Will I be able to maximize an HD7750 GPU with an i3-3220

[maruks]

Hello Everyone,

I am building a gaming rig for GW2 on a budget (I have all the peripherals and just need a rig)

So my research has gone this far...

Q1. Will an i3 cut it for high gaming performance? Or should I suck it up and spend for an i5

Q2. Will I be able to maximize an HD7750 GPU with the i3

Thanks!

 

[Raiddinn]

Sucking it up and getting an i5-3450 for like $50 more is not the worst idea in the world.

However, it will most likely work just fine with an i3.

Generally, I would suggest most people stick with an i5 if they are doing massively multiplayer games. Tracking each player requires using part of the processor so lots of people in the same area can put a lot of strain on a processor with few cores.

Games limit the number of cores they can use to a specific amount and I don't happen to know what that number is for GW2, but if its 2 then the i3 is as good as you can get. If it is 4 then the i5 is. This should not be hard to look up if you try.

 

[jaguarskx]

A1. Sucking up to an i5 is more ideal for games that can use more than 2 cores. Plus the i5-3570k is overclockable, but much more expensive than an i3. However, the vast majority of games do not use more than 2 cores.

A2. The Radeon HD 7750 will run fine on an i3.

 

[maruks]

Thanks guys!

Looks like i'll be going for an i5...

So the next question is will the i5 bottleneck the HD 7750? Cheapest i5 I could find is a i5-3470 the 3570k is too big of a price hike! lol is the difference in performance that big? between 3470 and 3570?

 

[Raiddinn]

3450 is about 95% of a 3570k

- Edit - 3470 is like 97.5% of the way there.

 

[jaguarskx]

If an i3 is not going to bottleneck a Radeon HD 7750, then no way in hell an i5 can bottleneck it.

 

[XtremePCHardware]

Overall, I wouldn't say you could "maximise" the power of the 7750, but it will be using the card to a very decent degree, if your looking to play MMO's or games like minecraft, even Star Craft you will probably need to step it upto a i5, but i3 will do fine for what your looking to do with a 7750.

 

[odiervr]

Cheapest CPU's (and MOBO's) around are at Microcenter BUT ... you have to go to the store to pick them up. Good Luck !!

 

[mocchan]

Generally speaking, you can run any GPU up to a GTX670 with an i3 and not experience any major bottlenecking.

What resolution are you going to be playing your games at? And what is your total budget for your CPU+GPU? If the maximum you're going to spend is around ~$300, I would definitely pick up an i3+GTX660 instead of the i5+HD7750.

Guild Wars 2 benchmarks done right here on Tom's -

GPU test - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/guild-wars-2-performance-benchmark,3268-6.html

CPU Cores/Frequency - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/guild-wars-2-performance-benchmark,3268-7.html

 

[Raiddinn]

It depends on the games which way he should go.

The i3 would struggle a lot in many of the MMORPGs out there. GW2 being the one mentioned in the original post qualifies as that.

If he were going to be playing nothing but single player games, though, I would agree with Mocchan.

 

[mocchan]

If OP has the cash for an i5+decent GPU, this is definitely the route I would recommend. But the though of OP using an HD7750 with an i5? No, I don't fancy that idea at all. I would ultimately let OP's gaming resolution be the deciding factor on this one. Anything lower than 1680x1050 and the i5 is the sure winner; you're more CPU bound then.

On a side note, the i3 has proven itself to be one hell of a CPU when it comes to a variety of games; BF3 to be one of them (which I'm sure you know, is a CPU hog). I would be more than happy to do some testing with a few MMORPG's if you would like, however. I can always disable a few cores on my i7

 

[maruks]

I can't thank everyone enough for being very supportive with my questions!!!

I'm getting really excited! Feel like a little kid again lol... I haven't built a PC in a while (been stuck with laptops for the past few years)

So far this is what I have in mind:
So seems like the most balanced one for MMO's is Rig 1... Open to thoughts guys!!!!

Excited to post some pics once I set this baby up!

Rig 1: $781 (overclockable)
Board: MSI Z77A-G43 $147
CPU: i5-3570k $256
GPU: PC HD 7770m $130
Ram: Ripjaws 2x4gb DDR3 1600 $47
Drive: Intel SSD 120gig (have a network drive for storage) $121
Casing: Cooler Master Elite $40
Power Supply: ACBEL 500w supply $42


Rig 2: $691 (no OC)
Board: MSI H77MA-G43 $106
CPU: i5-3470 $207
GPU: PC HD 7770m $130
Ram: Ripjaws 2x4gb DDR3 1600 $47
Drive: Intel SSD 120gig (have a network drive for storage) $121
Casing: Cooler Master Elite $40
Power Supply: ACBEL 500w supply $42


Rig 3: $764
Board: MSI H77MA-G43 $106
CPU: i3-3220 $136
GPU: Inno3D GTX660 $274
Ram: Ripjaws 2x4gb DDR3 1600 $47
Drive: Intel SSD 120gig (have a network drive for storage) $121
Casing: Cooler Master Elite $40
Power Supply: ACBEL 500w supply $42

@jaguarskx: If an i3 is not going to bottleneck a Radeon HD 7750, then no way in hell an i5 can bottleneck it.

Oops... Being the noob I am at hardware I think I meant it the other way around - was wondering if the 7750 is fast enough to match the i5 capabilities

@mocchan: What resolution are you going to be playing your games at? And what is your total budget for your CPU+GPU? If the maximum you're going to spend is around ~$300, I would definitely pick up an i3+GTX660 instead of the i5+HD7750.

Planning to play on my Monitors native 1920x1080 - budget is ~$300. This is an interesting point you placed... So I get more bang for the buck if I spend on a stronger GPU and stick with the i3 huh...

@Raiddin: The i3 would struggle a lot in many of the MMORPGs out there. GW2 being the one mentioned in the original post qualifies as that.

I'm an MMO guy so it seems i5 is the best way to go...

@mocchan: If OP has the cash for an i5+decent GPU, this is definitely the route I would recommend. But the though of OP using an HD7750 with an i5? No, I don't fancy that idea at all. I would ultimately let OP's gaming resolution be the deciding factor on this one. Anything lower than 1680x1050 and the i5 is the sure winner; you're more CPU bound then.

HD7770 it is!

P.S. Thanks for the Benchmarks!

 

[Raiddinn]

You have listed a 7770m, which is a video chip for laptops. You would need to change that to a regular 7770.

Case - I would make sure its an Elite 430 that you are getting. Not some other type in that model line.

PSU - I don't trust this one at all. I would be aiming more for something like a Corsair CX500 or a Corsair CX600.

 

[MajinCry]

Just thought I'd throw this in here; the AMD phenom II x4 965 is half the cost of the i5 2500k here in the UK, and the 965 is only 25% slower than the i5 2500k at worst.

 

[mocchan]

I would personally swap out the Intel 330 SSD for this Samsung 830 SSD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147163&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

It's cheaper and it's non-SandForce driven.

 

[maruks]

Hi Guys! Thanks again for all your inputs! Finally have my rig:
Board: MSI Z77A-G43
CPU: i5-3570k
GPU: PC HD 7770m
Ram: Ripjaws 2x4gb DDR3 1600
Drive: Samsung 830 SSD
Casing: Cooler Master Elite
Power Supply: Corsair CX600

Playing GW2 like a charm!

 

[maruks]

Best answer selected by maruks.