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Starcraft 2 CPU for >60fps/low details/400 food?

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asdf3455
Profile Joined November 2012
23 Posts
November 29 2012 12:17 GMT
#1
What CPU can can handle Starcraft 2 at 60fps even during 200 vs 200 food battles? (on low settings) Since I have desktop only to play Starcraft, I want to spend as little as possible. I guess that 2500K and above will run it fine, but what about i3-3220, Pentium G2120 or even G860? I prefer personal experience, not approximations, thank you.

I have e8400 overclocked to 3.6Ghz, which unfortunately drops to 40fps in some lategame situations. I think it started to do that only after patch 1.5.3, but that doesn't matter.

PS: GPU (AMD 6770) is not an issue, since mininum fps is identical on low and high details. Also I am aware that I will have to buy new motherboard.
theBlues
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
El Salvador638 Posts
November 29 2012 12:28 GMT
#2
On November 29 2012 21:17 asdf3455 wrote:
What CPU can can handle Starcraft 2 at 60fps even during 200 vs 200 food battles? (on low settings) Since I have desktop only to play Starcraft, I want to spend as little as possible. I guess that 2500K and above will run it fine, but what about i3-3220, Pentium G2120 or even G860? I prefer personal experience, not approximations, thank you.

I have e8400 overclocked to 3.6Ghz, which unfortunately drops to 40fps in some lategame situations. I think it started to do that only after patch 1.5.3, but that doesn't matter.

PS: GPU (AMD 6770) is not an issue, since mininum fps is identical on low and high details. Also I am aware that I will have to buy new motherboard.


It seems very odd that you are getting low frames in 200 200 battles with that CPU (low), I would first format the crap out of the PC and Clean the hell out of the Hardware, you might be having a heating issue. I currently have an ATHLON II x4 and core for core you cpu is a lot faster and has more cache. I get fluid battles in various settings.


Change a vote, and change the world
kill619
Profile Joined December 2011
United States212 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-11-29 13:07:40
November 29 2012 13:06 GMT
#3
I'm still in the process of shopping around for processors and have the same requirements. I stumbled upon this video of a cpu benchmark map that's still available on the arcade that's a 2500k avg ~55 fps with what has to be somewhere near if not over 400 supply of stuff on screen.



So I'd have to assume that anything as good or better than the i5 2500k should be exactly what your looking for, at least as far as intel processors go.
Cyro
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United Kingdom20285 Posts
November 29 2012 13:42 GMT
#4
Thats a pretty heavily overclocked 2500k and shows 20fps min in that benchmark. Some 1v1 situations will give you worse performance for a few seconds, ie 20 broodlords firing which will cause a massive dip in framerates for a small amount of time.

If you want best performance, you cant really settle for anything less than a heavily overclocked 2500k/3570k, and you are not going to get better than 20-25fps minimums and like 40 or so average in an endgame PvZ battle with a ton of brood lords, IT's, storms, cloaking field etc. Anything else will have progressively worse performance, and large team games will bring any CPU to a crawl even without a battle happening if it goes to 800v800 supply.
"oh my god my overclock... I got a single WHEA error on the 23rd hour, 9 minutes" -Belial88
Fragile51
Profile Joined October 2011
Netherlands15767 Posts
November 29 2012 13:51 GMT
#5
I have a stock i5 2500k and play in borderless windowed mode with everything on low save for effects, terrain, models and physics which are maxed out and i have yet to dip under 60 fps whilst in 200/200 army fights. I'd say look around that area.
MisterFred
Profile Joined October 2010
United States2033 Posts
November 29 2012 14:28 GMT
#6
First off, there's no CPU in the world that can run SC2 at 60 fps in all situations. Enough units are just that hard to deal with. That said, any of the processors you mentioned can run competitive 1v1s smoothly.

The basics:
SC2 can only utilize two cores, but it places heavy demands on those cores. Fastest per-core performance is the crucial performance benchmark. GPU & graphics settings in general have next-to-no influence on performance, unless you have no video card at all and are using integrated graphics. Which just makes you lower settings.

The breakdown:

Best of the best: i5-3570k or i7-3770k, overclocked.
Newest, fastest Intel architecture. There's no difference between the i5 & i7 for SC2 purposes (except, of course, the i5 is $100 less expensive). Overclock heavily for a significant performance boost. This is as good as it gets - and your performance will be excellent. FPS will drop below 60 in extreme late-game scenarios, but this isn't actually all that noticeable: you should still experience smooth & reliable performance.

A notch below: i5-2500k or i7-2600k overclocked
Last year's newest, fastest Intel architecture. Only a touch slower than the i5-3570k & if you're really ambitious it is somewhat easier to overclock to nosebleed speeds.

2nd-tier Intel options: non-overclocked desktop i5s & i7s, meaning i5-2400, i5-3470, i7-2600, etc.
This is as good as it gets without the performance boost of overclocking. These processors still have sufficient oomph that you can play 1v1 with no noticeable performance loss. (Basis of claim: EG.SuppyRC has one of these, and under normal circumstances is very happy with their performance. However, he mentioned that when streaming he suffered choppy in-game performance related to the extra CPU demands.)

3rd-tier Intel options: the dual-core processors. Current gen: i3-3220, pentium g2120. Last gen (just a touch difference between them, like the i5-3570k & i5-2500k): i3-2100, pentium g860.
These have the same core speed as the 2nd-tier (quad-core) Intel options, so you'd assume these would perform as well as the 2nd-tier Intel options, but benchmarks show otherwise. They're a step behind, because of less L3 cache, I'm told. That said, they're still solid performers, especially for the 1v1 scene. Personal experience: I own & use a Pentium g850. 200/200 battles will slow down to 25-30ish FPS. In real-world terms that's a very small degradation in graphics prettiness, but you can still micro your armies with no hiccups. 2v2s are also usually fine. In 3v3s & 4v4s late game, you're still going to have some noticeable slowdowns. But it'll be at least playable. (Real world example: storm is harder to aim but still quite useful.)

Long story short, if you're getting 40fps in your late-game scenarios (race you play & typical composition makes a big difference in personal experience), you're doing fine. Minimal improvements will take considerable $ (~$330 for a i5-3570k + overclocking mobo, assuming you can re-use your current heatsink. If your performance isn't affecting your unit control/distracting you when the FPS meter is turned OFF, then consider it sufficient and move on.

If you're really fanatical about squeezing those last few FPS #s out of the game, then open the checkbook. But throwing money at the problem won't guarantee you 60fps.
"The victor? Not the highest scoring, nor the best strategist, nor the best tactitian. The victor was he that was closest to the Tao of FFA." -.Praetor
Belial88
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
United States5217 Posts
November 29 2012 14:35 GMT
#7
^ Suppy's stream looks really low quality, I think his connection or settings have to do with why his i7 stream looks worse than my athlon ii x3 stream. You shouldn't feel any lag at all on an i7, much less something like a phenom. Sounds like input lag due to connection.

Great post though.


How to build a $500 i7-3770K Ultimate Computer:http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=392709 ******** 100% Safe Razorless Delid Method! http://www.overclock.net/t/1376206/how-to-delid-your-ivy-bridge-cpu-with-out-a-razor-blade/0_100
Special Endrey
Profile Joined June 2010
Germany1929 Posts
November 29 2012 16:22 GMT
#8
nvidia cards work way better with sc2 than ati

i mean for me its on another level, i had a ati 5870 - was awesome - now i have a gtx680, well i have not found a game yet to make her work on 100%.


still when i used my old 8800 gts, nvidia - i had similar framerates with a way older graphics card
This signature is ruining eSports - -Twitter: @SpecialEndrey
Cyro
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United Kingdom20285 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-11-29 20:07:30
November 29 2012 17:40 GMT
#9
+ Show Spoiler +
You shouldn't feel any lag at all on an i7
Its not about added input lag as much as raw framerate hits in terms of capturing the screen for streaming.

Ive done some benches recently on a 950 @4ghz, and while i get over 300fps idle looking at base, adding xsplit/OBS screen capture takes that to 170 or so. Normal gamesource to 110. Performance drops similarly throughout the replay and with gamesource i got a minimum of 35fps, screen cap minimums barely above 60, but this was on a 12 minute pvp 1v1 replay, nothing more. Sandy/Ivy Bridge enjoys a massive performance advantage that will inflate framerates a lot, and there's some new stuff that helps performance a lot more, but framerates are still cut massively with any kind of capture. I havn't seen anything take less than a third of your FPS.

You may be at 40fps minimums without capturing, but when you lose a third of your framerate from that it really really hurts, and almost all capture methods would almost cut framerate in half for me. You dont just have a magical tier where your CPU becomes X strengh and suddenly game performance stops being impacted. All that really happens is that your CPU is powerful enough to inflate the original framerate so much that even after it is cut heavily by the resources required to capture screen, it is still high enough for your needs, or to not notice it being hurt so much.



In terms of non streaming/capturing performance, 2500k/3570k is king. 2500k is the better overclocker, often to the point where it can overtake the 3570k in performance, but whatever you do you will be cut down to ~40fps minimums at best with some split-second drops in 1v1 with current consumer CPU's, anybody who says otherwise does not measure correctly, is victim of the placebo effect or is talking out of their ass



nvidia cards work way better with sc2 than ati

i mean for me its on another level, i had a ati 5870 - was awesome - now i have a gtx680, well i have not found a game yet to make her work on 100%.


5870 is not on the same performance tier as 680, thats like saying you had a box of matchsticks that you used to cook bread with but your new toaster is so much better. It is expected to be far more powerful.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/511?vs=555

Anandtech bench's seem to show 680 having inflated performance in sc2 relative to other games vs the 5870, though - but they are running it with driver forced 4xMSAA, which would heavily influence the results, might be hitting VRAM limits because of it on the 5870 but not the 680, or having other performance implications that you might not normally hit, because nobody uses forced 4xMSAA unless they want a blurry UI and game because it's not properly supported in the engine
"oh my god my overclock... I got a single WHEA error on the 23rd hour, 9 minutes" -Belial88
Belial88
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
United States5217 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-11-29 17:58:11
November 29 2012 17:54 GMT
#10
^ Who are you quoting?

Phenom ii is comparable to a Pentium G860 in price and performance, not a G2120 or SB-i3 (unless overclocked), and nowhere near ib-i3 or i5/i7 of any generation. It was made to compete with the Core2 architecture, not iCore. For someone looking to stream on a budget, it's a good place to look at. The OP sounds like he has enough money to go for an i5 though, but he did say he wanted budget. Phenom II is basically a Pentium in game performance, but it's awesome at h264 codec pass, which is what xsplit/ffsplit/obs all do, and a pentium/phenom/i3 will all handle any modern game and any game coming out soon pretty well.

Obviously i5 is king, but you don't exactly tell everyone to buy a lamborghini, you tell people to buy a civic. Or a pick-up truck for your specific purpose. Think of the phenom as a pick up truck, or minivan, for streaming, and just like a lambo, it'll drive around (game).
How to build a $500 i7-3770K Ultimate Computer:http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=392709 ******** 100% Safe Razorless Delid Method! http://www.overclock.net/t/1376206/how-to-delid-your-ivy-bridge-cpu-with-out-a-razor-blade/0_100
Medrea
Profile Joined May 2011
10003 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-11-29 18:26:01
November 29 2012 18:24 GMT
#11
I don't know why people lie and say they get 60fps when they obviously dont. Its incredibly annoying.

Also no one cares about average FPS. Especially in SC2 because who cares about 300 FPS looking down at 12 workers. Well math does.

We only talk about minimums because minimums happen when there are big confrontations which happens to be when a lot of micro needs to happen which is when FPS is important.
twitch.tv/medrea
sechkie
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States334 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-11-29 21:06:57
November 29 2012 21:00 GMT
#12
comparing to the desktop processors how would laptop processors compare to them? IE. the i73610qm.
I read a post comparing it to an underclocked 2600k is that accurate?
Medrea
Profile Joined May 2011
10003 Posts
November 29 2012 21:07 GMT
#13
Depends on overclocking. A lot of desktop users overclock and so gain a big advantage just from that. Not like you can buy a 3rd party cooler for your laptop anyway.
twitch.tv/medrea
Belha
Profile Joined December 2010
Italy2850 Posts
November 29 2012 23:31 GMT
#14
An i5 2500k would be the ideal choice. Then, for the buck, just pick a i3 3220. Easy as that.
Chicken gank op
sechkie
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States334 Posts
November 30 2012 00:24 GMT
#15
yeah i deal with heat problems :/ running sc2 puts me at about 75-80C and my cpu refuses to turboboost TT
IPS.Blue
Profile Joined January 2004
Germany309 Posts
November 30 2012 12:51 GMT
#16
On November 29 2012 23:28 MisterFred wrote:But throwing money at the problem won't guarantee you 60fps.

So how many years for throwing money getting you to 120 FPS min -_-?
Blizzard should really add support for more than two cores ...
Psychobabas
Profile Blog Joined March 2006
2531 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-11-30 13:31:02
November 30 2012 13:30 GMT
#17
Apparently performance has been optimised/ improved in Heart of the Swarm...
Belial88
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
United States5217 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-11-30 13:52:35
November 30 2012 13:51 GMT
#18
I asked blizzard about this at blizzcon, if hots would be optimized for more cores. I got a typical blizzard response but it did not sound like they were doing so.

Remember when everyone said "intel is stronger but AMD phenom/athlon is definitely the way to go, in the future everyone is going to be using more cores!"

Man they couldn't have been more wrong. The idea of buying for the future is so stupid.
How to build a $500 i7-3770K Ultimate Computer:http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=392709 ******** 100% Safe Razorless Delid Method! http://www.overclock.net/t/1376206/how-to-delid-your-ivy-bridge-cpu-with-out-a-razor-blade/0_100
MisterFred
Profile Joined October 2010
United States2033 Posts
November 30 2012 21:20 GMT
#19
On November 30 2012 22:51 Belial88 wrote:
I asked blizzard about this at blizzcon, if hots would be optimized for more cores. I got a typical blizzard response but it did not sound like they were doing so.

Remember when everyone said "intel is stronger but AMD phenom/athlon is definitely the way to go, in the future everyone is going to be using more cores!"

Man they couldn't have been more wrong. The idea of buying for the future is so stupid.


I'm not a programmer, but apparently this isn't as easy as it sounds. Even some games that theoretically can use four cores really only rely on one (Skyrim). And in any case, Blizzard will probably never make games complex enough to need four good cores until quad-core processors are the market standard, which doesn't seem to be any time soon. Same reason their games never require much graphics oomph: they want to sell to people with crappy computers.

And yeah, the idea of buying for the future is stupid.
"The victor? Not the highest scoring, nor the best strategist, nor the best tactitian. The victor was he that was closest to the Tao of FFA." -.Praetor
Medrea
Profile Joined May 2011
10003 Posts
November 30 2012 21:27 GMT
#20
Gaming in general is a highly serial process where one thing depends on another's outcome.

With the multi-core thing, we were expected to be able to inline cores so that two cores can operate one thread at double speed, but that technology has not been invented yet, dynamically sharing resources between cores I think is the big hurdle.
twitch.tv/medrea
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