Top Card for Core I3 build

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OcelotRex

OcelotRex

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Mar 4, 2013
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Hello all.

I am building a mini-itx HTPC for a family member and I am wondering what the upper threshold of a video card would be for the Core i3-3220. Here's what I am thinking thusfar:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.99 @ NCIX US) Motherboard: Asus P8H77-I Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($95.99 @ NCIX US) Memory: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC) Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($178.98 @ Newegg) Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($41.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $578.91

I chose the new 650 Ti boost because of recent reviews. Would the 7870 LE be a better choice? Or would the CPU be a bottleneck?

Thanks!
 
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DelightfulDucklings
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DelightfulDucklings

DelightfulDucklings

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Jan 5, 2013
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The i3 would be a bottleneck in CPU intensive games such as Battlefield 3 but in single player games it's generally the GPU that will bottleneck so an upgrade to the 7870 LE would give you benefit there. You could buy the 7870 LE now and then upgrade your CPU later on to relieve the bottleneck if you are willing to spend that money
 
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ronintexas

ronintexas

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Dec 10, 2012
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You mentioned HTPC - is this for gaming or just for watching TV/Video? For gaming, CPU/GPU will be of a larger concern, if it is just TV/video, save the money on the video card - the built-in Intel HD graphics is plenty, and the CPU has enough horsepower to power 3-4 simultaneous HD video feeds (watch/record).

If for gaming - you may want to put an extra bit of money into GPU/CPU ($100-200 more).
 
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thdarkshadow

thdarkshadow

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Feb 6, 2013
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I know my core I3 bottlenecks my 7950. I would imaging that the 7870 LE would be bottlenecked too. Honestly if you just game casually and don't care if you can max it then I like the 650ti boost with i3. If you don't game get the i3-3225 that has hd4000 graphics and skip the graphics card
 
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