Digital hardware enthusiasts all know that there is a very important golden rule when building a PC: “A good horse needs a good saddle.” This means that if you want to get a high-performance processor or graphics card, the corresponding graphics card or processor should also be of good quality; otherwise, it will create a bottleneck, preventing the hardware from fully utilizing its performance.
Generally speaking, mainstream processors nowadays do not have this problem, such as AMD’s Ryzen 3000 and Ryzen 5000 series. Even when paired with a GeForce RTX 4090, the graphics card can run at full capacity. Some weaker models of CPUs might have higher usage rates, but they won’t underperform to the point of becoming a bottleneck.
This article will test a rather “extreme” example by using Intel’s Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor, released in 2007, paired with a GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card to test game performance. The goal is to assess how much GPU utilization the Core 2 Quad Q6600 can achieve.
— In my personal opinion, expectations shouldn’t be too high; reaching 50% would be considered a win. Can the Core 2 Quad Q6600 achieve this?
1. Parameter Introduction (Core 2 Quad Q6600 with RTX 4090)
The Core 2 Quad Q6600 was released on July 23, 2007. It uses a 65-nanometer process, has 4 cores and 4 threads, operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, has a power consumption of 105W, and a suggested retail price of $266.
2. Test Platform Configuration
The main configuration is as follows:
- Processor: Core 2 Quad Q6600
- Motherboard: MSI P45C Neo
- Memory: 8GB DDR3 1066MHz
- Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 4090
- Hard Drives: Two Samsung 970 EVO
3. Real Game Test
The following tests seven games in 4K quality mode. Due to the outdated processor model, some games require the installation of SSE Engine Fixes to run properly, and many mainstream games cannot run.
① The first game is Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Average FPS: 14
- Minimum Instant FPS: 7
- Frame Time: 94.3ms
- CPU Usage: 100%
- Temperature: 63°C
- Memory Usage: 7.3GB
- GPU Usage: 29%
- VRAM Usage: 6.5GB
- Power Consumption: 57W
- Temperature: 34°C
In this game, the CPU usage is at 100%, running at full capacity, which is expected. The GPU usage is only around 30%, with power consumption at 57W. The average FPS does not reach half the minimum for smooth gameplay, and the frame time exceeds 90ms, making the performance very poor.
② The second game is Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
- Average FPS: 37
- Minimum Instant FPS: 16
- Frame Time: 25.1ms
- CPU Usage: 95%
- Temperature: 60°C
- Memory Usage: 7.0GB
- GPU Usage: 40%
- VRAM Usage: 4.7GB
- Power Consumption: 86W
- Temperature: 36°C
In this game, the CPU usage is 95%, and the GPU usage reaches 40%, 10% higher than the previous game, with power consumption at 86W. Clearly, the Core 2 Quad Q6600 utilizes the GPU performance slightly better in this game. The average FPS is above 30, and the frame time is around 25ms, allowing for barely smooth gameplay.
③ The third game is Cyberpunk 2077.
- Average FPS: 13
- Minimum Instant FPS: 8
- Frame Time: 91.0ms
- CPU Usage: 100%
- Temperature: 61°C
- Memory Usage: 7.9GB
- GPU Usage: 33%
- VRAM Usage: 9.6GB
- Power Consumption: 112W
- Temperature: 38°C
In this game, the CPU usage remains at 100%, running at full capacity, and the GPU usage is 33%, nearly one-third of the GPU’s performance, with power consumption at 112W. The overall game performance is very similar to the first game, failing to meet even half the minimum smooth running requirements.
④ The fourth game is GTA 5.
- Average FPS: 30
- Minimum Instant FPS: 11
- Frame Time: 37.0ms
- CPU Usage: 100%
- Temperature: 59°C
- Memory Usage: 7.3GB
- GPU Usage: 24%
- VRAM Usage: 6.4GB
- Power Consumption: 72W
- Temperature: 35°C
In this game, CPU usage is still 100%, running at full capacity, while GPU usage is only 24%, about a quarter, which is lower than the previous games, with power consumption at 57W. However, being an older classic game, it is not very resource-intensive. The average FPS barely reaches 30, and the frame time is around 37ms, making it somewhat playable.
⑤ The fifth game is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
- Average FPS: 36
- Minimum Instant FPS: 4
- Frame Time: 23.4ms
- CPU Usage: 100%
- Temperature: 59°C
- Memory Usage: 7.3GB
- GPU Usage: 26%
- VRAM Usage: 5.3GB
- Power Consumption: 59W
- Temperature: 33°C
In this game, CPU usage remains at 100%, running at full capacity, with GPU usage at only about 26%, nearly a quarter, and power consumption at 59W. Being another older classic game, it is not very resource-intensive. The average FPS is over 30, with a frame time around 23ms, making it somewhat playable.
⑥ The sixth game is Forza Horizon 5.
- Average FPS: 67
- Minimum Instant FPS: 41
- Frame Time: 15.4ms
- CPU Usage: 100%
- Temperature: 60°C
- Memory Usage: 7.5GB
- GPU Usage: 37%
- VRAM Usage: 5.0GB
- Power Consumption: 97W
- Temperature: 39°C
In this game, CPU usage is still 100%, running at full capacity, with GPU usage around 37%, close to 40%, and power consumption at 97W. This game does not demand high processor performance. The average FPS exceeds 60, with a frame time around 15ms, allowing for smooth gameplay, showing no significant shortcomings.
⑦ The seventh game is The Witcher 3.
- Average FPS: 28
- Minimum Instant FPS: 3
- Frame Time: 32.3ms
- CPU Usage: 98%
- Temperature: 61°C
- Memory Usage: 7.4GB
- GPU Usage: 39%
- VRAM Usage: 5.5GB
- Power Consumption: 74W
- Temperature: 34°C
In this game, CPU usage is 98%, with GPU usage at 39%, nearly 40%, and power consumption at 74W. The average FPS is slightly below the minimum threshold for smooth gameplay, with a frame time exceeding 32ms, making it not smoothly playable.
4. Test Conclusion
The test results are clear: in most games, the Core 2 Quad Q6600 can utilize about 30% of the GeForce RTX 4090’s performance, with a maximum of around 40%. This performance is below my previous expectation of 50%.
In other words, in this configuration, approximately 60% of the GeForce RTX 4090’s performance remains untapped. This is the final conclusion of this article. Of course, this situation is not entirely due to the processor; it depends on various factors. This conclusion is for reference only.
When paired appropriately, the GeForce RTX 4090’s GPU usage typically reaches over 95%, with power consumption exceeding 200W, nearing full capacity. This is the expected normal state.
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