- May 3, 2014
- 4
- 0
- 4,510
So this a future-proofing type question. I currently have an AMD Phenom II X2 @ 3.1Ghz and it's bottle-necking my GTX 750 so I would really like to upgrade my CPU soon. I'm a gamer about to head into college and do plan on saving up for upgrades to my GPU and monitor (maybe even 4k if the price really comes down). However, given my current and predicted income for the next few years in college, I need the cheapest thing I can get for my CPU that will also be very "future-proof," even with upgrades to my GPU, at least until I'm through college.
Some basic questions that I have to go with this sort of lie along the lines of: "I know CPU's can limit game performance, but up to what point? Would an i3-4130 (what I'm currently looking at now) be enough, or do I need i5-level performance? What other factors do I need to consider in terms of limiting my GPU?"
I've spent the last 6 months researching computer components and concepts but have very little actual hands-on experience as I only just assembled my first PC with mostly used components, so anything anyone could offer in response to this question or anything else I should know would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time!
Also, I mentioned Intel in the title and the i3/5 but currently have an AMD CPU and FM2 Motherboard. The reason for considering a full brand swap is I really want a Mini-ITX system for portability at college. Intel is just sort of where my preference lies based on research, but I'm open to AMD as well. I do know they tend to be a bit cheaper, though I haven't looked at any motherboards for AMD. Oh, and the 780 is almost completely theoretical, I could barely afford my GTX 750, but I may as well be ready should I ever win one of those giveaways I entered.
Edit: This topic seems to be covering some similar ideas: http:// So maybe a better question might be along the lines of what might be the highest card I could get before diminishing return hit fully and the performance gain wasn't worth the cost of the next card up if I went with the i3-4130? Or more simply, what's the best performance I can reasonably get with an i3?
Some basic questions that I have to go with this sort of lie along the lines of: "I know CPU's can limit game performance, but up to what point? Would an i3-4130 (what I'm currently looking at now) be enough, or do I need i5-level performance? What other factors do I need to consider in terms of limiting my GPU?"
I've spent the last 6 months researching computer components and concepts but have very little actual hands-on experience as I only just assembled my first PC with mostly used components, so anything anyone could offer in response to this question or anything else I should know would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time!
Also, I mentioned Intel in the title and the i3/5 but currently have an AMD CPU and FM2 Motherboard. The reason for considering a full brand swap is I really want a Mini-ITX system for portability at college. Intel is just sort of where my preference lies based on research, but I'm open to AMD as well. I do know they tend to be a bit cheaper, though I haven't looked at any motherboards for AMD. Oh, and the 780 is almost completely theoretical, I could barely afford my GTX 750, but I may as well be ready should I ever win one of those giveaways I entered.
Edit: This topic seems to be covering some similar ideas: http:// So maybe a better question might be along the lines of what might be the highest card I could get before diminishing return hit fully and the performance gain wasn't worth the cost of the next card up if I went with the i3-4130? Or more simply, what's the best performance I can reasonably get with an i3?
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram