Bottlenecking Video Card with Processor?

[MRZigzz]

How bottle-necking would a 1.2 ghz duron be for a Radeon 9600XT?

I ask because I can only upgrade one part at a time(money wise), and I'm too impatent to wait to get everything, and the specific Mobo that the computer has can only handle to video card (and getting the new Mobo might not work with some of the older parts on that computer).

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Bottlenecking Video Card with Processor?

I wouldn't get a 9600XT anyway. A 9800, 9700 Pro, or 9800 Pro would be just a little more and perform so much better in the long run, and even a little better with that CPU.

But to answer the question, that would be a huge bottleneck in almost any game. Maybe Doom 3 (although a 1.2 Duron is technically below specs it would probably still run, as long as you have 2000/XP and 384MB of RAM) could take advantage of that card or a 9800*/9700*. For your average game, though, anything over a 9600 would probably be bottlenecked by the CPU. I'd still suggest at least a 9800 Pro until you get money for more stuff.