Flight Simulator X
Here is something new! If Far Cry and Pacific Fighters required a lot of processor resources compared to the average game, the release of the Core 2 Duo redefined CPU game performances. We had to include a new game to challenger modern processors.
We considered Oblivion, but despite its reputation felt that it didn´t fit our requirements. With a X1950 Pro, which provides high performances, a high level of details and CPU performances, we ended up with restrictions coming from the graphic card. This wasn’t in terms of fillrate (an easy solution to this problem would be to reduce the resolution) but rather geometrical power and, for example, changing from a Core 2 Duo E6600 to X6800 didn´t improve performances.
After taking a quick look at Supreme Commander, which unfortunately is only available in beta versions and doesn´t use the dual or quad core, we finally ended up with Flight Simulator X. The scene chosen was a flight over New York after taking off from JFK. The level of details was "average high", as higher settings were really too slow.
As you can see, the framerate is far from reaching peaks and it perfectly illustrates the expression "CPU limited". It’s just unfortunate that that game really doesn´t take advantage of the available processor power via an adequate multithreading. Didn’t we already mention that Netburst isn´t the best for games?
About tests in games
Of course, we run theses tests with low resolutions (800*600, et 1024*768 for Flight Simulator) to measure absolute CPU performances and to reduce as much as possible the influence of external limitations such as the graphic card.
Depending on the card, game, scene, or resolution, the processor will have to wait for the graphic card or the other way around.
The combinations are infinite and this is the reason why we chose to run our tests with the objective of finding which processor is the fastest and how faster it is when it is at the origin of performance restrictions. Indeed, the restriction due to a graphic card, which we might find if we used the highest resolution, wouldn´t necessarily be representative and other parameters would be affected.
Also, the figure we give you is an average framerate over a period of 1 to 2 minutes to ensure a stable measurement. This smoothes out average results and could mask gaps that would be important at a time "T" when performances would be restricted by the processor (an explosion, for example).
To know if your CPU or graphic card restricts performances in games, we recommend running a simple test. Reduce the resolution to 800*600 or even 640*480. If you notice an improvement in framerate it’s your graphic card, if not, you are CPU limited.
