Budget CPU that won't bottleneck GTX970?

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pcnoob1504

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Dec 12, 2013
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Hi. I would like to build a pc for my brother using some of the existing parts that I have(GTX 970) and Im currently searching for a budget cpu from a range of 120$-ish and below. What i have in mind now is the i3-7100. Is this i3 be enough to go with the gtx 970 or will bottlenecks exist?

EDIT : I forgot to mention that the only parts I need now is the cpu and Mobo. 1 more note, Im trying to make use of my un-used DDR4 ram. So, the cpu im looking will fall over the newer generation ones but i have no idea which one.
 
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Slumy__57
I think there is some over-exaggeration here, yes, if you pair an i3 7100 or 6100 with a 970 you will more than likely experience some minor bottlenecking in some titles. However that is not to say that the i3 is a bad choice, I built a rig for my brother with the i3 6100 and a 1050 ti and it kicks serious butt. The i3 will definitely hold its own in any newer titles, although you may have to drop your settings down a little to maintain high fps.

In my opinion, if you see yourself getting an i5 or i7 in the nearish future, go for the Pentium G4560 for right now, and start saving for an upgrade. However, if you just want a processor right now that will be a good fit for your graphics card, the i3 7100 is a fantastic choice for your...
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Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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I don't like the term "bottleneck" in this context. CPU needs of a game are largely independent of GPU.

The Pentium G4560 is the new budget king. It's basically a Core i3 at $65, and will provide a decent experience in nearly all games. For some (Battlefield comes to mind) you need an i7 to stay consistently above 60fps. It depends on what your expectations are and what games you play, and again, video card doesn't matter to the CPU needs of a game.
 
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beegmouse

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Jul 3, 2013
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Definitly avoid a dual core.

I'd probably look used as there hasn't been a significant improvement in CPUs for about 5 years now.

Maybe look at an i7-3??? or i7-4??? series it will cost you about the same, but kick a dual core all around the park.

Get one with a locked multiplier so that you know is hasn't been cooked.

 
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DanielSpaending

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Mar 17, 2016
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I would probably go for a true 4-core CPU like the i5, and maybe going back a generation or 2. That way you should get a bit more longevity out of your CPU, since more and more games is taking advantage of multicore. Especially since dx12 games is starting to hit the market.

The i5 6500 or i5 4460 could be some interesting options, but it depends on whether or not you already got a mobo...
 
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pcnoob1504

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Dec 12, 2013
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Im trying to get newer generation ones since I want to make use of my ddr4 ram that i have.
 
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Slumy__57

Slumy__57

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Jun 11, 2016
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I think there is some over-exaggeration here, yes, if you pair an i3 7100 or 6100 with a 970 you will more than likely experience some minor bottlenecking in some titles. However that is not to say that the i3 is a bad choice, I built a rig for my brother with the i3 6100 and a 1050 ti and it kicks serious butt. The i3 will definitely hold its own in any newer titles, although you may have to drop your settings down a little to maintain high fps.

In my opinion, if you see yourself getting an i5 or i7 in the nearish future, go for the Pentium G4560 for right now, and start saving for an upgrade. However, if you just want a processor right now that will be a good fit for your graphics card, the i3 7100 is a fantastic choice for your budget. Like I said, in games that utilize multiple cores, or cpu heavy games, you may experience some light bottlenecking, but it won't be anything serious.
 
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Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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That benchmark has hyperthreading disabled. i3's and the new Pentiums are 4-thread CPUs, and you'll often find that compared with 2-thread CPUs, they can perform nearly twice as well.

EDIT: The i3 4333 and Pentium G3258 are nearly identical, except that one has hyperthreading and the other does not. An i3 4330 @ 3.5ghz performs 45% better than a Pentium G3258 at 4.7ghz. Or, in other words, hyperthreading on a 2-core CPU increased performance in this game by 93%, almost doubling it.

Don't think of i3's and HT-Pentiums as dual cores, they're 4-thread chips.

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