i5-3330 + Radeon 7870: How well will it run mainstream games?

[Thiago Andrade]

I bought a brand new computer at a good price in my country. Specifications:

CPU: I5-3330
GPU: XFX Radeon 7870
Memory: DDR3 2x4GB (1600 mhz) Ripjaws
PSU: Corsair CX-600 600W
MB: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H
HD: Western Digital 500 GB SATAIII

I was planning to buy a I5-3570 instead, but it sold out at the store. And I chose this PSU because I'm planning to upgrade GPU OR CPU in the end of the year. What I want to know is:

- Is this a good gaming rig, since it was really cheap?
- How well will I play games like Far Cry 3, Skyrim and The Witcher 2? And upcoming games like Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed IV?
- What should I upgrade first?

P.S.: I'm sorry about my English

 

[hizodge]

It's a decent gaming rig that should run all current gen games no problem. I can't give you an estimate how well it will run upcoming games as I have no idea what kind of performance they will require. I don't think buying a 3570 would quite justify the cost as the performance increase would be fairly minimal.

 

[Thiago Andrade]

Thanks man. But I'm going to upgrade this build in December and my money will be around 300 U$D, what should I upgrade first? CPU (and Mobo) or GPU?

 

[ac130]

You prob won't have to turn much games down to high and can play most and if not all on 1080p. For your upgrade go for a GPU, thats where all your FPS performance comes from.

 

[hizodge]

$300 isn't really going to afford a considerable GPU upgrade since HD7870 is around $240 in itself. If you want a considerable enough graphics card upgrade then you should be looking at dishing out around $400 or so. I guess you can sell the current card if possible... Otherwise not sure if it'll be worth it.

Another thing you have to take into account is that the motherboard you have doesn't allow any overclocking for the CPU, which is why I told you to steer away from the 3570 and 3570K. A normal i5 3570 would only provide a very small, barely noticeable increase in performance. But I think you'll be fine with a 3350 for now at least.

If I were you, I'd probably invest in a GPU first; get the GTX 770 and possibly a 120-250GB SSD next. Maybe get a proper Z87 motherboard, i5 4670K and an aftermarket cooler when you can afford them... Or just wait for the 5th generation Core CPUs. There's usually about 18 months between new architecture releases but I think you'll be fine until then.

 

[ac130]

$300 isn't really going to afford a considerable GPU upgrade since HD7870 is around $240 in itself. If you want a considerable enough graphics card upgrade then you should be looking at dishing out around $400 or so. I guess you can sell the current card if possible... Otherwise not sure if it'll be worth it.

Another thing you have to take into account is that the motherboard you have doesn't allow any overclocking for the CPU, which is why I told you to steer away from the 3570 and 3570K. A normal i5 3570 would only provide a very small, barely noticeable increase in performance. But I think you'll be fine with a 3350 for now at least.

If I were you, I'd probably invest in a GPU first; get the GTX 770 and possibly a 120-250GB SSD next. Maybe get a proper Z87 motherboard, i5 4670K and an aftermarket cooler when you can afford them... Or just wait for the 5th generation Core CPUs. There's usually about 18 months between new architecture releases but I think you'll be fine until then.

A HD 7950 runs around $319 or less

 

[hizodge]

And is not, as I said, a very large jump from an HD 7870. Not worth the money, as I said, unless he can sell the HD 7870.

 

[Thiago Andrade]

This is my first gaming-only rig, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money in a enthuasiastic or overclock-based rig, since I'm completely newbie at overclocking. I will just wait until December to see if I'm going to need an upgrade at all. Otherwise I'll just wait to the next CPU gen and invest my money in the GTX 770, which seems great.