Which cpu will give me the in-game best fps under full load

[TheScarecrow97]

So I'm looking to build my first gaming pc, but I'm on a very strict 700 dollar budget. Obviously, one of the biggest decisions in my build is amd vs intel.
So I have two builds, both of which are identical, all except for the cpu and motherboard. The first uses the amd phenom ii x4 965 BE, and the second uses the i5 2400. The intel build stretches my budget, putting me 40 dollars over, not including tax, which I'm sure will put me up to 100 dollars over. The amd build is much more reasonably priced for me and is even a little under my preferred budget range, so naturally that appeals to me.
My main question is, will the 2400 give me better fps under full load (im thinking a game, fraps, and skype up, and maybe some browser tabs) than the 965 BE? If so, will it be enough of an increase to justify spending an additional 80-90 bucks, or not?

 

[rolli59]

The Intel will except if you get a aftermarket cooler and overclock the AMD. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

 

[TheScarecrow97]

How much do you think it would increase my fps by? And again, is it enough to justify another 80 bucks?

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

Some advice we give customers in my shops when we build Custom gaming machines for them...

They (and you) should spend AT LEAST ...50% of their budget on the graphics card...and that will effect all other costs...mobo/cpu etc..

All the best Brett

 

[TheScarecrow97]

Hi

Some advice we give customers in my shops when we build Custom gaming machines for them...

They (and you) should spend AT LEAST ...50% of their budget on the graphics card...and that will effect all other costs...mobo/cpu etc..

All the best Brett

Whoa, that's a lot......Couldn't I end up bottlenecking the card though since I'd have to skimp on everything else, including the cpu?

 

[popatim]

i5 will beat even the oveclocked 965.

Now if i was spending 190 on a 2400 I would surely invest an extra $30 for the 2500k and overclock it to 4.4 - 4.5Ghz.

list your full build, prehaps we can help you save some money

 

[amuffin]

i5 and a mid range GPU will be the best option!

 

[TheScarecrow97]

i5 will beat even the oveclocked 965.

Now if i was spending 190 on a 2400 I would surely invest an extra $30 for the 2500k and overclock it to 4.4 - 4.5Ghz.

list your full build, prehaps we can help you save some money

okay, here's my intel build, but like I said, its already a little over my budget, so if I went with this, I'd be looking for ways to cut down the price if possible.

The AMD build is identical, but obviously with the 965 and a different mobo.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cWvb

 

[rolli59]

If you want this is a good enough case http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-challengeru3 I Have one only way to reduce your price without compromising performance.

 

[humphreybot]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/game-performance-bottleneck,2738.html this series of articles tells us the basics for a gaming machine. you could jump to the "conclusions" and learn all you need to know

 

[battler624]

well.. ditch win7 home premium? .. i'm not saying become a pirate.. but well get a trial edition 120 days and in that time you should have enough money to buy it.

 

[doron]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097-8.html

This rather old SBM compares an i5-2400 against a phenom II x4 955, both with a 6870 graphics card which is about as powerful as yours.

You can clearly see that in most situations, at 1920x1080 and sometimes at 1680x1050, both systems are comparable in frames per second, and when the i5 beats the phenom, at least both are usually around the 60 fps average which should be your target.

The meaning is that at around 1920x1080 the graphics card becomes the bottleneck in most situations which renders the i5 extra horsepower mostly useless.

Therefore, I advise you to change the cpu budget to the core i3 territory. You could get an amd if you plan to overclock and care less about performance / watt (at that budget I would choose an AMD for myself due to greater tweaking options but advise an i3 for other people), and make sure to spend that extra budget on a better gpu.

PS, if your monitor's resolution is less than 1920x1080 this budget is overkill for gaming in my opinion.

 

[TheScarecrow97]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-overclock-performance-gaming,3097-8.html

This rather old SBM compares an i5-2400 against a phenom II x4 955, both with a 6870 graphics card which is about as powerful as yours.

You can clearly see that in most situations, at 1920x1080 and sometimes at 1680x1050, both systems are comparable in frames per second, and when the i5 beats the phenom, at least both are usually around the 60 fps average which should be your target.

The meaning is that at around 1920x1080 the graphics card becomes the bottleneck in most situations which renders the i5 extra horsepower mostly useless.

Therefore, I advise you to change the cpu budget to the core i3 territory. You could get an amd if you plan to overclock and care less about performance / watt (at that budget I would choose an AMD for myself due to greater tweaking options but advise an i3 for other people), and make sure to spend that extra budget on a better gpu.

PS, if your monitor's resolution is less than 1920x1080 this budget is overkill for gaming in my opinion.

Okay, thank you very much. This was incredibly helpful! I'm thinking of going for the 965 over an i3 because its slightly cheaper than the i3 2120 id get instead, and because, being a true quad core, im guessing it has better multitasking capabilities (which I will certainly need to run a game, fraps, skype, and internet browser)
I will also probably overclock at some point in the future, although not immediately.

 

[TheScarecrow97]

Best answer selected by TheScarecrow97.

 

[popatim]

Ok
you can switch to the reburbished case and save $20 right off the top
http://www.cmstore-usa.com/enforcer-atx-mid-tower-gaming-case-refurbished/

You can use win8 rc for free, saving $90 and then get the release version for $40 when it comes out. Total saving $50 off this build.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/03/technology/windows-8-upgrade/index.htm

 

[TheScarecrow97]

Ok
you can switch to the reburbished case and save $20 right off the top
http://www.cmstore-usa.com/enforcer-atx-mid-tower-gaming-case-refurbished/

You can use win8 rc for free, saving $90 and then get the release version for $40 when it comes out. Total saving $50 off this build.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/03/technology/windows-8-upgrade/index.htm

When they say upgrade from windows XP or more recent OS for 40 bucks, does that include the Windows 8 trial? If so, then that does sound like a really good deal. If not, then I'm still kinda stuck in the same spot of needing an OS in the first place.

And thank you very much for showing me that refurbished case. I had no idea CM sold refurbished items on their site. That is very good to know and I feel certain I'll make use of it when I actually buy my case.