New Build: i5 3570k vs i7 3770k and GTX 670 vs HD 7970

[euphoria4949]

Hi guys,

I'm gonna be building my first gaming rig in the next few weeks and I need to ask for a bit of advice on the CPU and GPU.
The PC would be used to play games such as: Skyrim + mods, Assassins Creed 3, DayZ and a few others. It'll also be used as a HTPC so occasionally needed to Transcode a Blu-Ray or two, as well as normal day to day usage, no HD video editing or anything major.
I have read up on benchmarks of a few CPU's and GPU's but I personally think that benchmarks only tell half the story, so I would like to ask a few of you that have had first hand experience with this components what you think.

Right, the i7 3770k is about £85 more than the i5 3570k and after reading a few of reviews I got the impression that the 3770k is overkill and the games I'd be playing would perform just as good with the i5 3570k, is this true??? Would I be better saving £85 by getting the 3570k and spending it on a SSD or something???

The GPU is probably between the GTX 670 and the HD 7970 (Not sure which brand to get yet), the 7970 is about £60 more than the GTX 670 and the 7970 benchmark is better than the GTX 670 but with high power consumption, but I read that Nvidia has better drivers than ATI/AMD, so whats your opinion??? Could you recommend any???

Extra info: I'm in the UK - Can buy the parts from any site - I would probably OC the CPU a little.

Thanks so much for your help

 

[kennai]

3570k is better than the i7-3770k in a few games and a few it's the other way around. They're both good CPU's. If you're just looking to play games 3570k is more than enough, and the 3770k is more if you're looking t stream and the like. For a GPU, I'd suggest the 7970 from AMD. It performs better than 670. The energy use is higher though, so keep that in mind but that's because it's meant to be going against the GTX 680. The drivers issue is a bit more complicated because it's based around what you're doing and why. However, the latest drivers from AMD have made a pretty sizeable performance boost.

 

[euphoria4949]

3570k is better than the i7-3770k in a few games and a few it's the other way around. They're both good CPU's. If you're just looking to play games 3570k is more than enough, and the 3770k is more if you're looking t stream and the like. For a GPU, I'd suggest the 7970 from AMD. It performs better than 670. The energy use is higher though, so keep that in mind but that's because it's meant to be going against the GTX 680. The drivers issue is a bit more complicated because it's based around what you're doing and why. However, the latest drivers from AMD have made a pretty sizeable performance boost.

Thanks for that, I had kinda been getting that impression that the 3770k would be a waste of £85+ for me due to my usage.
Regarding the GPU, do you think the 7970 would be quite noticeably better than the 670 when playing games such as Skyrim, AC3 or maybe BF3 or would it be just an extra 3 or 4 FPS???
I guess what I mean is, would it be a £50 noticeable difference =)

 

[blacknemesist]

The difference between both CPU doesn't justify the extra expense,the i5-3570k is a very good CPU,enough for any game without crippling your gaming preformance.
I consider the i5-3570k a very good deal because of price: performance ratio while the i7-3770k is better but way more expensive.

Same thing on the GPU:the GTX670 is very nice(I like the MSI best because of the quality and low temps) and although the 7970 is better it runs hotter and considerably more expensive.Both GPU are overly expensive as they very close to the top so you end up paying more per FPS than with lower cards.I think the GTX660ti is on the sweet spot right now:its not high-end but its price is not influctuated and the performance is nice.

I would refrain from buying outside the EU because of taxes.

If money is not and issue then the CPU battle is clear: the i7-3770k is better.
The GPU battle is kind of difference: nvidia is constantly making new drivers to support games making the GTX 670 value indetermined yet as new driver are boosting the 600 series performance.AMD on the other hand has the 7970 with a solid reputation but without much tweaking left on drivers to make it better.AMD takes too much time to realease new drivers,nvidia keep going and going.
I find the GTX670 already an overkill on price(33% more expensive than the GTX660ti) so the 7970 is a bigger overkill.

I would go with i5-3570k and GTX670 taking into consideration what a bang-for-the-buck is.
If money is not an issue then i7-3770k it is,and for the GPU the HD7970.

Remember that GPU>>>>CPU for gaming so a I5-3570k with HD7970 is a more balanced option.

It comes down to what you want and how much you want to pay.The money you can save on the CPU for example can be used for other stuff.

To sum it up:
-i5-3570k:good for gaming,good OC capabilities,sweet price.
-i7-3770k:good for gaming,good OC capabilities,the extra performance in games doesnt justify the extra bucks but it is definately superior
-GTX670 : good price/performance ration,good support,runs colder,less power consumption
-HD7970 : price/performance ratio is higher than the GTX670,AMD support is not very good,runs hot,draws alot of power,huge card,one of the best cards out there

 

[euphoria4949]

The difference between both CPU doesn't justify the extra expense,the i5-3570k is a very good CPU,enough for any game without crippling your gaming preformance.
I consider the i5-3570k a very good deal because of price: performance ratio while the i7-3770k is better but way more expensive.

Same thing on the GPU:the GTX670 is very nice(I like the MSI best because of the quality and low temps) and although the 7970 is better it runs hotter and considerably more expensive.Both GPU are overly expensive as they very close to the top so you end up paying more per FPS than with lower cards.I think the GTX660ti is on the sweet spot right now:its not high-end but its price is not influctuated and the performance is nice.

I would refrain from buying outside the EU because of taxes.

If money is not and issue then the CPU battle is clear: the i7-3770k is better.
The GPU battle is kind of difference: nvidia is constantly making new drivers to support games making the GTX 670 value indetermined yet as new driver are boosting the 600 series performance.AMD on the other hand has the 7970 with a solid reputation but without much tweaking left on drivers to make it better.AMD takes too much time to realease new drivers,nvidia keep going and going.
I find the GTX670 already an overkill on price(33% more expensive than the GTX660ti) so the 7970 is a bigger overkill.

I would go with i5-3570k and GTX670 taking into consideration what a bang-for-the-buck is.
If money is not an issue then i7-3770k it is,and for the GPU the HD7970.

Remember that GPU>>>>CPU for gaming so a I5-3570k with HD7970 is a more balanced option.

It comes down to what you want and how much you want to pay.The money you can save on the CPU for example can be used for other stuff.

To sum it up:
-i5-3570k:good for gaming,good OC capabilities,sweet price.
-i7-3770k:good for gaming,good OC capabilities,the extra performance in games doesnt justify the extra bucks but it is definately superior
-GTX670 : good price/performance ration,good support,runs colder,less power consumption
-HD7970 : price/performance ratio is higher than the GTX670,AMD support is not very good,runs hot,draws alot of power,huge card,one of the best cards out there

Well first off thank you for a brilliant detailed reply, I really appreciate it you taking the time.

On the CPU side of things, unfortunately until I will the lottery, money is an issue (I'm sure I win it one day though lol) so I think you're right, the 3570k is probably my better option as I don't think I'll even push an i5 to the limit so the i7 is a waste, I'll put the money towards an SSD.

Regarding the GPU..... the 660 Ti..... Wow, I didn't realise it was that good, I just looked at the TomsHW benchmark with Skyrim on ultra and it seems pretty damn decent and fairly close to the 670, but nearly £100 cheaper!! Now I'm totally confused lol.
As you've probably guessed I'm pretty new to PC gaming, so may I ask you if you think the GTX 660 Ti would be good enough to play the likes of Skyrim maxed out on ultra and with a load of mods as well but still keep close to 60fps, or with mods and stuff would I be better to go for the 670???

Thanks again

 

[euphoria4949]

Best answer selected by euphoria4949.

 

[Lakshay Anand]

Ok, here's the solution.
Go with i7-3770k with nvidia gtx 670.

Gtx 670 consumes less power, is better than 660 ti, and runs cooler + has nvidia physx support.

Going with i7-3770k will make your PC next gen ready as i7 has hyperthreading whereas i5 doesn't.
Currently, lesser number of games use it. Though, as we are having a generation change (because of next gen consoles), the quality of games will increase drastically and many games would use hyperthreading which is only offered by i7.
Also, i7>i5, though a bit costly. But you ll have to decide, make it one time investment.

Gtx 670 is a really cool GPU which offers great performance without overheating and less noisy.

In many games, it even outperforms 7970.

I have done a full research and your condition is exactly same as mine.

If you have bucks to spare and don't want to compromise performance,
- I7-3770k + GTX 670

If you are trying to save some bucks,
- i5-3570k + GTX 660 ti.

Remember, going with the 1st option will make your PC next gen ready and will fetch you, in total, an fps bump of 10-20 fps which is alot.

 

[euphoria4949]

Ok, here's the solution.
Go with i7-3770k with nvidia gtx 670.

Gtx 670 consumes less power, is better than 660 ti, and runs cooler + has nvidia physx support.

Going with i7-3770k will make your PC next gen ready as i7 has hyperthreading whereas i5 doesn't.
Currently, lesser number of games use it. Though, as we are having a generation change (because of next gen consoles), the quality of games will increase drastically and many games would use hyperthreading which is only offered by i7.
Also, i7>i5, though a bit costly. But you ll have to decide, make it one time investment.

Gtx 670 is a really cool GPU which offers great performance without overheating and less noisy.

In many games, it even outperforms 7970.

I have done a full research and your condition is exactly same as mine.

If you have bucks to spare and don't want to compromise performance,
- I7-3770k + GTX 670

If you are trying to save some bucks,
- i5-3570k + GTX 660 ti.

Remember, going with the 1st option will make your PC next gen ready and will fetch you, in total, an fps bump of 10-20 fps which is alot.

I appreciate your help and advice, but this is a 4 month old thread, I built my PC months ago =)
I went with the 3570k as I'm not going to need the HT from the i7 and OC'ed it to 4.4, not going any higher until I start water cooling. And I decided to splash out and went for a GTX 690.

Appreciate it though,
Cheers

 

[JUICEhunter]

I would go i5 as an i7-2600 owner who turns ht off for bf4(higher per core performance/% usage for higher min fps). I happen to also have a gtx670, got it in Los Angeles, Ca for $330 about a year ago and can't believe the price is down to $250 and faster than a 760. Overclock is great as well +100mhz & 8ghz effective memory clock. Why aren't you considering r280x/770 with the i5? Build your pc first without gpu, wait a paycheck or two and get a better card than you were considering, anyway hope all is well and keep us posted.

 

[euphoria4949]

I would go i5 as an i7-2600 owner who turns ht off for bf4(higher per core performance/% usage for higher min fps). I happen to also have a gtx670, got it in Los Angeles, Ca for $330 about a year ago and can't believe the price is down to $250 and faster than a 760. Overclock is great as well +100mhz & 8ghz effective memory clock. Why aren't you considering r280x/770 with the i5? Build your pc first without gpu, wait a paycheck or two and get a better card than you were considering, anyway hope all is well and keep us posted.

Because this thread is over a year old =)
I built my rig a year ago and have since upgraded it and gone for more of a high-end setup.

Thanks for your reply though.

 

[JUICEhunter]

haha oh gotta start checking dates more, game on!

 

[python291]

Hi guys,

I'm gonna be building my first gaming rig in the next few weeks and I need to ask for a bit of advice on the CPU and GPU.
The PC would be used to play games such as: Skyrim + mods, Assassins Creed 3, DayZ and a few others. It'll also be used as a HTPC so occasionally needed to Transcode a Blu-Ray or two, as well as normal day to day usage, no HD video editing or anything major.
I have read up on benchmarks of a few CPU's and GPU's but I personally think that benchmarks only tell half the story, so I would like to ask a few of you that have had first hand experience with this components what you think.

Right, the i7 3770k is about £85 more than the i5 3570k and after reading a few of reviews I got the impression that the 3770k is overkill and the games I'd be playing would perform just as good with the i5 3570k, is this true??? Would I be better saving £85 by getting the 3570k and spending it on a SSD or something???

The GPU is probably between the GTX 670 and the HD 7970 (Not sure which brand to get yet), the 7970 is about £60 more than the GTX 670 and the 7970 benchmark is better than the GTX 670 but with high power consumption, but I read that Nvidia has better drivers than ATI/AMD, so whats your opinion??? Could you recommend any???

Extra info: I'm in the UK - Can buy the parts from any site - I would probably OC the CPU a little.

Thanks so much for your help

 

[python291]

I Have a HD 4870 X2 and also a HD 5700 these are my old cards and paid a ton of money for them. The X2 needed a 1200 watt power supply. I now have the R7 260x and ill tell you less money buy far and twice the speed and power. Direct X12 and great drivers from ATI updated often and love their game tweaking software. I own the N vidia also on my AMD and id rather buy ATI if you can. But I would skip the whole HD 5000-7000 series get into the newer R7-R9 platform. You want to save money and buy more games skip a card at all. If you have a decent board with the I5 the integrated Intel graphics will surprise you . You'll get 60fps in almost all the games you might play !