I3-3220 + GTX 660 VS i5-3470 + HD 7850

The difference in vram is visible when playing at resolutions above 1080p. Then it's recommended that you have at least 2GB. As for the processor, the i5 is quite a bit more powerful than the i3, as seen here:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

So if you're not playing on a 30" monitor, I'd suggest going for the i5+7850 combo.

Oh, and another thing- I checked real quick and the 2GB 7850 is $60 more expensive than the 1GB, so if you could save up just a bit more that would be the ideal solution.

I am going to be playing on a 23'' LG TV, i don't know what resolution it is, what is the normal resolution for a 23'' tv? and is a 1GB enough for 1920x1080 resolution?

HDTVs are usually 1920x1080. And yeah, 1 gig usually enough. I have a GTX 560 1GB and it crunches through anything. I was able to play BF3 on high-ultra with 35-45 fps. Haven't tried multiplayer though. But you should be fine, considering the i5 is almost twice as fast as my processor.

^Probably not. Not anymore, at least.

Normal resolution for a 23" TV could be anything. I have a 30" TV that has a native 1366x768 over VGA and 720p over HDMI.

But then i'm not in the US.

What games do you play?

^My comment was a reply to the OP

I play games like Skyrim, Dishonoured, Sleeping dog, GTA IV, and maybe Battlefield 3.

I would actually suggest getting the i3-3220 & GTX 660 combo instead. You will almost always be bottlenecked by your GPU rather than your CPU regarding gaming.

Basically, as regards gaming, the i3-3220 is more than enough at 1080p
If you're going to be doing other things like video rendering and CPU-heavy applications like that, then the i5 would be a more viable option, otherwise, the i3 is fine.

Then 2GB might be a better idea.

Not really for the games he's listed.
Skyrim, GTA IV, BF3 multi are all CPU bottle-necked to an extent.

Not too sure about sleeping dogs. It seemed to be GPU bottlenecked on mine.

But yeah at 1080p i think it's more likely to be a GPU bottleneck with a 660.

The GTX 660 has 2GB or VRAM, so there's no discussion regarding memory if you're getting that card.

in MMO you need a quad core cpu like BF3 is perfect example you need a good gpu & cpu

So which should i go with? i3+GTX 660 2GB or i5+7850 1GB? its so hard to decide arrggh!

Some of these games benefit from CPU power (e.g. Skyrim and BF3 multiplayer, and I believe also GTA IV). In every case, any problem from a weak GPU is easily alleviated by turning down a setting or two. A weak CPU may not be as easily "fixed." In the screen shots of today's MoH analysis, even "medium" looks pretty good, and I thought "high" looked a little better than "ultra." I've felt the same way about other recent game reviews. "UltraSuperMaxOhWOW" settings are not required to enjoy games.
The HD7850 is considerably stronger than auntarie's GTX560, and apparently she is able to play her games just fine with it.

start a poll.

Do you play a lot of BF3 MP? If not, then I reckon it'll be a more worthwhile investment getting the i3+660(or 7970 I might mention, same price, more OC headroom).

I agree, Skyrim is CPU intensive but the i3 will still fish out very good framerates and I don't think that one CPU intensive game should merrit the need for spending much more on an i5 and skimming on the GPU.

*That's BF3, MoH Single player

^this. Also, I'm a "he", dude/dudette  

I think, i3 + 660 for 1080p, for less the i5 and 7850.

OP should really start a poll, both combos are pretty good, but everybody has their opinions and this is getting us nowhere...

Totally agree.

Get the 7850 + I5 Combo its much more balanced and will last a lot longer than I3 combo.

Dual cores for gaming is just a bad idea if you can avoid it.

Also theres not a huge performance increase to get 660 over a 7850 considering how much more a 660 costs verus 7850.

PS you can Farcry 3 with your purchase of 7850 if that sweetens the deal for you at all.

Sorry i am fairly new to the forums, how do i start a poll?

You also need to take into account that the GTX 660 is 2GB and the 7850 is 1GB.

When you start a new thread you have three tabs in the top left, one of them is a poll.

You do realize you can grab a 7850 2GB from newegg for 185.00 Dollars right? Even less if you do MIR for 175.

So i need to create a new thread?

I'll always suggest a faster GPU over a faster CPU to gamers as long as the CPU doesn't bottleneck the GPU.And NO! the i3 3220 doesn't bottleneck a gtx 660.
So you'll get the best experience in games with your i3 combo.

there is but the price you're mentioning is that of a 1gb card.A 2gb one costs similar to a 660.

And by the way i am from the UK unfortunately..

Except its freaking not do a little research before you tell someone he's wrong

Its 2Gb 7850 185$ and cheapest 660 on newegg is 230$.

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

^ doesn't matter.I never recommend such brands.  

PowerColor aren't that bad. We've had more complaints from Gigabyte or Gainward on the forums than we've had from PowerColor.

Just own up to fact that you were wrong.  

@williamjuly
If you're going for branging rights,then clap clap n cheers for you.
But I'll always suggest the best product and powercolor is crap

Agreed. But regardless, OP said he was in the UK. Prices will be different.

I have started a poll in the same section. Go and vote guys!  

I am suprised by Gigabyte a lot of people seem to like there higher end cards.

Also why are people saying that 7850 and 660 are similar in price when they aren't really at all.

Link to poll??

The reference gigabyte cards are good.The factory OC'd cards they offer come with problems.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/376184-15-3220-3470...

There you go.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/376184-15-3220-3470...

Sorry! I will assume then, that English is not your native language, as I can hardly imagine a guy using "aunt" in his handle; an "aunt" is the name given to a parent's sister (an "uncle" is the parent's brother).
FWIW, I am an uncle; my brother and sister each have three kids.


At 1080p, I can hardly imagine where a HD7850 will be insufficient. I CAN imagine where a GTX660 might be though, in the future. Current games don't rely on GPU compute performance, but what if a future game does? The Kepler cards are crippled in this department. If a future game or application needed that, you'd be hosed.
Is a HD7870 in your budget? That's another viable choice.

Yeah, I'm not from an english speaking country, but my name doesn't have anything to do with family (it's long story how I thought of it). In fact, this is the first time I've noticed that I have "aunt" in my nick, I've never thought of it like that before