Noob question Q8400 vs i5 2500k

[jakepf1]

Hello, I have recently been playing games such gta iv, cod mw3 and maybe cod black ops 2 in the future and at the moment I'm using the e2160 overclocked and it's time for an upgrade as you know the games would not run to crash hot lol. What I'm asking is would the q8400 be good enough to run those type of games or would I need to upgrade my motherboard and CPU ? I have already enough ram good hard drive and 550 watt psu also not sure if I need a new graphics card either but it will do for now.

 

[jaguarskx]

The E2160 is a very weak dual core CPU which probably runs at around 1.8GHz at stock speed. A Q8400 would be a pretty decent increase in performance assuming your motherboard will recognize it. It is considered to be an adequate quad core CPU for games especially if you can overclock it a bit.

Upgrading to a Core i5-2500k with the mobo and RAM will probably run you around $380 - $400 depending on which Z68 motherboard you buy. You can probably buy a Q8400 for around $130.

As for your video card, if it is as old as your CPU, then it is recommended that you upgrade it as well.

 

[jakepf1]

The E2160 is a very weak dual core CPU which probably runs at around 1.8GHz at stock speed. A Q8400 would be a pretty decent increase in performance assuming your motherboard will recognize it. It is considered to be an adequate quad core CPU for games especially if you can overclock it a bit.

Upgrading to a Core i5-2500k with the mobo and RAM will probably run you around $380 - $400 depending on which Z68 motherboard you buy. You can probably buy a Q8400 for around $130.

As for your video card, if it is as old as your CPU, then it is recommended that you upgrade it as well.

Yeah I would be able to overclock it since I got the asrock g41m-vs3 motherboard and the cooler master Hyper 212 and the graphics card is not to old Im using sapphire ati radeon hd 5450 1gb would you think it would be worth getting the i5 ? Because the specs are not to bad exsept for the CPU that's got to go lol

 

[jakepf1]

And I also found the support list for my mobo :') http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=G41M-VS3

 

[user_account_]

i5 2500K all the way dude

 

[thently]

Your Video card is below entry point it will not play any of the games you lested well... 6670 would be lowest AMD and 550 or 560 vanilla lowest I would want to game on..

Thent

 

[jakepf1]

Your Video card is below entry point it will not play any of the games you lested well... 6670 would be lowest AMD and 550 or 560 vanilla lowest I would want to game on..

Thent

Well at the moment the video card is the least of my concern I already run gta iv everything at medium except for the resolution which is at 1280 x 1080 and when I done the benchmark 62% video card usage and 100% CPU usage but once I upgrade my CPU I'll get a new graphics card oh and iv got the graphics card and CPU over locked aswell.

 

[eddieroolz]

A Q8400 is obviously more cost-effective than the 2500K, and it will leave you some money to buy a better card if you wanted (such as the 6670, 550 Ti, etc). If not, then you pocket the difference and start saving up until Haswell or Skylake and do a complete overhaul at that point.

If you choose the 2500K, then the CPU performance boost will be absolutely huge. However, your card will hold you back regardless so you won't realize much of a gain in games.

 

[InvalidError]

and the graphics card is not to old Im using sapphire ati radeon hd 5450 1gb would you think it would be worth getting the i5 ?

An AMD HD5450 card is about even with Intel's HD4000 IGP in i5-3570K and i7-3xxx CPUs.

When Intel's IGP catches up with your add-in graphics board, you know you are way overdue for an upgrade.

 

[pacioli]

If you have a Micro Center nearby you can pick up an i5 2500K and an Asus Z68 motherboard for $230... You can get an i5 3570K and a Z77 Asrock Mobo for $250...
www.microcenter.com
8 Gb of RAM is $35 - $40... 4 Gb Ram $25 - $30

 

[jaguarskx]

An AMD HD5450 card is about even with Intel's HD4000 IGP in i5-3570K and i7-3xxx CPUs.

When Intel's IGP catches up with your add-in graphics board, you know you are way overdue for an upgrade.

Actually, the Intel HD 3000 graphic core found in some of the Sandy Bridge CPUs is about equal to the Radeon HD 5450, but only with DX10 support.

The Intel HD 4000 in the i5-3750k and i7-37xx CPUs is more or less equal to a Radeon HD 5550. Overall, the Intel HD 4000 has around a 40% - 45% increase in performance over it's predecessor, and it supports DX11.

 

[jaguarskx]

If you have a Micro Center nearby you can pick up an i5 2500K and an Asus Z68 motherboard for $230... You can get an i5 3570K and a Z77 Asrock Mobo for $250...
www.microcenter.com
8 Gb of RAM is $35 - $40... 4 Gb Ram $25 - $30

Yeah, that's a good deal... if you can walk in and buy the i5-3570k and a Z77 Asrock mobo from their store. Something like that would cost you around $360 at Newegg or other online stores. Don't forget to add tax though.

Buying a Q8400 is less expensive since all you really to do is buy the CPU for around $140. It's no where near the performance of a current generation CPU, but it is still a definite performance upgrade from your current CPU. Plus it probably won't take you too long to save up for a new graphic card.

Going with the i5-3570k is going to be more expensive because you also need a new mobo and new DDR3 RAM, but the increase in CPU performance will literally be day and night. The Intel HD 4000 graphic core will be a little bonus since it is faster than your Radeon HD 5450. But you need to dig deeper into your pockets and you are not going to see the i5-3570k's gaming potential until you add in a more powerful graphic card.

 

[jakepf1]

ok i have made my decision im going to upgrade my motherboard, cpu, graphics card but i need a australian store but ill have to look around thanks

 

[WR2]

Look around at PC Case Gear
http://pccasegear.com/