Higher end GPU + Lower end i5 or Lower end GPU + Higher end i5?

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Snapzz3

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Jan 2, 2014
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I know this question has probably been asked literally countless times on forums but the title says it all. Should i go with an i5 4460 and a cheaper motherboard + a GTX 970 an i5 4690 and a little more expensive motherboard + a GTX 960 4GB?

Will a 4460 be able to multitask well? Eg. playing games while having multiple programs open to alt + tab between.

Then there's the whole "future proof" question which i hate but i'm going to ask anyways. How long will a 4460 last me with new game titles coming out?

Edit: Also will a 500 or 550W PSU be able to give sufficient power while under load?

(Will be playing GTA V and Battlefield 4/Hardline and some other games)

(Will be playing GTA V and Battlefield 4/Hardline for the most part)
 
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apanpapan3

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For a gaming PC, you should get the Core i5 4460, the cheaper motherboard and the GTX 970. A Core i5 4460 multitasks as well as the i5 4690 and plays the latest games at high settings without problems. It is hard do say how future proof a CPU is, but I think the 4460 will still be able to run the latest games in about 3 years from now.
 
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josephlu

josephlu

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I would say that the i5 4690 combo that you mentioned is the better choice. Not only will you be able too run all current gen games with a good framerate, the good CPU allows for upgrades in the GPU later, futureproofing you for the next gen. A good mobo is always a good thing, as they tend to break less and last longer. A 960 will run the games you play fine at around 60fps at medium. A 970 is not necessary, as buying a worse CPU, (not saying the 4460 is bad) may result in bottlenecks for next gen CPUs. The i5 4960 is the better multitasking desktop/productivity CPU of the two. Your second combo is definitely the better choice.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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A decent rule of thumb for a balanced gaming pc is to budget 2x the cpu cost for the graphics card.
By that rule, the i5-4460($190) and a GTX970($330) is very appropriate.
Usually there is minimal performance difference between a low and high end motherboard using the same cpu.

With Skylake now available, there is absolutely no question in my mind that a new build should be Skylake.
a. Prices for cpu, z170 motherboard and ddr4 ram are almost precisely the same.
b. Skylake has an estimated 5-10% performance improvement per clock over haswell.
c. 14nm runs cooler, you get a decent overclock without the need for exotic cooling.
d. The Z170 chipset permits the use of much faster ssd devices on the horizon. Samsung 950 pro for example:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/ssd950pro/overview.html

For the same $190, you can buy a skylake i5-4400.
What is really good is that asrock has announced BCLK overclocking for non "K: skylake processors.

Multitasking depends mostly on having enough ram to hold both tasks.
You might want 16gb.
 
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apanpapan3

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The difference between the Core i5 4460 and the 4690 is very small, and will probably not be noticed in games. The GTX 970 is a much better choice than the 960 for future proofing the GPU, as the performance difference is pretty big and the 960 won't be able to run the latest games at acceptable settings and framerates in a few years. The 970 is also much better for overclocking and can with a good cooler be overclocked to over 1.5 GHz, which makes it stronger than a stock 980.
 
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Snapzz3

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I've decided to go with an i7 4790 + a gtx 960 instead of any of those i5's. I spent some time reading around and most people are saying that GTA 5 and Battlefield 4 really benefit from the extra CPU power. So because of that i decided to play it safe and wait around for when nvidia releases pascal. Thank all of you for your input :)
 
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