Starcraft II bottleneck?

15 Apr 2013

So I play a lot of StarCraft II (pretty much the only game I play) and I have some fps "issues" for the most part the game runs fine on any settings. It's when I get into big battles (200 vs 200) that I run into some major fps issues. Now being that I am a competitive player I play the game on all low settings at 1440x900 resolution.

I just want to be able to hold a solid 60 fps no matter what is taking place in game.

Specs:

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 955 3.2 ghz

MOBO: GA-870A

RAM: 8 gigs of DDR3

GPU(s): Two AMD Radeon 6750's (I know that StarCraft II can't take advantage of multiple gpu's)

PSU: Thermaltake 750w

HDD: 1TB Western Digital

OS: Windows 7 64bit

So as you can tell I'm looking around to figure out exactly what it is that needs to be upgraded to get better performance (StarCraft II is my main focus) my price range is around 300$ depending on what part(s) need upgrading.

Thanks.

essenbe · 16 Apr 2013

I really don't know about Starcraft, as it is not one of the games I play. But, from looking at your specs, I would suspect the GPU. Trying to read between the lines, Starcraft must be GPU bound and it does not recognize multiple cards. That would mean that it is using one card and that card is not up to the job. That is my guess. I think you may get better help in the Games section of the forums, Gaming - Windows 7 Help Forums. If it is of any help, this is a list of the best rated GPU cards on Newegg in the $200-$300 price range. In my opinion, the 660TI is the best card around considering price/performance. And no I'm not an Nvidia fanboy, I own both Nvidia and AMD.

Faladu · 16 Apr 2013

CPU and Video could be improved, but 200 vs. 200 without some lag, asking a lot.

I'd do a video card first, and then see if CPU needs a bump, especially since it's more painful swap out.

I'd go with one of these in your budget:

VisionTek 900506 Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Newegg.com

This will give you an idea of the improvement.

http://www.hwcompare.com/12237/radeo...adeon-hd-7870/

Could go for a 7950 also at the $300 price point, now and just skip CPU, and probably be very pleased.

Stuck with Radeon since you are with AMD CPU and prefer that match up, atm.

raven2510 · 17 Apr 2013

Starcraft II is a CPU heavy game. I would bet its your current CPU being to old. Also you should look at getting an ssd.

kbrady1979 · 17 Apr 2013

Starcraft II is highly dependent on the CPU......so much that a $200 AMD Radeon will perform almost the same as a $400 AMD Radeon if you don't have enough CPU power. Between the CPU and GPU, your GPU is probably holding you back more than the CPU though. A logical CPU upgrade would require you to upgrade your motherboard as well.........I believe. If that is the route you want to go, there is no reason not to go with the AMD FX-8350(provided you want to stay with AMD) and a suitable motherboard. If you wish to upgrade your GPU, I would look at either the 7850 or the 7870GHz edition mentioned above. Here is a good card with 3 free games: MSI Radeon 7870GHz Edition .

Short version: You will get more performance out of a new GPU than a CPU, and it's the easier upgrade.

Also: AMD Radeons perform better than Nvidia GPU's across the board with Starcraft II.......something to keep in mind.