1. #1

    Chazus what budget point from i3 to i5?

    Chazus, at what budget range would you go from an i3 to an i5 for a gaming computer with no peripherals?

    Meaning at what dollar amount would you think it would be better to build an gaming computer with an i5 over and i3. Obviously you could build a computer with an i5 and skimp out on everything else, but it would be crap.

    Hope this makes sense.

  2. #2
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    Not including the OS, I'd say if your budget fell above or below 800. Above 800, you can afford a proper i5-4670K with all the fixings (though right at 800, you're looking at the leaner side of it, with a cheaper board/cooling. No SSD, and a 660). Below 800, it's not worth trying a half-assed i5 setup, and you're better off going with the i3-4330, even if it leaves an unintentional money gap. That money could just then be used on an SSD or something.

    Notably, I usually pick the i3-4330.. The 4130 is 100mhz slower, but almost the same price... The 4340 is 100 faster, but usually a good $30 more. Not worth the cost.

    Of course, there are always outliers to this idea, too... OS.. monitor... certain programs, etc.
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  3. #3
    I find the tipping point closer to ~700-750$ (depending on current sales), but pretty much agreed. With the 750ti coming out that could become even lower depending on the performance the card actually has.
    Last edited by Fluorescent0; 2014-02-13 at 02:59 PM.
    Fluorescent - Fluo - currently retired, playing other stuff

    i5-4670k @ 4.5 / Thermalright Silver Arrow Extreme / Gigabyte Z87X-D3H / 8GB DDR3-1600 RAM / Gigabyte GTX 760

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Fluorescent0 View Post
    I find the tipping point closer to ~700-750$ (depending on current sales), but pretty much agreed. With the 750ti coming out that could become even lower depending on the performance the card actually has.
    750ti? What is this? And do you foresee i5's dropping in price quickly? I'm looking to build a new comp, but I can wait if it is worth it.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Is it worth getting a quad core over a dual core if you're just playing diablo 3 and sc 2?

    Those are my main games.

  5. #5
    Deleted
    It's highly unlikely that Intel will reduce the price on any of their CPUs at any point in time. The price you see now is likely to stand until, well, forever. There is no competition in the PC CPU market at all to force prices down.

  6. #6
    The way I see it, there are three primary choices: i3-4130 + H81 + <= $180 GPU >>> i5-4570 + H81 + <= $300 GPU >>> i5-4670K + Z87 + $250+ GPU

  7. #7
    Herald of the Titans Cyrops's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by yurano View Post
    The way I see it, there are three primary choices: i3-4130 + H81 + <= $180 GPU >>> i5-4570 + H81 + <= $300 GPU >>> i5-4670K + Z87 + $250+ GPU
    Not really, if you can afford i5, getting k and z stuff is minimal increase in budget.
    It's more like:
    i3-4330+h81
    or
    i5-4670k+z87 if you want to OC and i5-4670+h87 if you don't
    PM me weird stuff :3

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyrops View Post
    Not really, if you can afford i5, getting k and z stuff is minimal increase in budget.
    It's more like:
    i3-4330+h81
    or
    i5-4670k+z87 if you want to OC and i5-4670+h87 if you don't
    At least $20 for K, at least $60 for Z87, and another $30 for a heatsink. $110 is easily 1-2 tier jumps in the graphics card department.

    The i3-4330 makes sense only when the price difference is trivial (<$10). Normally its $20 more.

    4670 is $20 for 200 Mhz (5% more clock speed), not an optimal performance/price trade. H87 is easily $20 more, but doesn't have any major performance benefits over H81.

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