Can a better CPU contribute to a slightly higher Firestrike Graphics Score?

[hsjj3]

I have an i5 3330 paired with a GTX 1060, but I am seeing my graphics score being a fraction lower than everyone else with the exact same GPU. Temps are not an issue and my max/average clockspeed is similar as well.

 

Now, assuming that my CPU is kinda marginal, would upgrading to a beefy i7 6700K improve my Graphics Score in Firestrike, say even by as little as 2-3%?

[YubinTheBunny]

Getting a better cpu will boost your graphical score, but the gains are pretty minimal to the point where imo it's not worth it. But if you got a cpu with more threads and a higher clock you will get a boost on your overall score (and physics score). But in a gaming scenario the gains would be small in most games. 

[ScratchCat]

It might a little bit but there is little to no point.

Even in the total score a twice as fast CPU would only increase the score 15% (Graphics is weighted 85%, CPU 15%)

[hsjj3]

2 minutes ago, ScratchCat said:

It might a little bit but there is little to no point.

Even in the total score a twice as fast CPU would only increase the score 15% (Graphics is weighted 85%, CPU 15%)

 

I'm talking about the GPU score though.

 

Assuming there is a GTX 1060. If I pair this first with an i5 3330 and then with an i7 6700K, can I expect the GPU score (not including the Combined and Physics score/test) to rise even if by 2-3%, or will there be no difference?

[YubinTheBunny]

1 minute ago, hsjj3 said:

 

I'm talking about the GPU score though.

 

Assuming there is a GTX 1060. If I pair this first with an i5 3330 and then with an i7 6700K, can I expect the GPU score (not including the Combined and Physics score/test) to rise even if by 2-3%, or will there be no difference?

There will be a difference, but probably less then 2%, so like maybe 1-2fps ish gains?

[ScratchCat]

1 minute ago, hsjj3 said:

 

I'm talking about the GPU score though.

 

Assuming there is a GTX 1060. If I pair this first with an i5 3330 and then with an i7 6700K, can I expect the GPU score (not including the Combined and Physics score/test) to rise even if by 2-3%, or will there be no difference?

Probably 2-5% difference due to less overhead

[hsjj3]

Ok to give an overview. My Graphics Score is 13100 but others have a Graphics Score of ~13600 with the EVGA GTX 1060 SC.

 

I have an i5 3330 and they have an i5 6600K/i7 6700K.

 

Is that roughly 3-4% performance difference in only the Graphics Score (not overall score) explained by the CPUs?

 

Also, when I look at Firestrike Extreme Graphics Score instead, the gap narrows to under 1%. I get 6300 and others get about 6380.

 

I can't understand why/how this happens.

[YubinTheBunny]

7 minutes ago, hsjj3 said:

Ok to give an overview. My Graphics Score is 13100 but others have a Graphics Score of ~13600 with the EVGA GTX 1060 SC.

 

I have an i5 3330 and they have an i5 6600K/i7 6700K.

 

Is that roughly 3-4% performance difference in only the Graphics Score (not overall score) explained by the CPUs?

 

Also, when I look at Firestrike Extreme Graphics Score instead, the gap narrows to under 1%. I get 6300 and others get about 6380.

 

I can't understand why/how this happens.

Did you also account for the overclocks that other users might have done to their gpu?

[hsjj3]

10 minutes ago, YubinTheBunny said:

Did you also account for the overclocks that other users might have done to their gpu?

 

Naturally I made sure to verify everything is on stock settings for the GPU. I verified by seeing the 3DMark website page for the results, and they had core/memory clocks that reflected stock settings.

 

Would appreciate any and all explanation.

[CostcoSamples]

There is always some variation on those scores.  You will find a lot of people get higher or lower scores with exactly the same hardware.  Could be the result of overclocking, or it could be other "optimizations" that people do (such as running different driver versions).

 

I think your results are in fact representative of your hardware and you don't need to worry about your CPU.

[typographie]

You said your max/average clock speed is similar, but how similar is it? Is it the same? A seemingly minor difference in GPU clock might account for more difference than a CPU in the graphics score when we're talking about individual percentage points.

 

Additionally you may need to consider that there's probably some margin of error involved when you compare scores in this way. Maybe the planets are aligned differently, maybe a random breeze cooled a GPU and caused it to boost up another 2 MHz. If you're getting within 95% of the same score with all variables accounted for, that's usually close enough for science.

[CostcoSamples]

A more useful benchmark would be to run your favorite games and monitor GPU and CPU usage.  If CPU is at 95-100%, and GPU is much lower, your CPU is a bottleneck.  It depends on the game you are playing (some games use a lot more CPU than others), and other factors like frame rate etc.