How can you tell if its your graphics card or CPU

[ElderKingpin]

So. Just a simple question. How can i tell if i cant run something because of my graphics card or because of my processor speed.

 

[13lade619]

single core processors tend to not run games very well these days (i force my 1.86 GHz to run Starcraft 2, LoL..)

i think any dual core can run games pretty smoothly.

on graphics cards, integrated chips are not good for gaming.
I have a Intel GMA 950.. max VRAM of 224 mb which runs my games under 30 fps..

RAM also counts, make sure you have enough.

 

[Slapshot136]

So. Just a simple question. How can i tell if i cant run something because of my graphics card or because of my processor speed.

99% of the time if you can't run it at all (as in it won't load the game), it's either the graphics or it will specifically say that your cpu does not support xxxxx

if you need to know what's limiting you from better performance, open up task manager and see what the CPU usage is, and then also ask yourself if turning up things like anti-aliasing (which is 100% gpu based) reduces your FPS or not

ram will almost never be an issue because your OS will just write to a page file (yes, causing it to be VERY slow, but still work), and ram usage can also be monitored in the task manager/resource manager

also realize that integrated graphics run off of the main cpu/memory, so upgrading the cpu with integrated graphics will also improve the graphics

 

[13lade619]

99% of the time if you can't run it at all (as in it won't load the game), it's either the graphics or it will specifically say that your cpu does not support xxxxx

Lack of VRAM will only cause your game to be slow.

If you cant even start it, it means you lack something crucial like

Pixel Shader
Vertex Shader
Software / Hardware Transform and Lighting.

^those are generally required for high-end games.

 

[ElderKingpin]

i can run the game, im just getting low fps (about 6-15) but it seems to lag at random spots, when im in an expansive area (like outside with water and the sun) it can run fine, but it can lag when im in a more confined area (corridor). Its quite odd.

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
System Model: Toshiba Satellite A305
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T5750 @ 2.00GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.0GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family

Bare in mind, this low FPS is at 600xSomething resolution, which is pretty garbage.

At Blade.. i meet all of the graphics requirements, but im on a integrated chip, which means i could have UP to 358 MB of video ram, i also heard that i can allocate more to graphics, i wonder if thats true.

 

[13lade619]

At Blade.. i meet all of the graphics requirements, but im on a integrated chip, which means i could have UP to 358 MB of video ram, i also heard that i can allocate more to graphics, i wonder if thats true.

yes, at the BIOS.
i set mine to 'max' and that's the rating it gave me.

i my original VRAM was at 128 or lower.

 

[ElderKingpin]

i cant find anything relating to VRAM in BIOS

 

[Slapshot136]

just to clarify, what game are you trying to run?

 

[InstilledBee]

So. Just a simple question. How can i tell if i cant run something because of my graphics card or because of my processor speed.

Sometimes, software and games will run even if your computer is not up to its minimum requirements. Just that it'd run very slowly. Either that or they give you a message saying it can't run because you don't meet the minimum specs, and then it closes.

You should have an idea what the minimum and recommended specs are needed in the first place. That way, you have a reference point and can thus easily tell if you can run something or not.

So you can actually try to run it and if it's too slow, your computer's probably not meeting the minimum standard.

 

[ElderKingpin]

just to clarify, what game are you trying to run?

Devil May Cry 4.

On DirectX9 it runs better then DirectX10. Which would make sense.

 

[Slapshot136]

DMC 4 has a GeForce 6600 listed as it's "minimum requirement", and you have intel integrated graphics on a laptop

even if it has the necessary ram and supports DX 10 and pixel shader 3.0 and whatever else is needed, the card itself just isn't fast enough

so in this case it's clearly a graphics bottleneck

(my p8400 at 2.26 runs it just fine at medium-high settings, but I also have a 9800(m) graphics card)

 

[Dakho]

http://cyri.systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI/

This site will help show how your comp compares to the minimum/recommended settings of just about any PC game, very useful if you're not sure why a game isn't running well.

 

[ElderKingpin]

thats what i used.


I wouldnt be asking here if that said it didnt work, i met the card requirements, but the card itself isnt enough.

 

[InstilledBee]

thats what i used.


I wouldnt be asking here if that said it didnt work, i met the card requirements, but the card itself isnt enough.

Meh. CYRI is a bad VC comparison tool. They don't take into account clock speeds and memory types. That's why even though it says you passed, you passed only the amount of VRAM, and the technologies the game needed (T&L, VS, PS) but not the power the game actually demands from a graphics card.

To further my point, a 6600 is far off from an integrated chip, but some chips have the same built-in technologies as it, so they pass off as "passed" even though they don't compare power-wise.

 

[kingkingyyk3]

There are some converters that allow you to convert pcmia -> pci-express.
Buy a mid range desktop graphic card, like HD5670 and put it in.
You can get huge fps boost.

Suggestion : Next time before buying a laptop, make sure you get the model with dedicated graphic chip. It gives you future proof.

 

[ElderKingpin]

Meh. CYRI is a bad VC comparison tool. They don't take into account clock speeds and memory types. That's why even though it says you passed, you passed only the amount of VRAM, and the technologies the game needed (T&L, VS, PS) but not the power the game actually demands from a graphics card.

To further my point, a 6600 is far off from an integrated chip, but some chips have the same built-in technologies as it, so they pass off as "passed" even though they don't compare power-wise.

i didnt pass. it says i failed to meet the minimum requirements.

 

[Ghan]

Sounds like the integrated graphics is your problem. For any kind of gaming, integrated graphics are terrible, and it doesn't really matter how much RAM the graphics is "borrowing" from the system. You really need to have a dedicated graphics card of decent quality these days to run the newer games. Unfortunately, it is difficult if not impossible to upgrade the graphics card on a laptop.