Which CPU

[marnu123]

Hi

I am going to upgrade this week and would like to know your opinion on the following CPU's. That said, I am on a very tight budget and mostly play games like ME 3.
Which of the following is the best bang for buck.

Intel® Core i5 2500 Processor - 3.30GHz, Socket 1155, 6MB L3, 2.0Gb/s DMI Interface - R1820

Intel® Core i5 3550 Processor - 3.30GHz 6MB Cache Socket 1155 - R1860

Intel® Core i7 3770 Processor - 3.40GHz 8MB Cache Socket 1155 - R2680

These are all in South African Rands. My GPU will be the GTX 550ti.

Thanks

 

[o1die]

All will work fine; depends on the price. You'll need a good branded power supply if you plan on overclocking. The 2500K may run cooler when overclocked, but go with an aftermarket cooler if you do.

 

[randomkid]

For gaming, you do not need the i7 3770. I recommend the i5 3550 for a small price premium, it performs better than the i5 2500.

 

[marnu123]

I won't be overclocking at all. Acbel 600watt PSU will be used. I just want to get my money's worth

 

[WR2]

Definitely no need to move up to the i7 2600/2700 or i7 3770 CPUs.

The price difference between i5 is small but so is the difference in performance.

Best bang for the rand should be i5-2500, especially if you get a good deal on a 6 series motherboard.

 

[marnu123]

I am going with the Intel Z77 Spur lake which costs R1000

 

[WR2]

With the Z77 board already chosen I'd suggest getting the i5 3550 and paying the extra 40 rand.

It's probably worth the 'bragging rights' to have an Ivy Bridge system. And I think you'll get the extra cost back when it's time to sell that system to buy your next major upgrade.

 

[marnu123]

Now which is best. Sandy or Ivy?

 

[WR2]

When THG reviewed Ivy Bridge they said "A Small Step Up For Ivy Bridge"
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-benchmark-core-i7-3770k,3181.html
And in summary they said "An Evolution That Makes Sense, But Doesn't Impress"

If you read the whole review and consider than you won't be overclocking your system you could make a case that the IVB is slightly better.

 

[marnu123]

Ok. thanks. I'll be getting my Ivy soon

 

[marnu123]

Best answer selected by marnu123.