Intel confusion: Ivy Bridge? i3? Celeron?

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Mashugana

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I am a simple man who wants to play video games. Please help me understand the Intel nomenclature. It seems like they refer to the same chips with multiple terms and then I lie down and cry.

I want to design a new system for gaming that will last 3-5 years. It starts with the processor (I assume) but I cannot for the life of me tell which chip to go with. Will an i3 last 3 years? Is an i5 worth the extra money? Sandy Bridge? Ivy Bridge? Gah!

I play mostly MMOs and a few lately (GW2) have become processor intensive. My plan is to spend a lot of the processor now since I can easily upgrade a video card later. With that logic, and no need to play FPS at high res, any advice for the core of my system (chip, motherboard)?

Thanks :)
 
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As we are seeing in games, CPU cores are being utilized more and more. Right now a few games already use more than 2 cores (Which is what the i3 has). So I would recommend a 4 core CPU (i5).

For the CPU I would recommend you get the i5 3570K, this is a 4 core CPU and it runs very fast. It is also the BEST gaming CPU, as anything higher is using hyperthreading and hyperthreading has no impact on games.

TLDR; Get the i5 3570K CPU ($220)

EDIT: As a side note, I would suggest you DO NOT skimp on the GPU. As it the GPU is the heart of your system in terms of gaming.

rocknrollz

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Nov 16, 2011
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As we are seeing in games, CPU cores are being utilized more and more. Right now a few games already use more than 2 cores (Which is what the i3 has). So I would recommend a 4 core CPU (i5).

For the CPU I would recommend you get the i5 3570K, this is a 4 core CPU and it runs very fast. It is also the BEST gaming CPU, as anything higher is using hyperthreading and hyperthreading has no impact on games.

TLDR; Get the i5 3570K CPU ($220)

EDIT: As a side note, I would suggest you DO NOT skimp on the GPU. As it the GPU is the heart of your system in terms of gaming.
 
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