CPU vs GPU

[Suntzu-Cenarius]

Kinda a this vs that question....

My funds are limited at this time... Should I push more towards the CPU , or go with a lower CPU to allocate funds to the GPU?

Such as...

CPU..

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 3 Series – MAX IOPS Edition 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7750 2GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $585.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 23:00 EST-0500)

vs gpu...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($123.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3V Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($64.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 3 Series – MAX IOPS Edition 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $636.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 23:10 EST-0500)


That GPU is about as high as I would go.... as I feel spending $200 on a video card is a bit much, let alone $240... but that card is supposed to be top notch..

My main question is... Which dirrection would be best...

I mainly play some WoW, some Minecraft, and plan on playing Elder Scrolls Online... with a little CoD thrown in there...

Just looking for feed back at this time, with plans to order some time this week.

(Side note - anyone know of awesome SSD Deals going on? Looks like I missed out last week... )

[n0cturnal]

I would no go with a 7750 for a gaming build, it just is too slow for my taste.

[chazus]

Or, get the best of both worlds.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DOva

That CPU is as good as the 3570K without overclocking. That GPU will be able to pretty much max out WoW.

The other option is... Get the 7870 XT, a Z77 motherboard, and the i3 now, and upgrade to the 3570K later if you want to overclock but cant afford it now.

[n0cturnal]

This would be my choice.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 3 Series – MAX IOPS Edition 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $637.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 23:20 EST-0500)

[Faithh]

I think it's just smarter that you tell us which cpu you currently have, no?

[Musta Kyy]

You could also go for AMD, you would get more out of overclocked FX 6300 than any locked i3 or i5 processor and it costs about the same, just throwing this option out here.

[Killora]

You could also go for AMD, you would get more out of overclocked FX 6300 than any locked i3 or i5 processor and it costs about the same, just throwing this option out here.

I disagree with this. The 3350P will outperform an overclocked FX 6300 in games.

But if he was going to overclock, he'd get a 3570k/Z77 motherboard. So pretty pointless comparison.

[chazus]

You could also go for AMD, you would get more out of overclocked FX 6300 than any locked i3 or i5 processor and it costs about the same, just throwing this option out here.

Yeah, also gonna disagree. The 6300 is -as good as- an i3. An i5 beats it handily. Overclocked, a 6300 would be on part with an i5, but you'd have to have a better cooling solution... And by that time you would have spent as much as, or more, rather than just getting an i5, which would run cooler, and use less power, and have an upgrade path too, if you wanted.

[yurano]

Or, get the best of both worlds.

That CPU is as good as the 3570K without overclocking.

Don't see why you'd go for a i5-3350P over a i5-3470 thats $4 more. The 3350P is clocked lower and doesn't have an iGPU.

As much as the 7850 is hyped up, its not worth $180. According to standard diminishing return pricing for graphics cards, a 2GB 7850 should cost roughly $160-170. You picked a 1GB 7850 for $173, not worth it in the slightest, especially if the OP plays Skyrim. Anandtech discusses 1GB vs 2GB.

[Killora]

Don't see why you'd go for a i5-3350P over a i5-3470 thats $4 more. The 3350P is clocked lower and doesn't have an iGPU.

As much as the 7850 is hyped up, its not worth $180. According to standard diminishing return pricing for graphics cards, a 2GB 7850 should cost roughly $160-170. You picked a 1GB 7850 for $173, not worth it in the slightest, especially if the OP plays Skyrim. Anandtech discusses 1GB vs 2GB.

Because i'm fairly certain that the 3350P actually runs at 3.3ghz, cause max turbo is actually at 4 core ratio instead of 1 or 2. Even if the 3470 is .1 ghz faster, is that really worth the argument?

Integrated graphics are pretty useless when you're getting a video card.

[yurano]

Because i'm fairly certain that the 3350P actually runs at 3.3ghz, cause max turbo is actually at 4 core ratio instead of 1 or 2. Even if the 3470 is .1 ghz faster, is that really worth the argument?

Integrated graphics are pretty useless when you're getting a video card.

i5 Turbo boost frequency table

CPU - 1 core - 2 core - 3 core - 4 core

i5-3350P - 3.3 - 3.2 - 3.2 - 3.1
i5-3470 - 3.6 - 3.6 - 3.5 - 3.4

The iGPU in and of itself is not worth paying $20 for, but the iGPU does have certain advantages: QuickSync w/ LucidVirtu; ability to use the computer before GPU comes in the mail or should you ever need to RMA it.

$4 more for higher clocks and iGPU seems worth it to me. If the difference was instead larger, something like $20, then yes the i5-3350P makes sense.

[Killora]

i5 Turbo boost frequency table

CPU - 1 core - 2 core - 3 core - 4 core

i5-3350P - 3.3 - 3.2 - 3.2 - 3.1
i5-3470 - 3.6 - 3.6 - 3.5 - 3.4

The iGPU in and of itself is not worth paying $20 for, but the iGPU does have certain advantages: QuickSync w/ LucidVirtu; ability to use the computer before GPU comes in the mail or should you ever need to RMA it.

$4 more for higher clocks and iGPU seems worth it to me. If the difference was instead larger, something like $20, then yes the i5-3350P makes sense.

It's not always on sale, so, yeah. That's why it was recommended. But since it's on sale ($4 more) It is the better option.

[Holes]

It's always a good idea to go fairly even on CPU vs GPU. You skimp on one and it bottlenecks everything. So going $150 and $150 will probably perform better than $200 and $100.

But I see a lot of good suggestions so far. An i5 with a 7770 or 7850 (or 660 for nvidia) would be a nice rig.

Edit: I don't want to turn this into AMD vs Intel, but you can't do wrong with an i5 for price/performance right now.

[Deleted]

Do you already have a HDD? If so, drop the SSD and get yourself a decent GPU with the i5 3570K build. In terms of simple economics, upgrading and adding to your build is better value than having to upgrade and replace. If you buy a weak GPU now and upgrade to a better GPU later, the overall cost is more and its a cost which could have been used to buy an even better GPU than the ones you will potentially own. Same idea with the CPU. However if you buy an SSD later then your HDD becomes a very useful storage drive.

What case do you have atm? Also do you have a HDD that you can reuse? Lastly, what is your absolute maximum budget?

[yurano]

It's not always on sale, so, yeah. That's why it was recommended. But since it's on sale ($4 more) It is the better option.

Actually, the i5-3350P is the one thats currently on sale. The i5-3470 is usually at $180 (NCIX) and is slightly more expensive now at $184.

[Deleted]

Unless there was some mega deal going on with the i5 3550p, I personally would go with the i5 3470. That $10 would give me peace of mind knowing that I always had an easy to use backup GPU just incase my discrete GPU fails. It requires no power connectors or installation, you simply plug your monitor in and troubleshoot any possible discrete GPU issues. In the case where it's a first time build and you don't have another GPU lying around, it means you can continue using your system while you RMA your defective card. The integrated GPU is more than powerful enough to run 1080p movies and browse the internet, which is what I spend most of my free time doing anyway. Should my GPU pack in, I could still do these things thanks to the very usable integrated GPU.

If someone asked me the simple question - 'Would you pay $10 for a backup GPU?' and then listed all the benefits, the answer would be a definite yes.

[Faithh]

You could also go for AMD, you would get more out of overclocked FX 6300 than any locked i3 or i5 processor and it costs about the same, just throwing this option out here.

A fx8350 @ 5GHz scores 1.27 single core performance in C11.5 while an i3 3225 does 1.37, so AMD is just a bad choice for games such as WoW..