The Impact of CPU Frequency Scaling on Gaming Performance

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Experiment Setup
3. Game 1: Assassin's Creed Valhalla
4. Game 2: Control
5. Game 3: Far Cry New DAWN
6. Game 4: Rainbow Six Siege
7. Game 5: Need for Speed Heat
8. Game 6: Doom Eternal
9. Game 7: CS:GO
10. Game 8: League of Legends
11. Conclusion

Does CPU Frequency Scaling Impact Gaming Performance?

In this article, we will delve into the impact of CPU frequency scaling on gaming performance. We will conduct an experiment to test the performance of various games on different CPU frequencies. By analyzing the results, we aim to determine the significance of CPU frequency scaling in gaming. So, let's dive right in!

1. Introduction

As gamers, we are constantly on the Quest for better gaming performance. One aspect that often goes unnoticed is the CPU frequency scaling and its impact on gaming performance. In this article, we will explore how different CPU frequencies affect gaming performance, using a range of popular games as our test subjects.

2. Experiment Setup

Before we jump into the game results, let's first discuss the setup of our experiment. For this experiment, we used a Ryzen 7 3800XT CPU paired with an RX 5700 XT GPU. We tested various CPU frequencies ranging from 1 GHz to 4.4 GHz. Each game was played at 1080p resolution with the graphics settings optimized for performance.

3. Game 1: Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a visually stunning game known for its demanding system requirements. In our tests, we observed that even at 1 GHz, the game managed to achieve an average of 85 FPS. As we increased the CPU frequency, the one percent lows improved, resulting in a smoother gaming experience. However, the difference in average FPS was not significant beyond the 2 GHz mark.

4. Game 2: Control

Control is a GPU-heavy game that showcases impressive optimization. Surprisingly, even at 1 GHz, the game ran smoothly with an average of 88 FPS. The performance improvement with higher CPU frequencies was negligible, indicating that Control primarily relies on the GPU for its performance.

5. Game 3: Far Cry New Dawn

Far Cry New Dawn demonstrated the most noticeable impact of CPU frequency scaling. At 1 GHz, the game struggled to reach 35 average FPS. However, as we increased the CPU frequency, the performance improved significantly. Going from 3 GHz to 4 GHz resulted in a jump from 60 to over 100 average FPS, making it clear that CPU frequency plays a crucial role in this game.

6. Game 4: Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Siege is a well-optimized game that heavily depends on CPU performance. Unfortunately, we were unable to benchmark the game at 1 GHz due to system restart issues. However, starting from 2 GHz, the game exhibited stellar performance, reaching up to 300 average FPS. With each increase in CPU frequency, the results remained consistent, emphasizing the importance of CPU performance in multiplayer games.

7. Game 5: Need for Speed Heat

Need for Speed Heat surprised us with its CPU-intensive nature. At 1 GHz, the game struggled to achieve a playable frame rate. However, as we increased the CPU frequency, the average FPS improved, reaching a playable threshold at 2 GHz. Beyond 2 GHz, the performance gains became less significant, indicating that the game's optimization is more dependent on core count rather than frequency.

8. Game 6: Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal demonstrated exemplary optimization, even at 1 GHz, the game managed to achieve an impressive average of 140 FPS. As we increased the CPU frequency, the performance scaled proportionally. The game remained GPU-bottlenecked after 270 average FPS, but nonetheless, the results were remarkable, showcasing the advantage of a well-optimized game.

9. Game 7: CS:GO

CS:GO is a popular competitive game known for its reliance on CPU performance. Unfortunately, we encountered system restart issues when benchmarking at 1 GHz. However, starting from 2 GHz, we observed a massive boost in performance, with each increase of 1 GHz resulting in a significant improvement. The results emphasized the importance of CPU frequency in CPU-heavy games like CS:GO.

10. Game 8: League of Legends

League of Legends is a lightweight yet CPU-dependent game. Even at 1 GHz, the game managed to achieve an average of 64 FPS. However, the performance nearly doubled when the CPU frequency was increased to 2 GHz. Going beyond 2 GHz did not yield substantial gains, as the game remains primarily CPU-dependent.

11. Conclusion

In conclusion, our experiment revealed that the impact of CPU frequency scaling on gaming performance varies from game to game. While some games benefit significantly from higher CPU frequencies, others are more reliant on core count and GPU performance. Understanding the game's optimization and requirements is crucial in determining the significance of CPU frequency scaling for a specific title. Nevertheless, our results indicate that CPU frequency does play a significant role in gaming performance, especially in CPU-intensive games.