Need help choosing processor

[BRabbit66]

Hello, I'd like to get a new PC so I could run the newest games such as BF3, MW3, Crysis 2, GTA 4 etc etc...
I got a really shitty old pc right now but I guess that doesn't matter.
So, to put it short, I don't know which processor to choose because I looked into a Phenom II X6 1055t, i3 2100, i5 2405s, i5 750 and so on, but whenever I check which would be the best for gaming, people say some games don't really require six cores (which is the case for the 1055t), and that you can turn off 2 cores to turn it into a stronger quad etc but after all, I see people saying, the i3 2100 beats any Phenom, but since it's a dual core, It might not be good for other tasks that require multiple cores and a strong enough 4 core+ would outperform a 2100 and I really want to have a PC that can handle most of the things I throw at it... It's just the processor I'm looking at right now because I'm getting 8GB DDR3 1033mhz and a GTX 460 768mb/1gb so...
It's all kinda confusing the *** out of me because I'm seriously trying to make the most out of my money, I also live in europe but my budget is pretty decent
I also care about futureproofing a little bit but folks say it never made sense ..

So, what would be the best to mix with a GTX460 and 8GB of ram, considering also a nice mobo, feel free to suggest other processors that would do great with the above
Thanks in advance

 

[neon neophyte]

1033 mhz? o0

1600 mhz is the standard on ddr3 class processors. what you are looking for is a decent quadcore cpu. that will suit your needs just fine. depending how much you want to spend you could either go with amd or intels new offerings. amd being cheaper, intel being faster.

 

[unoriginal1]

i5-3570k Best proc for gaming (if the i5-2500k is similar price) IMO.
Let people know what your budget is and they will build great systems to meet your need. For BF3 your going to want a better GPU then a GTX 460 thats

 

[DarkSable]

It all depends. If you can afford it, get an i5-3570k. Period.
[It's currently the best processor for gaming - anything more is overkill, anything less as an intel chip either can't be overclocked far enough or just is a flop.]

If you can't afford it, or want to go with AMD, I'd get a A10 APU - they're actually extremely competent CPUS, not just for budget graphics. Again, go with their best chip, overclock it, and you'll be happy.

Two notes with these. Going with the APU, buy a motherboard that supports fast ram, and buy the fastest ram you can - AMD scales with memory clock speed.

The second note is that, with both of these, you want to buy an aftermarket cooler - the hyper 212 + or evo is a good bet.


Now... keep in mind, both of these will be overkill for 8gigs 1033 ram and a 460.

If you want to run that, go with a Phenom II x4 black edition - anything more would be overkill. [Though I still HIGHLY recommend either upgrading your RAM or overclocking it - going from 1033 to even 1600 is a very noticeable jump in 'snappiness' of the rig.]


EDIT: As the others have said, what you've got right now won't play the games you want to on enthusiast settings. You need an upgrade of both GPU and RAM... and probably power unit.

 

[BRabbit66]

lol fail about the 1033mhz i just remembered it that way
Btw Intel is a higher priority for me but AMD is ok aswell, I'd like to either get the i5 750 or the phenom x6 1055t, + I'm not trying to OC anything tho, just looking for a decent quad indeed, not so sure about six cores.

 

[neon neophyte]

i5 750 is pretty outdated, any particular reason you want that?

 

[BRabbit66]

Wouldn't let me edit my last post =/
@neon I don't know, I'm here for advice
@DarkSable, I pretty much can't afford an i5 3570k and I'm not looking to OC anything, btw I saw gameplay vids of BF3 and GTA IV both maxed on a very similar build: Phenom II x6 1055t, 8gb 1033mhz and gtx460 1gb and it ran pretty well tho, what's up with that? :/

 

[neon neophyte]

how about you tell us how much you are looking to spend =P

edit: do you want to overclock? are you into that sort of thing? it is important that we know

 

[BRabbit66]

I live in Bosnia lol and we don't use euros or dollars and the prices are a lil bit way off, just a bit tho, so yeah :/

 

[BRabbit66]

Won't let me edit last post damn it + I'm not willing to OC though.

 

[mad1316]

Since you don't want to overclock, about any Intel processor will do the trick nicely for gaming. Even a Core i3 (dual-core) will do a fantastic job (and out-game almost all AMD cpus to date, see the Toms article on sub-$200 gaming CPUs). I will highly recommend that you snag a replacement cooler for any Intel CPU (if you fully utilize the CPU, the stock HSF is not enough, it will allow temps to peak over 80C).

For CPU, I'd look anywhere in the Core i5 realm. Don't bother with a K series, since you don't want to OC.

For a motherboard, look into an ASUS Z77 Sabertooth or Maximus V Gene. Both will give tons of features at a solid price.

Cheers!

 

[Onus]

Take a look at the i5-3450 and i5-3470. Either of those would be decent. The Intel stock cooler isn't too bad if you aren't overclocking, but may become loud under stress. Frostytech found that the Xigmatek Gaia cools better and is 6db quieter than the CM Hyper212+.
At least in the US, the highest bang/buck graphics card right now is probably the HD7850. They're down to the $150-$160 range now.
Make sure you get a quality PSU for your build. For what you are contemplating, 500W would be enough. A quality modern PSU has full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and some level of 80+ certification. Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, Enermax/LEPA, and FSP are among the better brands.
Z68 and Z77 mobos have a lot of advanced features targeted to overclockers. You would probably be happy with a H77 board, or a B75. I would choose Asus, ASRock, or Gigabyte.

 

[BRabbit66]

Well what about the gtx 460 with 8gigs of ram, I dont have to necessarily run the listed games maxed out, med to high will do it, anything smooth, I saw BF3 maxed out gameplays with the same build, the phenom one, I said this above earlier, and it really ran well, does an i5 2405s or i5 750 outperform a phenom 1055t in the means of gaming?

 

[BRabbit66]

God I take so much time one my posts, late every time, anyways...
What would be the best to go with the already named processors above,
"Phenom II X6 1055t, i3 2100, i5 2405s, i5 750", with the rest of the build?

 

[Onus]

Yes, both of those CPUs will outperform the Phenom II; and they'll use less power doing it. I would not buy the 750 though; it's old tech now.
The 1GB GTX460 was a great card in its day, but I think you'll want something more current. For similar performance, check out the HD7770, which uses less power. If you prefer nVidia, take a look at the GTX560, which is stronger.

 

[BRabbit66]

Hmmm I'll check it out, btw, if you did i3 2100 vs i5 2405s vs i5 750, for example benchmarking MW3 maxed the hell out, who would win?

 

[unoriginal1]

Hmmm I'll check it out, btw, if you did i3 2100 vs i5 2405s vs i5 750, for example benchmarking MW3 maxed the hell out, who would win?

i5-2400 (sandy) wins out of those three. But i still don't understand why your so adamant about choosing an older Tech proc :/.

i5-2400 = $200 Newest and Latest (ivy) i5-3550 = $209

Go with the latest :/... No reason to go with an older sandy or 750... Isn't worth what they will cost.

 

[mad1316]

MW3 is most likely to be bottlenecked by the GPU, but as the benchmarks show at this page:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,3120-10.html

The core i3 2100 will outgame every AMD CPU in the article, including an x6 1090. The i5 2400 will do even better, and has the extra cores for those few games that need it. I agree with the guy above, don't bother with a 750, it's just too old to build in much of a system these days

 

[BRabbit66]

Lol not where I live 3550's cost like 100$ more when converted *facepalm*
Anyways , for gaming considering the present technology, quad cores are pretty much for gaming considering the prices and ***?

 

[BRabbit66]

Omg late again, which GPU suits the i5 2405s then, btw what does the s stand for?
Like, which fits the i5 so there's no bottlenecking of anything?

 

[unoriginal1]

Lol not where I live 3550's cost like 100$ more when converted *facepalm*
Anyways , for gaming considering the present technology, quad cores are pretty much for gaming considering the prices and ***?

In that case go with the i5-2400. If that fits your budget properly. Stay away from the 750 thou

 

[mad1316]

Omg late again, which GPU suits the i5 2405s then, btw what does the s stand for?
Like, which fits the i5 so there's no bottlenecking of anything?

Quad cores are generally a very good value for gaming, as some games do scale based on number of threads.

The S means that the CPU is a lower TDP (thermal design package). The 2405S is a 65W TDP CPU.

As for what will prevent bottlenecking at the GPU, MW3 doesn't require a lot of GPU power to run (256 MB Pixel Shader 3.0 or better (NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT/ATI Radeon X1950 or better)). What you have should be healthy enough for medium quality. If you want to upgrade to a bigger video card, the sky is the limit (but the GTX650 TI would probably be a solid card to run on a budget).

A side note: make sure you have DDR3-1600 RAM for the best match with the 2405S.

 

[BRabbit66]

Ok I'll get 1600 DDR3, and I'll try to get a nice mobo, I remember Dark saying something 500W is enough, are there any good PSU manufacturers or they're pretty much the same?

 

[Onus]

If those are the only processor choices you have, I'd probably choose the i5-2405S.

 

[Onus]

...are there any good PSU manufacturers or they're pretty much the same?

...
Make sure you get a quality PSU for your build. For what you are contemplating, 500W would be enough. A quality modern PSU has full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and some level of 80+ certification. Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, Enermax/LEPA, and FSP are among the better brands.
...

They are NOT all the same. Cheap PSUs tend to cause instability because their outputs aren't clean, they're generally overrated (i.e. cannot output what is on their labels), and they typically lack protection circuits, so they can die for no apparent reason, and take other parts with them into the fiery abyss.