How Much Does A CPU Affect Gaming? – The Truth

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Playing all kinds of games is possible if your computer has a powerful CPU. The faster the CPU, the better the gaming experience. The computer’s CPU works as the artificial brain that controls maximum gaming actions. However, people have an interest- how much does a CPU affect gaming? 

Some games require more processing power and some of them need more graphics power. Those which need more processing power are fully dependent on the CPU. CPU has nothing to do with the rest of them which are GPU-based games.  Most importantly, the successful input-output operation is performed by the CPU while gaming. 

If you play real-time strategy games against a computer, your CPU must be strong enough. Some games require controlling in-game physics by your computer. In that case, the CPU affects gaming more than any component of the computer. 

How much does a CPU affect gaming? – Detailed discussion

CPU is the main unit that processes the game precisely. If the CPU is used 100% while gaming, there is a possibility that other data might not get processed. As a result, your computer may get freeze or face various technical issues. This state is known as CPU Bottleneck. However, let’s know the importance of CPU in a brief while gaming. 

Difficulty in multi-threading

Game’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) is an important factor in multi-threading topics. Multi-threading of the game is dependent on the game’s physics. An old processor can’t process the physics of the latest game. CPU with lower cores are the enemy of successful game data processing. A CPU can downgrade the graphics quality also if it’s not a graphics card-based game. 

The call of the draw

CPU instructs the computer’s GPU to draw something on the screen along with revealing the way. GPU can’t do this work without the help of the CPU. This is called the call of the draw. To accomplish the goal of GPU, CPU leadership is essential. A corrupted or broken CPU can’t help in that case and the gaming performance will be disastrous. 

The multi-core feature

There is a rumor in the gaming world that the more cores, the more improved the gaming experience. It’s either true or partially true. The multi-core feature offers more than one core that improves the CPU capability. At the end of the day, CPU cores help to process data more smoothly.

How much difference does a CPU make in gaming?

CPU is everything for most of the games. So, it makes performance variation as well as optimization. FPS is an important factor for rendering graphics and improving the gaming experience. By having a decent processor, you can boost up to 30 fps more while gaming.

However, it requires a minimum of four CPU cores for gaming. Having more cores increases the number of NPCs on your PC. A CPU core is the unit of CPU that performs calculations and satisfies various instructions. For gaming, the six-core processor is good enough. If you’re a heavy gamer, an eight-core or higher processor is recommended.

Frequently Asked Question

Let’s go through some common questions and their answers on the effect of CPU while gaming.

Does a better CPU affect gaming?

It depends on what game you’re playing on your computer. The frame rate and scalable gameplay settings are two vital factors while gaming. CPU directly create an impact on them. A CPU with more clock speed can cope with high FPS. So, a better CPU makes the gaming experience better. 

How much do CPUs affect FPS?

The impact on the FPS of the CPU isn’t much enough. If the clock speed of the CPU is high, then the FPS gets slightly increased. High FPS games won’t render graphics perfectly while you’re using a backdated CPU. For high FPS games, GPU affects more than CPU. 

Will upgrading the CPU improve gaming performance?

Yes, upgrading the CPU improves the gaming experience. An upgraded CPU means it has high processing power and a slightly high FPS. Better graphics performance can’t be expected from an old CPU. To make games look more realistic and play at higher resolutions, upgrading the CPU is a good decision. 

Watch the tutorial video below for more detailed information:

Conclusion

CPU (Central Processing Unit) isn’t everything of gaming, but a lot of. Without a CPU, your computer is technically dead. So, how much does a CPU affect gaming? It affects gaming largely unless it’s a completely GPU-based game. 

The game’s physics is controlled by AI. And, the AI is controlled by the CPU of your computer. If the CPU can’t control AI precisely, then the game’s physics seems unrealistic. As a result, the gaming experience gets worse with a downgraded CPU. 

Most importantly, CPU has control over GPU. It tells GPU what to render and GPU renders graphics according to the command. All high FPS games are GPU-based but it won’t work perfectly unless the CPU is good. Reaching the endpoint, we can say- “never underestimate the power of a CPU”.

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Gary Scott

Hi There, I am Gary Scott, a Computer Engineer, and owner of this website. My friend and I created this website to share our knowledge, expertise, and experience with our fellow Computer community and pc enthusiast. I am a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). I have been writing for Motherboard, CPU, GPU, RAM, Power Supply, Intel/AMD comparisons, CPU/GPU benchmarking, Gaming performance, Xbox, Play Station, and How to build your own PC. I will be regularly updating this website with new resources, If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.

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