Torn between I5, I7, and Xeon for gaming (mostly strategy games).

MrCanEHdian · May 7, 2014

So I've been looking at parts for ages now, slowly getting ready to build a gaming rig. I've reduced by graphical "needs/wants" from a GTX 780 to either a GTX 770 or 760, but I am torn on the right CPU for me.

I keep reading that games like Civ 5 are highly CPU dependent, and am therefore having trouble choosing the right one.
I was set on the i5 4670k, but now I don't know if some Xeon models might be better like the 1230 v3. I'm pretty sure i don't want an I7, I don't know if I'm willing to dish out that kind of capital at the moment. I'm currently struggling with motherboards and CPUs. What should I choose, keeping in my 90% of my PC gaming will be RTS and turn based strategy games, with big maps, lots of AI/human players, and lots going on (with emphasis on SoaSE Rebellion, Civ 5, Civ Beyond Earth (don't know specs yet), Wargame: Red Dragon, Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, etc". I need a good strategy and possibly simulation game CPU. I will also play Day Z standalone and possibly FC3 or other shooters and RPGs. No plans for future games yet except Civ Beyond Earth But i want to be ready.

Thank you for your time.

mjmacka · May 7, 2014

So, most current games are not optimized for more than 4 CPU cores. They basically used a few of the cores and ignore the others. Some of the newer games (newest BF) use up to 8 cores.
I would go i5 or i7. What's your budget. Also, an Xeon processor is more for CAD/Design or a server. A good Xeon processor is going to cost much more than a good i7.

Jhact-1385607 · May 7, 2014

I wouldn't recommend the Xeon. They're pretty hardcore. Even for strategy games.

Remixex · May 7, 2014

Lots of players seem more RAM intensive, the i5 4670 will handle those games very easily (also get the non-k series if you don't plan on overclocking) so yeah, go for the 4670, i7 isn't worth it and Xeon sounds old

mjmacka · May 7, 2014

Oh, and your GPU is going to have the most impact on your gaming. A good GPU and a mediocre CPU is going to out-perform a good CPU and a mediocre GPU.

Remixex · May 7, 2014

^i second that, that's why for budget PCs i always recommend an fx 6300 + a powerful GPU (r9 279X for example)

MrCanEHdian · May 7, 2014

mjmacka :

My budget is around (theoretically) $2,000 (I got two summer jobs, so 70 hours of work a week and one pays much higher than min wage). However, I would like to stay around 1,100-1,500 (prior to our stupid 13% taxes in Canada). Because I'm Canadian, and our dollar went to hell, and our taxes are relatively high (relative to America), everything will cost more. I'm not overly concerned about costs though, more about a good rig (doesn't need to be a beast), that can run strategy games well (I got a PS4, which I love, but I can only play so many FPSs).

Anyways, my budget is relatively high, however, it seems the i5 4670k is the best bang for buck for me (not sure if I will overclock or not, I have no experience in it). Kinda wish I hadn't purchased the PS4 now, but it's in the past now and I will likely go i5, but I need advice. I'm leaning towards an Asus Gryphon motherboard, I've read good things about it and I don't know how I feel about going higher than that. I want to be able to upgrade in the future too. I have looked at the Maximus VI Hero, and will still consider it, but I feel like the Gryphon is more appropriate for me.

I see, I will only be gaming on this machine... Not much else really. I have a laptop I use for school, so no need to have a workstation. So the 1230 v3 is a "cheap" Xeon then I guess? Xeons and i7s support "trusted computing". How important is trusted computing, and what exactly does it do?

MrCanEHdian · May 7, 2014

Jhact-1385607 :

A bit "overboard" for gaming I take it? Thanks!

MrCanEHdian · May 7, 2014

Remixex :

I don't know about overclocking, I kind want the option, but I don't know if I'd ever use it. The i7s seem very expensive, and the future of gaming as far as hyperthreading seems somewhat obscure, which makes me uncomfortable about dishing out the extra $100 or so.

I was planning on 8Gbs of RAM, should I consider getting more?

mjmacka · May 7, 2014

I hate to say this, but do you have any friends in the states? You could always order from newegg, ship to your friend and have them mail the stuff to you in Canada. I haven't checked recently, but I think your dollar is stronger than ours in the states... meaning that your purchasing power increases if you buy from the states.

MrCanEHdian · May 7, 2014

mjmacka :

Very good point, for starters, I was aiming at the GTX 760 or 770. The 780 seems like too much for my needs, and I don't know enough about AMD. Nvidia seems more noob friendly to me. Still, I'm open to alternatives. The 760 is more where my needs lie, however, the 770 would give me more "future proofing" if that makes sense.

MrCanEHdian · May 7, 2014

mjmacka :

The CAD is currently valued at 0.92 USD. Up from a couple weeks ago, but pretty sad otherwise. I do have a friend in Misouri, and a friend in Colorado. Good idea, I will consider that if the disparity changes to CAD's favor in the coming months, next quarter.

MrCanEHdian · May 7, 2014

Also worth mentioning, I'd like to play Planetside 2.

Graphics don't matter that much to me, I don't need ultra settings (although they are very nice I imagine). I'm used to playing on my lappy on the lowest settings. Planetside 2 with battles over 20 people on lowest settings renders the game almost unplayable on my laptop (some old phenom processor and Radeon HD 7670m GPU with 1Gb GDDR5 and 128 bit bus). So anything above low with frames around 30 would be amazing. Of course, with the specs I mentioned, it would be idiotic to expect less than 45 at medium-high if I understand correctly. But my point is, my needs aren't crazy. I just LOVE strategy games, I played Civ 5 for over 600 hours on the lowest settings with crazy slow turn times in late game, but still couldn't get enough of it.

CTurbo · May 7, 2014

Ignore all of the "Xeons are for server" threads. The e3-1230v3 will perform exactly like an i7 4770. It's not "old"(released June '13), it's not "hardcore" (whatever that means), It's not "made" for anything in particular, and it's actually much cheaper than the i7 4770.

Seriously guys if you don't know what you're talking about, don't comment.

mjmacka · May 7, 2014

MrCanEHdian :

mjmacka :

The CAD is currently valued at 0.92 USD. Up from a couple weeks ago, but pretty sad otherwise. I do have a friend in Misouri, and a friend in Colorado. Good idea, I will consider that if the disparity changes to CAD's favor in the coming months, next quarter.

I haven't looked in a while.

MrCanEHdian · May 7, 2014

CTurbo :

Is it superior to the i5 4670k for current gen gaming in your opinion?

mjmacka · May 7, 2014

CTurbo :

This post sums up the discussion between i5/i7/Xeon CPU's and the differences: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1719585/intel-haswell-xeon-1230v3-difference.html

CTurbo · May 7, 2014

Is it superior to the i5 4670k for current gen gaming in your opinion?

Not necessarily. The hyperthreading it offers is not beneficial in a most games at this time. It is superior in just about every other scenario though. And given the little difference in gaming between all of the Haswell i5s, I always recommend the i5 4570 as the greatest value since it literally costs an extra $100-150 on average to overclock the 4670k, and the gains are minimum at that point.

I do love the 1230v3 though. I have already used it in two different builds and I can't wait to use it in my own personal PC. It cost a little more than the 4670k but you can put it in a $50 B85 motherboard so it's MUCH cheaper to use than the 4670k (overclocked) would be.

mjmacka · May 7, 2014

In comparing an i5 4570, you get very similar performance for $30.00 lesss:
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Xeon-E3-1230-v3-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4570

Since you are not overclocking the board you can use the same $50.00 B85 board.

The i5 4570 and the Xeon E3-1230 are very close in performance and honestly, either would be a great CPU. I just don't think it's as much of a black and white case as CTurbo is making it out to be.

I should also point out that everything 1150 supports the i class processors... Xeon support is a bit different, so make sure to check for that if you go with a Xeon CPU.

CTurbo · May 7, 2014

Check out this thread. It's Ivy Bridge but it makes the same point.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2089986/replacing-3570k-xeon-1230.html

MrCanEHdian · May 8, 2014

CTurbo :

So as of right now, hyperthreading's potentials are negligible for gaming? Ahh I see, so the difference between 3.2 Ghz and 3.4 Ghz is really not that much? Why does it cost more to overclock it? I know you need an aftermarket cooler, but what else? I will look at the 4570, and definitely take it into consideration. Thank you! Interesting, the Xeon is becoming a very compelling alternative, why is it that you can put it into a cheaper motherboard (much cheaper at $50!)? I thought cheap motherboards were not very dependable and not good after 2 years.........

CTurbo · May 8, 2014

3 things are needed to overclock. A "K" model cpu like the 4670k or 4770k, an after market cooler, and a Z87 motherboard

The 4670k is about $35 more than the 4670k.

It's $30 for the cheapest cpu cooler(212 Evo) that will allow for reliable overclocking.

The cheapest Z87 motherboard is $40-50 more than a good B85 motherboard.

All of that adds up. Especially when you buy a mid-range Z87 motherboard and a better cpu cooler. People usually end up paying more like $150-200 more just to be able to overclock.

The 4570 and the 1230v3 are my two favorite cpus and they are the two I recommend the most. They are both excellent values. Neither require expensive Z87 motherboards or after market cpu coolers. All B85 motherboards by Asus, ASRock, MSI, or Gigabyte have good build quality and should last for many years.

mc962 · May 8, 2014

A lot of boards support that xeon as long as you don't care for ecc ram (not needed anyway). Just check on the supported cpu list on the manufacturer website before you bought it. To me the xeon would be a better value for what I'm spending since I'm not overclocking, and the xeon-i5 price difference could be made up with a cheaper non z87 board.
It costs more to overclock because you need a cooler, but the z series boards that are generally what are built for the job are usually more expensive than the other, slightly less featured cousins. .2 ghz won't likely change anything.
I think it's less about cheap motherboards not being dependable, and more about the quality of the board you chose to buy/who you bought it from, and maybe how much stress you put on the components. Do your research and you can probably get a decent budget board.

MrCanEHdian · May 9, 2014

CTurbo :

I agree with all that, it helps that you've helped me on other answers too lmao. I am now considering Z97s and looking at them for a few months before making the ultimate decision. If the Z97s are Haswell compatible, then either the i5 4670k or the Xeon 1230v3 are going to be my main CPUs, unless a new awesome one with a good price comes out.

MrCanEHdian · May 9, 2014

mc962 :

I don't plan on overclocking, but I would like the option. Upgradability in the future is pretty important to me too. I guess the GHz number isn't so important then, since 4.0 isn't much worse than 4.2 even though the price difference in CPUs is usually pretty big?

I'm afraid of budget boards less than $150, because I'm afraid I won't be able to upgrade in 3-5 years.

Torn between I5, I7, and Xeon for gaming (mostly strategy games).

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Reputable

Honorable

Reputable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Pizza Monster

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Pizza Monster

Honorable

Pizza Monster

Honorable

Pizza Monster

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Share this page