M
aximum PC recommends that you have both a DirectX 10
graphics card and a quad-core CPU for PC nirvana, but that
goal isn’t realistic for everyone—that much kit costs a ton of cash.
So what do you do when you can’t afford to blow an entire pay-check to keep your rig on the bleeding edge of technology? You’ve got
to decide which part comes first. To help you weigh the pros and cons,
we’ve pitted the two technologies against each other.DirectX 1 0 GPU vs. Quad-Core CPU
APPLICATIONS
The general-purpose CPU will never be replaced when it comes to
pushing Microsoft Office’s fat ass up and over that hill. As applications are updated for
multithreading, the quad-core processor will actually get faster but also run multiple
non-multithreaded applications without taking a performance hit.
This category is all about the quad-core CPU, but there are still a couple of scenari-
os in which the GPU is important. Almost every major video-editing application uses the
GPU for acceleration, and that isn’t going to change. We’re at the point now that crappy
onboard graphics isn’t enough for these apps. ATI’s and Nvidia’s stream processing
technologies also represent future challenges for the CPU. But that technology won’t
have any measurable impact for a while, and truth be told, the quad core is more impor-
tant for your video renders anyway. WINNER: QUAD-CORE CPUGAMING
Gamers have plenty of reasons to buy a DirectX 10 card. Even though
developers tell us DirectX 9 has some life left, we’ve seen enough DX10 content to
know we’d cry crocodile tears if we didn’t have a DX10 part on the day Crytek’s Crysis
launches. However, this battle really isn’t as cut-and-dried as you might think. Besides
shooting for DX10 support, developers are also coding for quad-core processors,
using different threads for physics and artificial intelligence. In fact, Valve has said that
it expects a quad-core CPU to give you quite a different—and we presume better—
gaming experience than a single- or even dual-core proc. Still, even the CPU fanboys
here think that if you have a serviceable CPU—a good midrange dual-core proces-
sor—you should opt for a DX10 upgrade before buying a quad core if your primary
interest is gaming. WINNER: DX10 CARDCPU
INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q
$530, http://www.intel.comVIDEO PLAYBACK
AND ENCODING
The PC has risen to the challenge as people increas-
ingly turn to it for video playback. GPU-enabled video
playback using either Nvidia’s PureVideo or AMD’s
Avivo can actually be better than what you get with
pricey professional DVD players, and it’s all thanks
to the GPU. While you can view HD content with a
low-end dual-core CPU, you’ll still need an HDCP-
enabled videocard, which all but the cheapest DX
cards support. However, when it comes to video
encoding and transcoding, it’s all about the CPU.
Hell, a quad core isn’t enough when you’re using an
encoder that’s truly multithreaded. WINNER: TIEhead 2 head TWO TECHNOLOGIES ENTER, ONE TECHNOLOGY LEAVES
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BY GORDON MAH UNG14 MAXIMUMPC july 2007