CPU and Motherboard

• 

  WalterPPK on 06/05/2013 - 21:06

  The i5 CPUs are good. Try and get one with a "k" on the end though, they're the ones that have their multiplier unlocked which means they can be overclocked a lot more easily. I run an i5 2500k overclocked to 4.5 Ghz with no instability - that's with a CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ cooler, though. With the standard cooler that comes with the CPU you can still get some good results.

  The i5s and i7s with a P on the end of their number WON'T support built-in graphics cards on the motherboard, they'll only work with a dedicated graphics card. I figure if you're playing BF3, though, that you'll probably have a dedicated graphics card anyway.

  Toms Hardware do a monthly "best gaming CPUs for the money" article which is good. Here is April's: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overcl…

  At the moment AMD are the best value at the lower end of the price scale, and the intel's definitely have the top end of the market at the moment. In the middle its a mixed bag. If I were trying to build a gaming PC on a very tight budget today, AMD would definitely be the way to go.

• 

  _Bruce_ on 06/05/2013 - 22:48

  +3

  i5s are great, more than enough for any game today. Avoid paying for models with a 'k' on the end unless you care about overclocking for little to no real world gain. You will also have to pay more for your motherboard to do this, and probably pay for a cooler as well, and it will make no difference to the games.

  i3s are also very good if you want to save money. All '7' series intel motherboards have the same performance (b75, z77, etc) so you can pick any you like (assuming you aren't paying for overclocking).

  This:
  http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&c…
  Will give a 670 close competition for a VERY competitive price.

  • 

    StewBalls on 07/05/2013 - 00:14

    +1

    Avoid paying for models with a 'k' on the end unless you care about overclocking for little to no real world gain.

    ^This.

  • 

    bich.light on 07/05/2013 - 08:35

    Thanks will buy that in the future.

    =====

    I think I will hold out on buying this CPU and mobo until the haswell chips come out.
    Thanks

  • 

    fickre on 07/05/2013 - 08:54

    +1

    Motherboard Z77 series: Overclocker
    Motherboard H77 series: Non-overclocker
    Motherboard B75 series: Non-overclocker but less feature than H77 series.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1155#Ivy_Bridge_chipsets
    Edit: source.

  • 

    samfisher5986 on 07/05/2013 - 10:53

    Your right for the average gamer but a stock i5 can struggle in quite a few newer games as well as cool stuff like the nintendo wii emulator.

    This is assuming your video card isn't the bottleneck and you have higher expectactions then 40fps which isn't the average gamer.

    • 

      _Bruce_ on 07/05/2013 - 11:05

      Emulation I agree, though it is a special case. Otherwise which games only get 40 frames on an i5 when not limited by the gpu? And does this case involve SLI titans? Of course you can always acheive this by just adding more monitors until something breaks, but I also consider than a special case.

      • 

        samfisher5986 on 07/05/2013 - 11:25

        This involves my two year old ATI 6990.

        I'm not at home so I can't give you a decent list.

        By powerful enough I'm saying the CPU has to be able to handle 60fps minimum.

        There is quite a decent list of unoptimised games like Assassins Creed 3 which even I struggle to get a decent frame rate on at maximum graphics. (i5 2500k @ 4.5Ghz)

        Then there are other games like a busy Battlefield 3 map.

        Then there are other games where my GPU can do 120fps on my 120hz monitor but without my OC'd CPU it wouldn't be able to get 120fps.

        Again it depends if you have high end hardware, a lot of people don't find the stock i5's to be good enough.

        Good thing that they are so easily overclockable with the K series.

• 

  srhardy on 07/05/2013 - 08:50

  if you buy a 'k' branded cpu then you need to buy a 'Z' based mb'd to OC, otherwise your wasting your money.

  also for gaming you can save a lot of money going for a G2120 is a cheap $75 cpu with dual core (which is heaps for any game, ignore websites that try upselling reviews) with a B75 mboard for around $55 and a decent gfax card like 660/660ti or 7850/7950 will serve you well. If you buy the cheaper gfx then 720p rez & the better gfx will all play 1080p at full rez with 30-60fps ($200-300 for gfax)

  ie, graphic cards now make the difference in gaming, spend your money here… Overclocking introduces random bad boots and crashes so avoid it as its unnecessary

  +1 for a cheap 120gb SSD as a OS boot drive & for game installation and a fast 1tb or better drive as the main drive and learn how to move your home folders (documents, video, sound ect) to the 1tb… Its easily done

  • 

    _Bruce_ on 07/05/2013 - 09:25

    While I agree in general, a G2120 is heaps for many games, but certainly not any game. An i3 is a good compromise due to hyperthreading, and an i5 really is enough for any game currently out.

  • 

    scrimshaw on 07/05/2013 - 13:12

    Agreed with i3. If you could afford to splash $300 for a graphics card surely you can afford another $30-40 for an i3.

    Toms Hardware says:

    Conversely, benchmark data makes it clear that the company's Hyper-Threading technology is effective in helping improve the performance of a dual-core CPU in threaded games.
    Although a locked multiplier limits overclocking to a few-megahertz bump in BCLK frequency, we still consider Intel's Core i3-3220 to be a good starting point for gamers who might upgrade to a faster LGA 1155-based processor in the future.

• 

  srhardy on 07/05/2013 - 08:53

  haswell form intel will have suckie graphics FULL STOP, Its not a gaming cpu option if reling on the intergrated gfax. gaming always means a better gfax card PERIOD

  double crap is still crap unless just playing online flash games. It wont play decent games at reasonable resolution

  itel call it spin, we call it lying with a strait face when launches are anounced like this

  • 

    _Bruce_ on 07/05/2013 - 09:23

    No one is suggesting using the haswell gpu, only waiting to use it as a cpu. Personally I wouldn't bother, current cpus are more than enough.

    Furthermore the GT3e is actually very good. Not going to run top end games at max settings sure, but your closed minded view of its usefullness helps no one.

    • 

      bich.light on 07/05/2013 - 13:29

      Thanks thats what I was wondering Bruce.