Better CPU or GPU on budget build?

[charon711]

Not sure if this is the right place to post it, probably not, but I'm on a budget and want to know for gaming if i have to choose which is better to go with, a better cpu or gpu?


My options are to go with the i3-2120 and the GIGABYTE Radeon HD 6950 1GB


or

the Core i5-2500K and the SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB

 

[Gamerboy]

Either would run almost every game at near high settings I believe. But if you have to choose go for more GPU. Games are more GPU intensive than CPU and generally don't use more than two cores anyways.

I'd go with your first choice if it were me. My pc has the 6950 2gb and I haven't played anything yet that it won't max out.

 

[das_stig]

+1 go with the i3.

In a year the price of the i5 or even an i7 will have dropped and since you will have a powerful GPU you won't need an upgrade.

 

[Tai1313]

I would go the cpu . There is some games that have no hope of maxing without a quad core like bf3 . Depends on what you play . But a i5-2500k is much better than i3 and the gpus are much closer in performance than the cpus.

 

[boabs]

ive got
i3 2120
gigabyte 6870
runs bf3 on mostly ultra gettimg aboot 45fps
no blur motion turned on

ive just stuck in cheap i3 untill ivy bridge comes in matter of weeks.
i had been on phenom2 965 and that was a bit faster than i3 when comes to games.

 

[boabs]

new ati cards away to come oot in weeks aswell just hold off.