Which CPU Should I Get For Budget Gaming PC?

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stevewp

stevewp

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I am stuck on choosing which CPU I should use for my first gaming PC. I would like the total to be no more than $500 for the CPU, memory, hard dive, motherboard, GPU, case, and the PSU. The CPUs that I were thinking of getting were the AMD FX-6300, the AMD Athlon X4 860k, or the Intel Core i3-4160. I am not able to get an i5 or higher for now, since this is a budget build, it would defeat the purpose. Some people say the i3 is better than the two AMD CPUs I listed, but the i3 is $40 more than the AMD Athlon, and $15 more than the AMD FX, but the AMD FX is about $25 more than the AMD Athlon. Also, when I compared both AMD CPUs with each other on cpuboss.com, it said no winner declared, too close to call, the i3 vs the AMD FX, the i3 won, but the FX has a better value, and the i3 vs the Athlon was another tie, so would the Athlon be the one to chose? But if I do get the i3, I know that future upgrades will be easier. Is it worth spending the extra money for the i3? I am mainly looking for the one that will get the best performance for gaming, but trying to keep at a lower price. I have so many questions, so if anyone is able to help me out with choosing my CPU, that would be great. And if anyone could tell me what settings and how much FPS I can get with either of the three CPUs on games like Far Cry 3, Max Payne 3, Hitman: Absolution, Metro: Last Light, Skyrim, Crysis 3, and a few other games, that would also be a huge help. Thanks guys!

Edit: I will not be over clocking on this build since I am new to computers, and if you know a better CPU than the three I listed, as long as it isn't more expensive than the ones I mentioned.
 
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st3v30

st3v30

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Yea it is fine,since your are building budget gaming pc you need to start from GPU 1st cuz gaming is all about GPU horse power.If you dont plan to OC then with i3 and some h97 or z97 board so you can later upgrade to i5 or i7 if you want.FX 6300 is also good pick but you will need to OC to get more out of it and for that you need a better mobo and a cooler what makes it even expensive then i3 and z97 mobo.If you want give me your budget $ for cpu and mobo and we will work something out.
 
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stevewp

stevewp

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Here are a few 270/270x GPUs that I could get, whichever you think would be best for my build, please tell me, they are all the same price just about.

270x http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r9270xgaming2g
270 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9270dc2oc2gd5
270 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9270dc2oc2gd5
270 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9270acnfc
270 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9270acdfc
270 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r9270gaming2g
280 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-axr92803gbd5t2dheoc
 
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rockie_

rockie_

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $472.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-18 12:31 EST-0500
 
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stevewp

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Ok, so I think I can go with the i3, either the 4150 or 4160 is fine, they are both just about the same, so maybe the cheaper one, for the motherboard, I would like something with at least 4 usb ports, maybe for $70 or less, idk what a good price would be, 8gb of RAM also, maybe go with the G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600, they are $63.99 on pcpartpicker.com, for hard drive, 1TB is good, and idk what brand would be best, but cheap so I have enough money to get the better CPU and GPU while staying in the $500 range, whichever GPU you think is best out of the list I posted earlier, I can add to the list, they are all under $160, a nice case is fine, nothing too cheap, I would like it to last, but nothing crazy, maybe around $40? Whatever price you think would work. And for the PSU, whatever you think is good, I know nothing about these, but maybe choose a brand like EVGA since they are pretty cheap but are powerful, and maybe something with 400W so there is enough for future upgrades, whatever you think is a good amount. I hope this all made enough sense to you because I am not sure if I am using the right terminology or not :p

 
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stevewp

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ok no problem, either the 270x or one of the 270's I listed will be fine, whichever you think is the best.

 
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stevewp

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Thanks for the list! I will see what st3v30 will post or anyone else and compare them, thanks again! Also, for the games I listed above, what settings do you think I will be able to play on and how much FPS?

 
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st3v30

st3v30

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Ok make your full build on pcpartpicker and then we will see what we can change.This is your build so you pick all the parts and we will change something if it needs to be.It is the best way to learn about your new pc.
 
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st3v30

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Ok that build is fine.all in place.im just not fan of Asrock mobos,everything else is good.Now you just need a case.

 
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st3v30

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Ok that build is fine.all in place.im just not fan of Asrock mobos,everything else is good.Now you just need a case.

 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $549.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-18 13:01 EST-0500

A little over budget, but will far outperform the 750ti and with the cheaper z97 board will still leave you an upgrade path to a i7-4790k if you eventually want to go that high. The h97 board will pretty much limit you to locked cpu versions if you decide to upgrade the cpu in the near future. The r9 280 is a far stronger gpu and can play any game on high settings at least, with a decent amount of games possible on ultra. With the 750ti, you are looking at high settings at best, except with older games, where details are so low that ultra may be possible.
 
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stevewp

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Looks pretty good, thank you! And for the games I listed at the top, how much FPS do you think they are able to get on high settings or better?

 
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st3v30

st3v30

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I checked on NZXT site and it say it supports that GPU and for usb it just say that it doesnt have front USB3.0 it has 2.0.
Karadjgne build is rly good,if you can go with it but it is 50$ over your budget but i think it is worth.
 
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stevewp

stevewp

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yes I am totally fine with going over, it does look like a very good build, definitely worth $50 extra, but this is a really important question, I really need to know how much FPS the games I listed above will get on high settings or better. If someone is able to, please tell me! Thank you.
 
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