i3-7100 +More Money Or i5-7600k?

DeclanWitt · Mar 29, 2017

i have these two builds on PCPP currently *(for gaming obviously)* :
i5-7600k: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/DeclanWitt/saved/#view=rBB7P6
i3-7100: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/DeclanWitt/saved/#view=tDrLkL

having the i3 would let me spend money on other parts that i really want, but the i5-7600k gives 4 cores and supersedes the i3 drastically in performance. I was wondering if someone who has lots of expertise in this field could recommend one of these builds for me.

Thanks

KyleADunn · Mar 29, 2017

DeclanWitt :

It's easier to upgrade almost any part down the line vs. the CPU. Also, the hyperthreaded G4560 pentiums are giving the i3-7100 a run for its money...I would go with the i5-7600k. And although that motherboard doesn't support overclocking, the k variant comes with higher base clock than the non-k, so don't change the CPU to the non-k.

lakimens · Mar 29, 2017

Hello, here's a bit of an improved version. Still hits the budget even with Z270 board. You can overclock this.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.89 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z270 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($116.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING X Video Card ($269.89 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Nova ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.89 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow (Red) 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($5.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow (Red) 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($5.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow (Red) 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($5.89 @ OutletPC)
Other: Insignia™ - Antistatic Wristband ($7.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $858.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-29 10:59 EDT-0400

TJ Hooker · Mar 29, 2017

For a new $800+ gaming build in 2017 I'd go with 16 GB of RAM. Also, having an SSD boot drive is nice

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B250M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($104.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: SK hynix SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Mini Video Card ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $830.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-29 11:11 EDT-0400

Max1s · Mar 29, 2017

I agree with what is stated above. You have to think about what position you will be in two, three, four years down the line. Really, the question is, "do I buy an i3 now and upgrade my CPU in a few years or do I spend more money now and focus on upgrading other stuff in a few years"

A k-series i5 will last you a good many years, once it starts getting slow you can just overclock it to stupid GHz and run it another few years

bloodroses · Mar 29, 2017

As Kyle said, invest in the CPU/motherboard more when doing a build as it is cheaper/easier to upgrade the other parts down the road.

As for adding a SSD (like you did with the i3 build), I would recommend saving up later for at least a 240gb SSD and run the OS from the platter drive for now. Transferring the OS to a new drive later isn't that bad to do when you do upgrade as I had followed the same path. I'd personally choose lakimens build over TJ Hookers due to the ease of transferring later on.

The RAM can be expanded later on as well with lakimens due to the 4 slots.

firefoxx04 · Mar 29, 2017

I would not go with the K cpu on a motherboard that does not support overclocking. Part of the markup on K series chips is that you can overclock them. the non K chips are still very fast and they TURBO most of the time.

I too agree with starting at 8GB RAM with ONE stick. Expand to 16 later and have two slots left for a total of 32GB if you ever decide you want it. No reason to go 4x4GB.

geofelt · Mar 29, 2017

I would have a problem with either build.

On build 1:
The i5-7600K is as good as it gets assuming you will overclock.
You can't using a B250 based motherboard.
You will be leaving some 25% performance on the table.
Buy a Z270 based motherboard.

The cm hyper 212 is 159mm tall.
I like the case but..
The spec03 specs say a max of 157mm tall for the cooler.
Use a cryorig H7 instead which is 145mm tall.

I will never again build without a ssd for the "C" drive. It makes everything you do much quicker.
120gb is minimum, it will hold the os and a handful of games.
But, many things default to the "C" drive.
When a SSD nears full, it will lose performance and endurance.
240gb is the recommended minimum.

If you can go 240gb, or 500gb you may never need a hard drive.

You can defer on the hard drive unless you need to store large files such as video's.
It is easy to add a hard drive later.

Samsung EVO is a good choice for performance and reliability.

That evga unit is not the best, tier 4 on this list:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
Seasonic S12II is tier 2, stronger, and equally priced:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
620w is only a few bucks more.

The case comes with adequate fans. At most, I would add a second 120mm fan as intake for the front.

On build 2:

I3-7100 comes with a adequate stock cooler.
The only reason for an aftermarket cooler would be quieter operation under load.

You might consider using a Z270 motherboard to enable a future upgrade to an overclockable 7600K in the future.

120gb for a C drive is too small, consider 240gb Samsung 850 evo
Defer on the hard drive, it is easy to add one later.

Other comments from build 1 still apply.

TJ Hooker · Mar 29, 2017

bloodroses :

The thing is that if you buy another RAM kit later it's not guaranteed to work with the first kit. Personally I'd go with 16 GB from the start, although it's definitely something you could argue either way.

geofelt · Mar 29, 2017

Good point from TJ Hooker.

Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
This is more difficult when 4 sticks are involved.
That is why ram vendors will NOT support ram that is not bought in one kit.
It is safer to get what you need in one kit.
But, it is a bit more expensive because of the added matching of all the sticks to insure compatibility.
Ram is cheap enough.
If you ever think you might want 16gb, buy a 2 x 8gb kit up front.
1.2v DDR4 2400 speed is about right.
Intel cpu performance is not ram speed sensitive.

How would you feel later when your new 8gb stick does not work? ?

Search

i3-7100 +More Money Or i5-7600k?

DeclanWitt

Reputable

geofelt

KyleADunn

Honorable

lakimens

Honorable

TJ Hooker

Titan

Max1s

Distinguished

bloodroses

Distinguished

firefoxx04

Distinguished

geofelt

Titan

TJ Hooker

Titan

geofelt

Titan

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page