Is core i3 enough for gtx 670

im no expert but my thinking is since 670 is PCI 3.0 compatible, you'd probably want at least an Ivy Bridge processor to take advantage of that, otherwise you'd only be able to use PCI 2.0

The new cards still can't fully saturate the PCIe 2.0 bandwidth yet, so you don't necessarily need PCIe 3.0. I'm running 2.0, and my 670 crushes my games and there's a significant difference between this and my previous 560Ti.

As for a CPU bottleneck, you may hit some issues in a few games but overall I think you'll be fine. Not many games will really stress the CPU; you might be limited in Skyrim on Ultra, but I'm pretty sure the GPU will be able to still get you 60FPS.

Otherwise, you could upgrade the CPU later down the road.

zugh i dont mean to thread hijack but i have a 560 Ti right now and I really want to upgrade but I'd have to try and sell my 560 Ti plus the waterblcok then get a new GPU and buy a waterblock as well T_T

How much are you selling the 560 ti for?

I haven't really decided on selling it yet I don't know whether selling it and the water block then saving up for a 670/680 is actually worth the hassle

Oh, okay  

I would suggest upgrading to a Sandy or Ivy quad i5 at some point. The i3 isn't going to bottleneck the video card (since most games are only coded to use 2 cores), but at the same time, the powerful card cannot compensate for lacking CPU performance, if a game does come out that wants to use 4 cores.

For example, Battlefield 3 multiplayer, you'll need a quad core to really play at ultra settings as this is one game that can and does use as many cores as your CPU has to give. Skyrim I'm not sure about, it definitely likes a quad core CPU, but I'm not sure if thats because its coded to use 4 cores, or its just coded very inefficiently.

i5-3570k, win right there, best choice hands down.

Meh, 2500K, its cheaper. Theres no point for a gamer to pay the extra 20 bucks for a 3570k. PCI 3.0 doesn't do anything the 2.0 can't do either. And the difference in power consumption under overclocking conditions translates to.. you'll be running your computer a year or two before you break even on your electric bill for the extra money you paid up front.

Agreed. The PCIe 3.0 offers no immediate benefit, and the difference between Ivy and Sandy can be compensated for with a better OC if you're really that picky (since Sandy chips have proven to OC better).


I use universal blocks, so I just had to buy a $10 bracket and was good to go. I would consider universals if you tend to upgrade often.

You should at least wait for the GTX 660. It will probably perform very well, OC nicely, and be more affordable so that you can buy the 660 and then worry about selling the 560Ti.

thank you all for your comments .
is it enough if i upgrade to core i5 ?

Yes, upgrading to an i5 would be fine. i7s have no advantage for gamers over i5s. The difference is that i7s have HyperThreading (which lets the CPU "pretend" to have twice the cores it actually does), the short version is, no game today, nor likely any game in the future will ever be coded to make use of this feature.

What kind of motherboard do you have? That can make a determination in which i5 is right for you. As for example if you have a board with an H61 chipset, it doesn't support overclocking, hence if you buy a 2500K or 3570K processor, you're paying more for a feature you can't use, and an i5-2400 (no K) may be more appropriate.

my motherboard is an intel DH61WW

Okay, yes, in that case here are some i5 options you can go with:


Decent:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Best, but not necessary:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

if you have a microcenter near bye ive found theyre prices are awesome for CPU's

Yea, they do have Intel CPUs a lot cheaper than anywhere else via their "in store only", keep in mind though they will add sales tax of course. So figure that in if the closest one is a bit of a drive to figure out whats cheaper. (Since Newegg and TigerDirect have free shipping options)

thank you nekulturny   you are so helpful.
one more question , would a aceteik 600 w be enough to run a core i5 and a gtx 670 ?
For now will it be enough to run gtx 670 and my core i3 ?

Np, uhhh.. Sounds like a pretty generic power supply. I've never heard of the brand, and I can't find anything on google. I would suggest a quality power supply, even if that one works now. The problem is with low quality power supplies is they can take themselves out and possibly destroy your mobo, CPU with it.

mmmmmmm ok thenn but in general a 600 watt psu in enough right ?

A couple other thoughts on power supplies, since I think its a common mistake that first time builders make. They buy the best CPU, videocard, mobo, loads of RAM, but then they power them all with a cheap PSU. Wattage alone is not the single determining factor in whether a PSU is of good quality. There is also brand reputation, warranty, efficiency, amps, etc.

600 watts per se is plenty for that video card and an i5 CPU, the problem is, theres no guarantee thats what the power supply is actually capable of. Companies have been known to embellish the capabilities of their products. You generally want to look for a PSU with an "80 Plus certification", this gives you an indication that the PSU has been independently verified.

As far as specific brands and models to trust, rather than rehash what has already been laid out, I defer to Proximon's PSU guide.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/322966-28-list-recomm...

yeah i knoww , lot of people told me this

You should be able to easily run on a 500W PSU (what is recommended by NVIDIA for the GTX 670), so 600W will be slightly better since you'll run at a lower PSU load.

The only reason I have a 950W is because I used to run a GTX 470 Tri-SLI setup (and boy was that a misuse of funds...)

LOL, I have a 750 watt only because I well expect to be able to use this PSU for quite some time. If I ever drop a PileDriver in my system and overclock the hell out of it, I'll need the juice.   Or whatever the final best CPU there is when AMD is thru with the AM3+ socket. My mobo supports sli/crossfire x16 between 2 cards, so no problemo there, but definitely 550 TIs aren't Sli worthy.