Which CPU/GPU combo?

modernwar99

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Which build would be better for just gaming? I might sell my GTX 770 to pay for a new GPU. For some reason I can't get on pcpartpicker, so I'll just list the parts:

CPU: Pentium G3258 ($69.99)
Cooler: CM Hyper 212 EVO ($29.99)
GPU: Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X ($299.99 after selling the GTX 770)

CPU: i5-4690 ($219.99)
Cooler: none, stock ($0.00)
GPU: Gigabyte R9 280x WINDFORCE ($179.99 after selling GTX 770)

I will OC the G3258 to it's max OC, which seems to be about 4.5-4.6Ghz.
 
Not sure what goal is here, selling a 770 to get a 280x accomplishes nothing as the cards are on the same performance level

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

Discrete: GTX 590, 680, 770 / Discrete: HD 6990, 7970 GHz Ed, R9 280X

The 290 / 290x is just one step up and the article states

I don’t recommend upgrading your graphics card unless the replacement card is at least three tiers higher. Otherwise, the upgrade is somewhat parallel, and you may not even notice any worthwhile difference in performance.
 

logainofhades

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Yea AMD failed on the naming scheme this time. A 280x is faster than a 285. A 285 is a replacement for the 280.
 

Mouldread

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Haha, maybe it was intentional to confuse a few people and get them buy this card which I still have no idea why was even released.

 

modernwar99

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CPU: Phenom II x4 955 BE @ 4.0GHz
Mobo: ASUS M4A78T-E
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 770 WINDFORCE 4gb
RAM: Corsair 2x4GB
PSU: Corsair CX600

My PSU has a dying fan, so I need a new one. My GTX 770 also has an EK waterblock, but I don't have a custom loop watercooling kit, so I can't use it. One of the fans on Gigabyte's cooler is dead, so it overheats if I don't have the fans set to 100%.
 

Mouldread

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Buying an R9 280 X is not upgrade but sidegrade and in some cases even downgrade. It will be much more cost-effective if you just bought an aftermarket air GPU cooler for $50-60 and installed it on your GTX 770.
 


yeah good point, why are you selling the 770 at all?
 

Mouldread

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If for some reason you really wanted to get rid of the GTX 770 then it would depend what would you expect from your GPU replacement. If you wanted an upgrade without braking the bank go for a R9 290. If this is still too expensive or you didn't care for upgrade but just wanted similar performance like your old card then either buy another GTX 770 or if you wanted to switch to AMD got for a R9 280x.
 

Mouldread

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In your original post you suggested as an option this:

CPU: i5-4690 ($219.99)
Cooler: none, stock ($0.00)
GPU: Gigabyte R9 280x WINDFORCE ($179.99 after selling GTX 770)


And since we all agreed that the i5 was much better choice so I automatically presumed you had already decided to buy it and now only wanted to ask for the GPU.

So to avoid further confusion the better combo would be the one above - i5 + R9 280x
 

modernwar99

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That is actually a really good suggestion, I could get a Xeon E3-1230 V2 at Microcenter for $200. It has a passmark score of almost 9000 which is above the FX 8350 and on par with some i7s. It also has i series single threaded performance. Not sure if it's unlocked though. It doesn't have an iGPU, but that doesn't matter.

EDIT: What's the point of an i7 if you can get an Xeon with the same performance for $100 less?