Which Cpu for gaming?

ChrisLove19

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Sep 19, 2012
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Hi, i am going to start to build a new gaming rig, and i am split between three different CPUs. I am thinking about getting either the i7 3770k, the i5 2500k or the i5 3570k. I am going to mainly game on pc demanding games such as arma 2, and eventually arma 3, and i might also want to record gameplay with fraps or something. Thank You.
 

matt_b

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Of your choices, it's pretty clear. Forget the 3770k as what it is strong at, really doesn't apply to gaming. Go for the 2500K if you plan to push an overclock as hard as you can, and go for the 3570k if you wish to take advantage of all the Ivy-Bridge features over Sandy, and intend to leave the CPU at stock or slightly overclocked settings.

Straight from the Wiki page for Ivy improvements:
Ivy Bridge feature improvements over Sandy Bridge include:[6][7]

Tri-gate transistor ("3-D") technology (up to 50% less power consumption at the same performance level as 2-D planar transistors).[8]
PCI Express 3.0 support.[9]
Max CPU multiplier of 63 (57 for Sandy Bridge).[10]
RAM support up to 2800 MT/s in 200 MHz increments.[10]
The built-in GPU will have 6 or 16 execution units (EUs), compared to Sandy Bridge's 6 or 12.[11]
Intel HD Graphics with DirectX 11, OpenGL 3.1, and OpenCL 1.1 support.[12] OpenGL 4.0 is supported with 9.17.10.2792 WHQL drivers[13][14][15] and later drivers.
A new random number generator and the RdRand instruction,[16] codenamed Bull Mountain.[17]
DDR3L and Configurable TDP for mobile processors.[18]
Multiple 4K video playback.
Intel Quick Sync Video version 2.[11]

And another little article on the topic:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2405317,00.asp

At the end of the day, most of these changes are somewhat insignificant, nothing really groundbreaking until probably the launch of Intel's new lineup at least six months away.
 

ChrisLove19

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Sep 19, 2012
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What would you say is the best (not of my choices) then. What do you think is the best cpu other than the crazy priced i7 super crap
 

matt_b

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Pertaining to what I said about each processor, and keeping in to perspective a sensible budget, the 2500k and the 3570k on the LGA1155 platform are pretty much the standard gaming chips currently. Most users are going to go with one or the other. If you have a budget of less than $150, or a hole itching to burn through your wallet for the $300+ range for the CPU, then choices are going to obviously change.

Edit: Let me also ask what may be an obvious question. Do you plan to overclock (assuming yes considering all the "k" picks) and how hard are you trying to push the processor if the answer is yes?
 

matt_b

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For moderate overclocking and the features than go along with Ivy versus Sandy Bridge, the 3570k is a good choice. If you are lucky to have a Microcenter near, then I'd definitely take advantage of that $160 2500k or the $190 3570k with $50 off a motherboard deal.