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Which cpu/gpu combo should I choose?

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  • GPUs
  • Processors
  • CPUs
  • Systems
Last response: in Systems
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August 5, 2014 3:17:58 PM

This is my first build ever, and making the right choice that will be better in the long run is what I wanna do. the only problem right now is that i'm on an 850 dollar budget, and I'm trying to see what processor and gpu combo I can get!

Currently i'm thinking about getting the i5-4690 and the GTX 760 SC to bring my total 2 dollars over the amount I wanna spend. But would it better to drop the processor down to an i3 4150 and buy a gtx 770? Or maybe even drop the video card down to a GTX 750 Ti and grab myself an i7 4790? If any of you are curious on what my plans are, I mainly game, but also like to surf the web and stuff too. I love emulators like Dolphin and PCSX2, and I know from experience that dolphin is VERY CPU dependent, because of the threads. Overall i'll be using it more for gaming, but I still wanna be able to run tasks without noticing lag or anything... (This is an upgrade for me, from an i3 2370m with intergrated graphics, to this current build i'm working on) So this build pretty much should be the biggest upgrade ever for me no matter how I look at it. Thanks again for all your help.

EDIT: Theres also the possibility I can use a case I have already, its the Lian-Li PC-65B, and its a little bit older from one of my friends computers. I can save around 60-70 dollars with that alone if I can use this case again, but I rather here your opinions on that.

More about : cpu gpu combo choose

a c 87 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 3:20:56 PM

i5 4690 with the GTX 760 would be ideal.
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a b à CPUs
August 5, 2014 3:24:49 PM

You could save a few $$ by getting a i5 4590 or 4460, they are just clocked slightly lower, probably would never notice the difference.

Edit: The only thing that case is missing from current cases is the front USB 3.0 headers. If you don't care about having front USB 3.0 ports then you can keep that one.
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a c 87 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 3:26:42 PM

Should be ok to use. You may want to consider getting some premium fans to replace the stock fans in the case.
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August 5, 2014 3:29:06 PM

Thanks so much! And I cleaned it out really good, made sure all the fans were clean. On top of that i'll have my PSU at the top taking air in and blowing it out too. Would this all be enough for air flow? I'm just gunna use stock cooler and don't plan on OC'ing like you said.
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a c 78 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 3:32:57 PM

Alexander Culletto said:
Thanks so much! And I cleaned it out really good, made sure all the fans were clean. On top of that i'll have my PSU at the top taking air in and blowing it out too. Would this all be enough for air flow? I'm just gunna use stock cooler and don't plan on OC'ing like you said.


yeah then your cooling should be fine as long as you don't oc, the stock cooler is designed to keep your cpu under wraps for no overclocking :)  but if you want to get a proper cpu cooler for cheap, you can get a coolermaster hyper evo 212 :) 
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August 5, 2014 3:34:00 PM

I use i5-4670 and gtx 760 and the CPU is never ever pushed near its limits.

Saying that you find the emulators CPU intensive is probably mostly to do with running them on a laptop CPU, even the cheaper fullsize i3 will be a huge improvement on your current chip.

I'd say i3+770 or i5+760 is gonna be sweet either way, you might even be better off with i3+760 and spending the difference on an extra 4GB of RAM (should be 8GB minimum in that kinda system)
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August 5, 2014 3:35:10 PM

Thank you guys so much! You just helped me a ton!! Now the only question is to throw that 70 dollars onto the processor, or to the gpu. Another tough choice >.<. I could get the i7 4790 or even get a GTX 770 now or GTX 760 4gb SC
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a c 78 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 3:36:23 PM

Alexander Culletto said:
Thank you guys so much! You just helped me a ton!! Now the only question is to throw that 70 dollars onto the processor, or to the gpu. Another tough choice >.<. I could get the i7 4790 or even get a GTX 770 now or GTX 760 4gb SC


No, if you game, a better gpu is more important, and by getting a i7 you won't see a difference in gaming, but with a better gpu, from the 760 to a 770, you can get 10-20fps more on a 1080p monitor,
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August 5, 2014 3:39:18 PM

Okay think I might go that route then. Would there be a noticeable different though in things that are almost entirely thread dependant? Like Dolphin Emu we'll say, because I love emulators. If I won't have a problem at all running them with the i5 though, then i'll go straight for the gpu.
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a c 78 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 3:41:13 PM

Alexander Culletto said:
Okay think I might go that route then. Would there be a noticeable different though in things that are almost entirely thread dependant? Like Dolphin Emu we'll say, because I love emulators. If I won't have a problem at all running them with the i5 though, then i'll go straight for the gpu.


yes, the only visible difference between a i5 and a i7 would be 3d work, rendering videos, photoshop and otehr tasks that require hyper threading, a i5 has a quad core so that should be more than enough for the emulator
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August 5, 2014 3:46:28 PM

Ahhh okay, so now one last question, how much motherboard clearance should there be when I install this new one? I feel like theres not a whole lot at all, maybe 4-10 MM. will the stock cooler backplate touch the back ?
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a c 78 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 3:53:18 PM

Alexander Culletto said:
Ahhh okay, so now one last question, how much motherboard clearance should there be when I install this new one? I feel like theres not a whole lot at all, maybe 4-10 MM. will the stock cooler backplate touch the back ?


the new cpu cooler? Any full sized atx board will be okay, it's not too big and what do you mean by backplate?
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August 5, 2014 3:56:28 PM

Oh I should have worded that better. I ment the backplate for the stock cooler, should that never touch the base of the side of the case either?
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a c 78 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 4:01:40 PM

Alexander Culletto said:
Oh I should have worded that better. I ment the backplate for the stock cooler, should that never touch the base of the side of the case either?


No, it shouldn't if you mean the backplate that secures the cooler in place, because most cases have enough space between the motherboard panel and the side of the case for almost any backplate and the stock cooler's backplate has been designed to be thin so it can fit into almost any case
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August 5, 2014 4:10:29 PM

well this case has the motherboard tray that slides out, and i'd say theres rughly 6-8 cm from the motherboard to the bottom of the tray. Im still a newbie when it comes to build so I didn't know if this was safe or not haha
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a c 78 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 4:12:41 PM

Alexander Culletto said:
well this case has the motherboard tray that slides out, and i'd say theres rughly 6-8 cm from the motherboard to the bottom of the tray. Im still a newbie when it comes to build so I didn't know if this was safe or not haha


oh, yeah, then the stock cooler should be able to fit in, try it first, but if you can't a low profile cpu cooler may be the way to go
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August 5, 2014 4:15:45 PM

okay sounds good. i'll make sure ahead of time, not worth rushing it and shorting it out lol. but thanks so much for the help! i'll just stick with this case, and if I have to i'll cut out a slot on the mobo tray for where the stock fan plate would sit.
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a c 78 à CPUs
August 5, 2014 4:18:14 PM

Alexander Culletto said:
okay sounds good. i'll make sure ahead of time, not worth rushing it and shorting it out lol. but thanks so much for the help! i'll just stick with this case, and if I have to i'll cut out a slot on the mobo tray for where the stock fan plate would sit.


ahaha sounds good :) 
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