Good budget CPU for gaming

samgamer2

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Feb 3, 2013
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I'm looking to build a gaming PC, and I'm wondering what a good budget CPU for a budget gaming PC is. I want to get a good GPU (thinking a 660 ti?) so I would like to save a bit on the CPU and other components.

I'm currently looking at this Intel Core i3: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i33225

And this Pentium G870: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623g870

Would the Pentium reduce the performance of a card like the 660 ti? Or would I be good to go?

I have thought about AMD, but if possible I'd like to stick with Intel, but I'm open to AMD suggestions if they would save even more money but still offer decent performance.
 

Smith Smile

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Feb 16, 2013
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Intel cpu's are usually better in quality and will last longer, but amd cpu's are have more power for less money, I would recommend an amd fx 6300(good for overlocking, only 130$) and if you are only willing to spend 100$ get the amd phenom ii x4 965.
 

BeastLeeX

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I would say go with the FX-6300, the socket isn't dead, and gaming performance varies depending on the game, but it beats the i5 2500k in Crysis 3. It will be a great overclocker, and if you are new to PC's you should easily get 4.0Ghz with a decent CPU cooler. Also no to the Pentium, your better off getting an AM3+ board and a Phenom II X4 965: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-hdz965fbgmbox
 

Rammy

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Going to assume you are in the UK based on your links.

Firstly, that i3 is a waste of money. The 3220 is identical but has worse onboard graphics. You are intending to use a graphics card, so onboard graphics isn't worth spending money on. The 3220 in the UK is around £16 less, which is a nice amount of cash for an identical processor.

Secondly, how much you need/have to spend is dependant on what you want. If you want to run every current and near-future game at 1080P (or higher) with all the settings maxxed out then you are going to have to spend a fair amount of money. If you are happy with turning settings down etc or are running at a significantly lower resolution, you can do the same thing a lot cheaper. I'd estimate that including an OS (but not a monitor or peripherals) you can have a competent gaming machine for around £500 and a very potent one for £700. As you are looking at the GTX660ti, I'd assume you are in that ballpark.

In the vast majority of games you are usually going to be GPU limited, meaning that any solid dual core will suffice. Having said that, games are moving more and more towards multi-core support and if I were building a gaming machine today I probably wouldn't want to have a dual core CPU as it's potentially future limiting.

Without a specific budget it's a little hard to make suggestions, but most games aren't going to notice a huge difference between any current gen i3/i5/i7 (overclocked or otherwise) and the AMD FX83**/6300.
Personally I'd stump up the cash for a basic i5 and go for a cheaper motherboard etc, but like I say it really depends how far your budget will stretch and what you want to achieve.
 
Better go with fx 6300 as it very good cpu and also you can upgrade to streamroller series in future.If you want go with intel then i3 3220 is faster or you can consider new pentium g2130 @ 3.2ghz and basically this pentium and i3 perform same.
 

BeastLeeX

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I wouldnt recommend dual cores nowadays, it would probably be better to get a Phenom II 965 over the Pentium. It is always useful to have more cores, You never know what you might want to do, and multitasking will be smoother on the 965.