i3 vs i5 Gaming? GPU? I'm new..

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The most important piece of gaming hardware is the GPU. You typically want to spend 1.5x the amount on the GPU then the CPU. $120 CPU <= $180 GPU.
True. I7 > i5 > i3. Just make sure you comparing from the same generation as i7 920 is not better i5 4670k. For gaming, you gpu should be the most expensive part of your rig and it shouldn't be close. Just don't cheap out on power supply and be certain that your processor will not bottleneck graphic card.
 

On desktops:
i3 = dual core, with hyperthreading, and 3 MB of L3 cache
i5 = quad core, without hyperthreading, and 6 MB of L3 cache (equivalent to 3MB per 2 cores)
i7 = quad core, with hyperthreading, and 8 MB of L3 cache (equivalent to 4 MB per 2 cores)

i5 is the sweet spot. It's a substantial improvement over the i3. The i7 is only a slight improvement over the i5, not worth the money IMHO.

On laptops:
i3 = dual core, with hyperthreading, no turbo boost, 3 MB of L3 cache
i5 = dual core, with hyperthreading, with turbo boost, 3 MB of L3 cache
i7 = dual or quad core, with hperthreading, with turbo boost, 4 MB of L3 cache (6 or 8 MB for quads)

i3 is the sweet spot. i5 only gets you turbo boost (which can be significant on U and Y processors). i7 is again only a slight improvement unless you step up to a quad core.
 

sciamwow

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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4bwghM

Thoughts?
 

sciamwow

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I'd like your thoughts from my other reply as well
 

sciamwow

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Conversations can change directions. I just need help because I am new to this and am trying to figure everything out. Sorry if I upset you or something. But in the title, it also did say "GPU?"
 

sciamwow

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As I said in the original post, I am using it for gaming. i don't care if I have to turn things down to medium to get 60fps
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar MX300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($5.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $738.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 19:04 EST-0500

??
 

KoopaCreeper

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Looks good.
 

sciamwow

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So keep the 270x, don't go for a 750 ti FTW? It would be $50 cheaper and I can't really find any sources comparing the two
 

KoopaCreeper

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The 270X is a rebranded HD 7870, AKA AMD's last-gen "sweet spot" card. The 750 Ti is a low-power card designed for light to moderate gaming and HTPCs. The choice in a gaming PC is quite clear.
 

KoopaCreeper

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Why did you switch to an AMD CPU? The i3 would perform better in the majority of tasks.
 

sciamwow

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My cousin has a build similar to that one and he said that it does well for him. I've also heard that the AMDs are better for budget builds. And you can OC the AMD CPU in that build
 

sciamwow

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CPU aside, would you go with an r9 270x or an r9 280? It seems like the clock speed is higher on the 270x, but I don't know if that is important or not.. From what I am seeing, the 280 is better (and it's ten dollars less)

280: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9280atdfd
270x: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9270xcdfc