Intensive on CPU and GPU
Intensive on CPU and GPU
Yes, you can determine whether a game relies more on CPU or GPU by adjusting its visual settings. Increasing the graphical fidelity forces the GPU to perform more calculations, while lowering the "looks" reduces the load on the GPU and may highlight CPU usage. Certain games or specific settings, like high-resolution textures or complex shaders, tend to stress the CPU more than the GPU.
Benchmarks offer a solid method to assess performance. Experimenting with various games on your PC can help identify strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to see which titles demand more CPU or GPU power.
Activate MSI Afterburner OSD for the following metrics: CPU usage, GPU usage, Frame rate. Run the full game and watch GPU performance alongside CPU activity. Normal behavior shows GPU consistently above 90% during gameplay (ignore loading screens). CPU load fluctuates between 30% and 90%, influenced by the game and your CPU limitations. GPU often stays under 90% while CPU hits around 99%. Most games focus on specific CPU-heavy sections—such as Rise of the Tomb Raider – Temple of Kitezh, The Witcher 3 – Novigrad City, Crysis 3, or Welcome to the Jungle.
Thank you for the feedback! On Medium-High settings in World of Tanks, my FPS stays around 60 with CPU usage never exceeding about 95%, though it often hovers between 50-90%. My GPU usage spikes but doesn’t stay high. Other games like Planetside 2, Warface, Robocraft, and Overwatch also reach over 60 FPS, while Planetside stays above that.