• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 13:17
CEST 19:17
KST 02:17
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL22] Ro16 Preview: Holy Diver4[ASL22] Ro16 Preview: Rough Waters10[ASL22] Ro24 Preview: Siren's Call8[ASL22] Ro24 Preview: Summer's End9Serral wins HomeStory Cup 2915
Community News
StarCraft open world shooter announced at BlizzCon94Weekly Cups (Aug 30-Sep 7): herO thrives amid growing schism10Official StarCraft website teases new content ahead of BlizzCon?175Stellar Fest TWO the Moon (Dec 16-20)9Weekly Cups (August 24-30): Patches' balance mod takes over3
StarCraft 2
General
StarCraft open world shooter announced at BlizzCon How do you feel about the StarCraft shooter announcement at BlizzCon 2026? Blizzard Classic Cup @ BlizzCon 2026 - $100k prize pool Balance hotfix patch 5.0.16b (July 16) Team Liquid Map Contest #22: Results and Winners
Tourneys
RSL Revival: Season 6 - Qualifiers and Main Event RSL goes to London! 2026 Offline Finals Nov 21-22 SC2 AI Tournament 2026 Fall Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament KSL Week #92
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
Nexus Wars 2021 GUIDE [M] (2) Industrial Park
External Content
Mutation # 543 Enhanced Defenses The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 542 The Ascended Mutation # 541 Binary Choice
Brood War
General
Official StarCraft website teases new content ahead of BlizzCon? [D] Brainstorming a balance patch for Brood war Making an Online Broodwar Manager Game [ASL22] Ro16 Preview: Holy Diver BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/
Tourneys
[ASL22] Ro16 Group C [ASL22] Ro16 Group B [ASL22] Ro16 Group A Escore Tournament - Season 3
Strategy
Replay Review Process - What do you do? Simple Questions, Simple Answers Odyssey Mineral Stack Saturation Game Theory for Starcraft
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Diablo IV EVE Corporation [Maplestory Hardcore] Let's Play~!!
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
[TL LoL EUW IHs] Teemo shall perish
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread UK Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Trading/Investing Thread
Fan Clubs
MarineLorD Fan Club The Creator Fan Club The ShoWTimE Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion! Diablo Animated Series on Netflix
Sports
Football (Soccer) Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 MLB/Baseball 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List Northern Ireland Global Starcraft
Blogs
Virtual Romance, Real-Life C…
TrAiDoS
Regacy Esports:Our Goa…
regacyesports
Dreaming of BW patches (mod…
c3rberUs
LOCKPICKING NOOB
LUCKY_NOOB
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 5634 users

CPU+Processor Question

Forum Index > Tech Support
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
D3ath3nat0r
Profile Joined October 2010
United States163 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-24 01:58:44
December 23 2010 23:02 GMT
#1
I have the EVGA Nvidia GTX 460 1024 MB 256 Bit Graphics Card
What processor should I get so I can be able to run Ultra smoothly even in late game?
Please give me recommendations and what is the least amount of GHz I need for the CPU in order to be able to run Ultra smoothly and with firefox open in the background.

mother board is MSI NF750-G55 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
but can switch if needed
Nothing
taylorb123
Profile Joined December 2010
United States9 Posts
December 23 2010 23:12 GMT
#2
I have a 4850 and an i7 920 @3.6GHz and don't ever get any studders. But, even when it was at stock (2.8GHz) I didn't have any problems either. So, I personally would get an i7, as they're pretty beefy (and most overclock well, if you're into that!)
D3ath3nat0r
Profile Joined October 2010
United States163 Posts
December 23 2010 23:18 GMT
#3
I am wanting to spend $100-$200 on it, not sure to get like an i5 or an amd, and were you on ultra?
Nothing
skyR
Profile Joined July 2009
Canada13817 Posts
December 23 2010 23:23 GMT
#4
You need to tell us your current motherboard for us to recommend any processors.
decafchicken
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
United States20168 Posts
December 23 2010 23:24 GMT
#5
I have an amd phenom ii x4 955 that runs sc2 on ultra ez pz w/ a 1gb 460
how reasonable is it to eat off wood instead of your tummy?
TheUberMango
Profile Joined December 2010
United States77 Posts
December 23 2010 23:25 GMT
#6
I use an Intel Quad Core 2.4 and ATI 5870 1gb, and I think the processor is holding me back from running Ultra. High has SOME FPS drops in late game, so I'm forced to run medium. I have 4 GB ram, so I think that's enough. Yeah, Quad Core is definitely not the best processor choice for StarCraft 2, but then again I bought my computer before SC2 came out =D.
Fear the mango! update, ok I honestly didn't know there was a mod named Mango when I made this
taylorb123
Profile Joined December 2010
United States9 Posts
December 23 2010 23:37 GMT
#7
I run on ultra, yes... an i5 would be good too, but like skyR said, what's your motherboard, then we can recommend from there... or really, what are your entire system specs, and we can go from there
RebirthOfLeGenD
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
USA5860 Posts
December 23 2010 23:49 GMT
#8
I would say the i5-750 if you prefer Intel, or a Phenom II x4 955/965 BE. Both are fine and can OC really high. The Phenom's are 3.2/3.4 default with unlocked multiplier while the i5 is 2.8, I don't think the multiplier is unlocked on it though, I seem to remember only extreme editions are unlocked with Intel iirc? I don't know much about Intel specifically though. I just bought a Phenom II x4 970 which is 3.5ghz. I'd give you a review but my mobo is shot and am still waiting for a new one

In short, anything quad core should do the trick. The 955's are around 145, 965 are about $160 and a 970 is 180$

although I wouldn't say the difference is huge between the three. Just OC the processor if you need more, the only reason I got the 970 was because it came with darksiders for free and I figured why not.
http://promotions.newegg.com/AMD/DarksidersGame/index.html?cm_sp=tab_Computer-Hardware-_-AMD/DarksidersGame-_-http://promotions.newegg.com/AMD/DarksidersGame/118x118.gif
And I think it gets a 10$ gift card with it right now.
Be a man, Become a Legend. TL Mafia Forum Ask for access!!
RebirthOfLeGenD
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
USA5860 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-23 23:57:02
December 23 2010 23:50 GMT
#9
Actually yeah, awesome. A 10$ coupon and a free video game!
edit: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/294010-28-good-reviews
from random thing I read on the internet, apparently the Phenom's perform better in gaming.
Be a man, Become a Legend. TL Mafia Forum Ask for access!!
GeneralZap
Profile Joined January 2008
United States172 Posts
December 23 2010 23:58 GMT
#10
AMD = More band for buck.

PERIOD.

i7's are expensive as freaking caviar.

I recommend an AMD X4 Black Edition processor, or maybe one of the cheaper Six core processors. Here, look at http://www.tigerdirect.com.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html is a great place to compare the processors.

The six core AMD Phenom II X6 1090T, is about 230$ and a very good deal.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7026003&CatId=4431
Death has lost its sting.
Riskymilk
Profile Joined November 2010
30 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-12-24 00:06:00
December 24 2010 00:04 GMT
#11
Well, I say run high as ultra is a waste of power with little performance increase (pointless) over high, but each to their own. Need to know whether your mobo has an AMD or Intel socket, plus which number. Unless you plan on buying a new mobo depending on the socket.
AMD : Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition $144
Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition $185
Intel : Core i5-760 $205
If you are planning to buy an Intel CPU I would wait until mid-late January for the new Sandy-Bridge ones. Look very promising.
hoborg
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
United States430 Posts
December 24 2010 00:17 GMT
#12
1. The clock speed "GHz" isn't a universal scale of how well a processor performs, it actually tells you pretty much jack shit unless you're comparing two of the same model. You need to look at benchmarks to tell how CPUs compare to each other.
2. Unlike graphics cards, there are many different types of motherboard sockets for CPUs, so you can't just get any CPU and assume it will fit into your system. Free software like CPU-Z can tell you what model of motherboard you have, and then you can look up what CPUs are compatible with your motherboard. The other option is to buy a new motherboard as well.
3. You can probably play SC2 on Ultra with any CPU in the $100-150 range as long as you aren't getting ripped off. Check benchmarks if you want to get the most bang for the buck, though.
blbl | CJ and ACE fighting!
mav451
Profile Joined May 2010
United States1596 Posts
December 24 2010 00:45 GMT
#13
On December 24 2010 08:02 D3ath3nat0r wrote:
I have the EVGA Nvidia GTX 460 1024 MB 256 Bit Graphics Card
What processor should I get so I can be able to run Ultra smoothly even in late game?
Please give me recommendations and what is the least amount of GHz I need for the CPU in order to be able to run Ultra smoothly and with firefox open in the background.


The most important questions are resolution, followed by game size. You haven't mentioned either once in this thread. If you only play ladder games, you could get away with a PhII I guess. Any larger games, you should consider a Lynnfield though.
With no power comes no responsibility?
Twitches
Profile Joined August 2010
Canada365 Posts
December 24 2010 01:07 GMT
#14
Just get a mid range AMD processor. I have a 2.5ghz overclocked to 3ghz and it's more than fine for me.
Gravity is just a feeble plot.
Straught
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Mexico157 Posts
December 24 2010 01:17 GMT
#15
On December 24 2010 08:49 RebirthOfLeGenD wrote:
I would say the i5-750 if you prefer Intel, or a Phenom II x4 955/965 BE. Both are fine and can OC really high. The Phenom's are 3.2/3.4 default with unlocked multiplier while the i5 is 2.8, I don't think the multiplier is unlocked on it though, I seem to remember only extreme editions are unlocked with Intel iirc? I don't know much about Intel specifically though. I just bought a Phenom II x4 970 which is 3.5ghz. I'd give you a review but my mobo is shot and am still waiting for a new one

In short, anything quad core should do the trick. The 955's are around 145, 965 are about $160 and a 970 is 180$

although I wouldn't say the difference is huge between the three. Just OC the processor if you need more, the only reason I got the 970 was because it came with darksiders for free and I figured why not.
http://promotions.newegg.com/AMD/DarksidersGame/index.html?cm_sp=tab_Computer-Hardware-_-AMD/DarksidersGame-_-http://promotions.newegg.com/AMD/DarksidersGame/118x118.gif
And I think it gets a 10$ gift card with it right now.


Extending on this, Intel's sandybridge microarchitecture will be launched on Jan 9. This will give you two options, buy the new, better generation of processors or buy the old, but still great gen, for much less.

Now I would recommend the i5-760, since it has a higher stock clock, which causes it to overclock better, it's essentially the same processor but with a higher clock, which benefits you if you don't want to overclock, and if you do, it gives you a higher multiplier.
D3ath3nat0r
Profile Joined October 2010
United States163 Posts
December 24 2010 02:40 GMT
#16
hmm should i get the amd 945,955,965,or 970?
Nothing
darkponcho
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
United States262 Posts
December 24 2010 02:47 GMT
#17
I have the amd 965 and GTX470 and I never feel slow at all...
life
Riskymilk
Profile Joined November 2010
30 Posts
December 24 2010 03:33 GMT
#18
I would just get the 955.
jazzyjazz
Profile Joined October 2010
941 Posts
December 24 2010 05:50 GMT
#19
Hey OP, I would just get the phenom II 955. With the AMD black edition line, you could easily overclock the 955 to 970 performance levels and save $40 or so in the process. And make sure you stick with the AM3 processors and the not the intel ones (ie i5's) since they won't be compatible with your motherboard.
Eat emmmmmmmmmm
D3ath3nat0r
Profile Joined October 2010
United States163 Posts
December 24 2010 05:51 GMT
#20
thanks for info and whats OP? in Hey OP, could you recommend some heatsink and fans for overclocking
Nothing
1 2 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Monday Night Weeklies
16:00
#63
RotterdaM692
TaKeTV 255
TKL 189
IndyStarCraft 188
SteadfastSC129
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
RotterdaM 692
ByuN 324
TKL 189
IndyStarCraft 166
UpATreeSC 130
SteadfastSC 129
MindelVK 17
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 24696
Calm 4302
Jaedong 2207
Bisu 1417
Shuttle 771
Horang2 426
Mini 389
Soma 325
Rush 249
Larva 231
[ Show more ]
Stork 204
ZerO 162
Dewaltoss 137
Sharp 65
Liquid`Ret 57
910 49
ToSsGirL 29
HiyA 25
Aegong 25
Terrorterran 23
Bale 23
firebathero 23
Barracks 21
Trap 19
sorry 18
soO 14
Sacsri 9
Dota 2
qojqva3719
Counter-Strike
byalli1728
x6flipin1136
fl0m943
pashabiceps775
Other Games
Grubby7449
Liquid`RaSZi1313
hiko1048
FrodaN809
Beastyqt549
ceh9367
KnowMe206
ArmadaUGS134
mouzStarbuck131
QueenE110
XaKoH 69
ZerO(Twitch)7
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick1848
[ Show 14 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• StrangeGG 35
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• FirePhoenix9
• Pr0nogo 5
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• TFBlade836
Other Games
• imaqtpie324
• Shiphtur206
Upcoming Events
Afreeca Starleague
16h 43m
Snow vs Shinee
Shine vs EffOrt
GSL
17h 43m
PiGosaur Cup
1d 6h
The PondCast
1d 16h
Kung Fu Cup
1d 17h
Replay Cast
2 days
KCM Race Survival
2 days
IntoTheTV X SOOP
2 days
Replay Cast
3 days
IntoTheTV X SOOP
3 days
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
4 days
GSL
4 days
Replay Cast
5 days
GSL
5 days
Shopify Rebellion Sundays
5 days
Spirit vs Mixu
Replay Cast
6 days
WardiTV Weekly
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Big Dog Cup 2026 Div 1

Ongoing

KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 3
K-JUNGMAN
ASL Season 22
Super Anchor Qualifying S3
CSL 2026 AUTUMN (S22)
Acropolis #5
Calamity Invitational
FISSURE Playground #3
BLAST Open Fall 2026
Esports World Cup 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026

Upcoming

Acropolis #5 - GSA
Acropolis #5 - GSB
Acropolis #5 - GSC
SC4ALL II: Brood War
HSC XXX
Stellar Fest 2: Lunar Cup
SC4ALL II: StarCraft II
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
RSL Offline Finals
PGL Major Singapore 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 6
BLAST Rivals Fall 2026
IEM Beijing 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 5
PGL Masters Bucharest 2026
1win Private Club #2
Thunderpick World Champ. '26
ESL Pro League Season 24
Stake Ranked Episode 4
1win Private Club #1
Logitech G Play Connect 2026
SL StarSeries Fall 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.