Which CPU for my gaming PC

Shavako

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I am building a new PC and was originally looking at one of the AMD Phenom II CPUs either x4 or x6 black editions or the fx-4100 but someone told me the i5 series Intel processors were vastly superior so I started trying to fit one of those into my build (the i5 2500k specifically). However I am wanting to increase the money I spend on my GPU as I will mainly use this PC for gaming. I was wondering if the difference between the Intel processors and AMD is enough to even notice? I can't go much higher than 300-400 bucks on my video card without going with a cheaper CPU but I don't want to have drastic performance loss.

So am I better off staying with the i5 2500k or maybe dropping to a 2400 OR saving some money that I can then use for a better GPU and getting a Phenom x4 or x6?

Also why are people saying that the FX series AMD processors aren't worth getting?
 


The I5 is definitly the best right now for gaming. Like it or not for its price you get a very good processor with a fast architecture that beats out pretty much everything AMD has out on the market right now.
 
Also why are people saying that the FX series AMD processors aren't worth getting?

This is because of the benchmarks that show us every time any AMD cpu's go up against Sandy Bridge they come up on the short end of the stick , they just can't compete and that is most likely the reason that AMD has decided to no longer compete head to head with Intel in producing top performing cpu's and is instead focusing on mainstream cpu's.
You can of course choose any cpu that you want to use in your build , but you will have to accept the performance that you will get and no amount of recomendations is going to change the performance level of any cpu.
There are some games out there that mainly use the video card and not so much the cpu and a good example is BF3 , this game requires a top quality video card and you can basicly use any cpu above a dual core to play it. Other games focus more on how good the cpu is. I think that as powerful as video cards are becoming that more and more games are going to focus on the video card and you will just need a good quad core to play. You can take a chance on what cpu that you want to use but I would take that chance with an Intel cpu so that if it turns out it's not enough then you only have to change the cpu to a higher model and not change out the MB as well.

Intel Core i3-2125 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I32125
$149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115093

This cpu is a dual core that is clocked at 3.3ghz and has hyperthreading so it has four logical cores. It is also going to save you $70 which you can put towards a video card.
 

Shavako

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I'm just going to go with the Core i5 2400 Sandy Bridge then. Sounds like it will be more than enough for most games. At $190 it's not too bad. Also the fact that AMD isn't trying to compete with Intel anymore pretty much seals the deal. No point in getting an AMD board if there won't be great AMD chips in the future.

Oh and is this a good mobo? Or is it just overkill? I plan on SLIing 2 HD 6950s so the extra space would be nice.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131700
 

motorneuron

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Seems weird to me that you would be looking to skimp on the processor and splurge on the motherboard. It also seems weird to me to set a $300-$400 budget for video (which, you should note, won't allow you to buy two 6950s anyway). You should really consider getting the i5-2500k, which is roughly $25 more than the normal i5-2400 but offers considerable overclocking headroom and value.

For video, you don't need to go higher than a single 6950 right now (roughly $250) unless you are planning to run very new games at 2560x1600. Do you have a monitor that supports that resolution? If you have a normal 1920x1080 monitor, just wait a year or two and get a second 6950 after prices on those cards have fallen significantly.

Even if you are going for the dual 6950s, the extra 25 bucks on the 2500k is worth it--it's highly overclockable and well worth it over the stock i5.
 

Shavako

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Ok so the 2500k and a single 6950? If I go with a single card I will probably just step it up to a 6970 since they're about 350. Plus I'm getting a 2GB card no matter what model I get to future proof my system that much more, even though it's a bit overkill for now. That mobo is really expensive but seems really nice. I have no clue what to look for in a mobo though so if you have any suggestions I would appreciate it.

And yes my monitor is 1920x1080
 

cbrunnem

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this couldnt be anymore right and wrong at the same time. it is true bf3 doesnt need a quad core cpu for single player but ill take a quad core to your dual core and we will see who has better frame rates on multiplayer. it will be me by a noticeable amount.



any combinations of 300-400 dollar single or double gpu rigs will bottle neck a 2100 and a stock i5. you are going to want to buy a 2500k most likely especially if you play games like starcraft, skyrim, and bf3. in starcraft and skyrim even up to 4.5 ghz you will still see fps increase. how do i know that? cause i see then with my 6950 and 2600k. it would be a shame to spend so much on a gpu and so little on a cpu.

like i said above bf3 uses a quad core and you might as well get a 2500k just to have the freedom to get the extra performance.

you dont need to spend so much on a mobo. a 150 dollar mobo will do just fine.
 

amirp

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Get the 2500k...can be overclocked 30% higher then the 2400, makes absolutely no sense to waste so much money on an uneccesary motherboard than to not spend like $25 for what will actually matter.

This motherboard i am sure will be more than enough for you and it is quality: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
-it has all the essentials, is z68, can overclock on it, can use integrated graphics if you ever have to send in your card, it has dual pci-e 3.0 slots, etc. etc. so for alot less I really dont think you're missing out on anything at all...

Getting a 2gb card won't necessarily future proof you because by time you will actually need more than a gb of video ram on 1080p the video card itself will probably run out of steam. You would really be fine with a 6950, or a gtx 560ti at 1080p.

What else are you purchasing?
 

cbrunnem

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great board i have it.

regarding 1gb versus 2gb. i almost max out 1gb in bf3 and skyrim
 

Shavako

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Ok so far this is what I'm looking at

i5 2500k
ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 mobo
Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600 RAM
Antec Earth Watts 650W PSU (may get a larger one though in the case that I SLI or Xfire)
Not positive on the GPU yet
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM HD (would like a bigger one but with the recent spike in prices I might as well wait and get one later)
Samsung Bluray optical drive

That's what I'm getting so far the only things that I'm not positive on are the GPU and Case.
 

motorneuron

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I think a larger PSU is probably a good idea. I got a 650W for my current setup which is quite similar to your proposed one there, and it works great. But I will have to upgrade it later if I want to go Crossfire because it doesn't have enough cables to run two 6950s (let alone enough wattage!). Since you said you are interested in going for a dual card setup later on, might as well get the right PSU now.

As for video, you really can't go wrong with either Nvidia or AMD/ATI right now. Just whatever is cheap at the same performance, I think. I have a personal fondness for AMD, and since I can't get their processors these days, I went video. :p
 

Shavako

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I have no preference to AMD or nVidia I think they both make great products. I've basically limited my options down to two configurations though. Either a single 6970, or two 6950s. Plain and simple AMD makes cheaper cards that are are very competitive with the nVidia cards. I did just notice though that the 560tis come with a free copy of BF3 which would be nice since I'll likely be buying that once I get this rig together.

Edit: I was looking at the 448 core Ti's. Those come with a free copy of BF3. I just don't know what the best "bang for the buck" is between a 5970, two 5950s, two 560ti, two 560ti 448 core. I'm lost lol.
 

randomkid

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I agree with it. But I suggest Corsair. Their PSU's are underrated. Mine is HX620 but has been tested for up to 750W load in many reviews without any problem.



What is your PSU brand & Model? My Corsair HX620 is running 2x6950 2GB(stock) + 4x500GB WD Black on it ( please see my system configuration for complete detail ) and no problem. For the lacking cable, I used the Molex to PCIe power converter that comes with the video card. So depending on your brand & model, you may not need to replace that 650W PSU at all.

Anyway, use this to estimate your power consumption.
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
For my configuration (with 2x6950 2GB), it estimated 577W so my 620W is adequate.
 

amirp

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6950s scale very well, what you should really do is, find the cheapest of those configurations, then look up benchmarks (there are so many of them all over the net) and decide yourself.

Also please be aware the 7000 series are due to come out shortly (i dont know when but soon for sure) and they will be a large increase in performance, so getting 1 of those (ie 7950) may be equal to getting 2 6950!

Any way you can wait? or dont splurge too hard and get one 6950 for now?
 
I hate when I see recommendatiosn of 750w upwards with the claim that it saves you in the future; why I disagree;

1] SLI and Crossfire are expensive and unless you are running a 1366/2011 multicard support is a nightmare, Single card is far mor efficient and affordable.

2] Everything is becoming more efficient, a high end GPU in the next year or two will start to require less juice than current prevailing cards, and multi processor cards will likely use the power consumption of high end cards today, provided you can afford them. To give yourself a 200+ watt buffer may be pointless as the trend will likely go the other way, take the cpu's, SB 2500K runs off 90W, the IB equivilant will run of 70w, the 28nm GPU's will likely follow suit.

Just buy a PSU which is a) quality and b) within your usage with acceptable headway.
 

amirp

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1) multicard is just as fine on 1155 motherboards... and it's been shown many times. Also OP is CFing two of fairly high end single cards....there are no other single card alternatives at this point for him, two 6950s is fairly good considering the excellent scaling and lack of microstuttering evident with the 6800s.

2) if he is going with 6950 x2 now , he should get the 750 watt imo. Sure 650 will be fine but its <100watt of headway. If he is sticking to one card then 650 would be fine for sure.
 

randomkid

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There is no strict rule on this. One has to consider the brand & model & check at least two reviews on it and consider his actual system configuration. Like I said earlier, this is your friend: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
 



If he is seriously contemplating Crossfire, a 750w PSU is a dice, they are mostly 62A range, I would imagine for such a high end card anything less than 1000w of quality is never going to work out great.

I think SLI/CF is purely for enthusiasts and benchmarkers, the costs to get 2 6950's and a PSU to boot is around $800+ waste of money if you ask me, considering he is wanting to skimp on a CPU.
 

diellur

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I'd add my voice to getting a 750W PSU. It's not that much more than a 650W PSU, and saves the OP from having to buy a new PSU if he does Crossfire or SLI.

A note to the OP...if you do decide on the 448 core 560Ti, get 2 now. They're limited edition, and if you wait 2 years to get the second one you won't necessarily find it.
 

motorneuron

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My power supply is here; it's a Corsair 650W:

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-139-020

I used the wattage calculator and got just shy of 500W with my current setup assuming my i5-2500k is overclocked to about 4.5@ around 1.35V. If I add another video card I get more like 565W, which I was uncomfortable with brushing up against the 650W the PSU is rated at. But maybe I'm being too conservative? I was also considering trying to overclock the video cards a bit.

I didn't think of the converter. No problem doing that?
 

amirp

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Sorry but maybe for 580 sli you would need 1000, or for more than two cards...
but two 6950 or 6970s run just fine on a 750 watt PSU. As you can see the guy posting above me is running it on a 650 watt.
 

motorneuron

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Sorry, I haven't actually run the dual 6950s yet. I bought one with the intention of getting a second when prices drop. So yeah, it is nominally within my power range, but I don't know if I will actually stick with the 650W supply when I do get one, might have to upgrade.