CPU speed and it's impact on 3D game resolution

[weirdo]

Is it safe to say that the maximum playable resolution in 3D games, is solely limited by the video subsystem, or will my CPU play a certain role here as well?

I understand that things like "physics" within a game may be strongly cpu bound, but if we consider these settings lowered and strictly focus on the in game resolution, is the CPU still a limiting factor?

/Thank you tweaktown

[Darthtanion]

Re: CPU speed and it's impact on 3D game resolution

There is no easy answer. The processor speed. amount of memory, quality of video card, hard drive speed, network connectovity for online play... well, the list goes on and on.

While the video card can make a game play much better, without the processor speed to back it up and the amount of memory needed to keep from constant access to the SWAP file, you will still suffer slow or limited 3D playability. Also, some video cards are too strong for slower processors, causing a severe bottleneck at the processor level.

[casecutter]

Re: CPU speed and it's impact on 3D game resolution

The resolution you play at also greatly effects this. Usually, 1280X1024 and lower resolutions are pretty much dependent on the CPU while over that the GPU takes over and becomes more important.