I5 760 for Gaming?

In this case, it's six to one, half a dozen the other. Reason being on one hand, the 760 is a quad core that can be easily overclocked and therefore deliver far better performance than an i3 2100 ever will (even at stock speeds), but on the other hand, the i3 2100 uses an up-to-date chipset which is still supported by current intel processors, so there's more room for future upgrades. If you are on a tight budget, you should take the 760 and motherboard deal, then you can put the money you aren't putting into those two things and get yourself a good graphics card, but if you can wait, save a little more money so you can get a SandyBridge i5 setup, which I guaruntee, will blow away everything else out there. It's a considerable amout more expensive, but believe me, it's worth every penny, and certainly worth waiting an additional month or two.

The i5 760 is still quite good as a gaming CPU, and it is overclockable, though the process isn't quite as simple as Sandy Bridge due to the locked multiplier.

If you are on a tight budget, the i5 760 is definitely your best choice, as it is an actual quad core unlike the i3 2100. Most games are quite GPU bound, so the CPU isn't as much of a factor unless you have a very high end dual GPU setup, or you're trying to run a game that really needs a quad core with a dual core (GTA IV, Battlefield 3 in multiplayer) The 760 can still keep up with pretty much any single GPU at stock clocks. Right now you would definitely be better served getting the i5 760 and spending the remainder on a good graphics card, rather than trying to scrounge up more money for a Sandy Bridge i5, or sacrificing GPU horsepower to get a better CPU.

I'm running an i5 760i@ 3.4GHz (Overclocked from Stock 2.8GHz). I was considering upgrading to the i5-2500k but decided against it ever since having overclocked to 3.4. Its been performing great so far! No issues whatsoever! In the past, I've coupled it with a GTS250, GTX470 and now GTX670 and its been more than satisfactory for me. Mind, the GPU makes a lot of difference.

Before getting the 670, I ran the i5 on many of the demanding titles like GTA4, BF3, COD:MW series, Max Payne 3, etc. The quad core was more than sufficient for them all. Your GPU is pretty decent and will manage most titles at high-highest settings.

The i5-760 is a very good chip and can easily be overclocked, though like the member above said, not as easily as the sandy bridge series. But it's doable nonetheless. I've read reviews where people have managed to OC the 760 upto 4GHZ. But many had problems at those speeds. Having failed at 4 GHZ, a lot of people have managed to stick to 3.8 however, for those clocks, you'll need to get a decent CPU cooler as the one provided by intel just doesn't cut it.

Overclocking actually depends from case to case. While one user might have no problems with 3.8, another might find it hard to achieve even 3.6. Me for instance, I touched 3.6 but the system would get buggy and lock up. 3.5 faired pretty well and seemed stable for a good while. Being overcautious, I settled in on 3.4GHz, which is pretty much good enough for me.

So yeah, the 760 is a good quad-core chip for gaming! If you're not happy with the stock speeds, you can always OC it to whatever speed best suits your setup. As I said, the GPU+CPU combo makes a load of difference. I would recommend that you save up on the cash and buy a better GPU (6870 for eg). That coupled with the 760 would give you a pretty decent rig!

I'm running an i5 750 at 4ghz with a pair of overclocked 5850s and my CPU has never held me back, so yeah the 760 is fine. I honestly don't plan on getting a new CPU for at least a couple more years unless I break it with overclocking. I'll replace the GPUs before then.

However! You do get nice benefits if it's a P67 or Z68 mobo for the 2100, like USB 3 and SATA 3, plus you could get a 2500k down the road which is quite a bit faster than a 760 clock for clock.

So basically, if you think you'll have a couple hundred more to spend on the PC down the road, get the Sandy Bridge for the future upgrades. However, a 760 has enough juice to last many more years and remain relevant.

The only real caveat to this is that you haven't mentioned which motherboards you'd get, and that does make quite a difference.

Maybe so, but a 5850 crossfire rig is just begging for a 2500k.

If you go the sandy bridge route (which I do recommend) get a i5 2500k instead of the i3 2100.

While the i7 760 is an OK CPU, I think you should save your money for the above ^^^

However if you do not plan on upgrading your GPU in the near future then the i7 760 should be sufficient.

Heh. Too many other things to spend money on than a little CPU/mobo upgrade. New case and monitor probably first.

Also, been meaning to get a new exhaust on my car...