Choosing My CPU and GPU For My First Gaming PC

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baseball1207

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Jan 12, 2015
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Hey guys, I am getting a list of parts ready for my first gaming PC which will be around $500. I am stuck on choosing which CPU and GPU I should use. I was thinking for the CPU, either the Intel Core i3-4160 or the AMD Athlon X4 860K, since the AMD is cheaper, I was thinking of just getting that, besides it does have 2 more cores, but if the Intel is better, is it worth spending the extra money? And I compared the two on cpuboss.com and it said they are both equal, so if that is true, the smartest thing would be to get the AMD, but I am not sure, so you guys tell me. And for the GPU, either the R9 270 2GB or the R9 280 3GB, I know the R9 280 has an extra GB, but is it that much better performance for gaming and is it worth spending more money? I hope you guys are able to help me out, thank you guys who are able to do so!
 
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Unless you overclock the 860k by a lot and don't care about how much power it uses, the i3 will beat it in most games. AMD CPUs are fine, but they need double the cores and much faster clocks to keep up with Intel CPUs. Only you can decide if the i3 is worth the extra money.
Both GPUs will get you decent performance at 1080p in most games. The 280 is probably only necessary if you want to maintain high framerates and use antialiasing.
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Gze

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Jan 11, 2015
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Would definitely go with the i3, even with less cores it is a much better cpu. For the graphics card if you are able to get a gtx 970 then do, otherwise a r9 270x or 280 would be fine.
 
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Calculagator

Calculagator

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Nov 18, 2014
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Unless you overclock the 860k by a lot and don't care about how much power it uses, the i3 will beat it in most games. AMD CPUs are fine, but they need double the cores and much faster clocks to keep up with Intel CPUs. Only you can decide if the i3 is worth the extra money.
Both GPUs will get you decent performance at 1080p in most games. The 280 is probably only necessary if you want to maintain high framerates and use antialiasing.
 
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baseball1207

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Jan 12, 2015
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yea for now, I will not be over clocking, and I do want to be able to play on high settings or better with at least 40+ FPS, do you think the AMD is able to do that? I am trying to save as much money as I can, and if it isn't worth spending an extra $30 for performance that is about the same, I will probably get the AMD, but idk ill look more into it. Thanks for the help.
 
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RCguitarist

RCguitarist

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Apr 2, 2013
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Absolutely the i3. However, if you have the funds to get a high end card like a 970 or 980, then invest in an i5. It's silly to get a 970 and an i3. An i3 is best paired with a gpu like the 760 for a nice budget conscious build. Pair an i5-4690 with a 970 and you will be happy you did.
 
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