card, which will bring more performance.
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