Build help for solid WoW performance.

[JTwolfbaggins]

This is my first build. I have a decent starting point I hope. I would like to be able to use this cpu; Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor and this gpu; MSI N650ti-1GD5/V1, if possible. They seem relatively cheap for the performance but of course if you have better ideas please do recommend them. Other than that I don't know what's best for compatibility to fill in the rest of the build. Thank you for your help in advance!


Budget: $600-$700
Resolution:1920x1080
Games / Settings Desired:WoW ultra settings
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc): Would like to return to music editing in the future but not a major concern for this build.
Country:USA
Parts that can be reused:none
Do you need an OS? YES
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? NO

[MadeYouLook]

With all the research I have done so far regarding a new build for myself, I ran across a great thread at Tom's Hardware that I think you will find beneficial, and sorry for the wall of text, but I can't post any links yet :/ So this is a copy-paste directly from that thread.

Gaming:
The i5 is comparable in gaming to the AMD FX-8350, however the i5 will out perform the FX-8350 since it does not have to drag around the extra cores (cores 5-8) that the FX-8350. Besides that fact most games do not utilize (or fully use) more then a quad (4) core processor. As a matter of fact most games have enough trouble using a quad core as it is. It is true however that the newer agriculture structure of the AMD FX-8xxx series smooths out performance on the first 4 cores, using cores 5-8 to smooth out the performance, however it still get out performs by the i5.

Video/Music Rendering/Encoding:
For any video or music rendering or encoding, the AMD FX-6xxx or FX-8xxx is going to be your choice of processor, since it has 6-8 physical cores, it will have a lot smoother operation under the stress of the video/music programs using multi-cored programs (not to be confused with mulch-thread). This is also true if you are going to be using any programs that rely heavily on multi-cored processors (5+ cores), which 95% of programs and games do not at this time. This will heavily outweigh an Intel hyper threading since AMD processors can focus the same amount of usage across 6-8 cores rather then twice as much usage on 4 cores (remember Intel i7's only have 4 cores, unless its an extreme, and even there the same holds true).

3D Rendering/3D Animation:
I would recommend either i7 processor for this, since they are going to be a better overall performing processor then the AMD FX-6xxx or AMD FX-8xxx series processors. These processors while they have a lower core count, they make up for it in speed (having 4 cores vs. 8 cores to drag around and using the hyper threading to make up for the lost physical cores), for this reason they can put a lot more pressure (usage) on 4 cores then the AMD FX-6xxx or AMD FX-8xxx series can.

Conclusion:

i5: Gaming processor
i7/i7 Extreme: 3D business/3D Rendering processor
AMD FX Series: Multi-cored programs
AMD A-Series: Budget with Integrated Graphics

[chazus]

This setup will still have a little struggle in 25m raids on ultra, but will still perform well. Your budget just doesn't allow a 4670K, and the i5-4670 is just not worth the extra $80 for a minor core boost.

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($133.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $627.88

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however the i5 will out perform the FX-8350 since it does not have to drag around the extra cores (cores 5-8) that the FX-8350.

Just wanted to note.. this is utterly false. Not the performance part, but the reason. There is no 'dragging of cores' and more cores do not make a CPU... work harder.. That and technically, AMD FX-8xxx don't have 8 cores. Sort of a triviality but still true.

Not sure how all that info really helps the op though

[MadeYouLook]

But wouldn't an AMD 6 or 8 core be better overall? Granted, with his budget, it will be a challenge to get max settings in-game, but since he also does frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc, an AMD 6 or 8 core would be better suited for that aspect and still give decent performance in-game, no?

Just a thought.

[chazus]

But wouldn't an AMD 6 or 8 core be better overall? Granted, with his budget, it will be a challenge to get max settings in-game, but since he also does frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc, an AMD 6 or 8 core would be better suited for that aspect and still give decent performance in-game, no?

I didn't see any indication of 3D or video modelling. Just music work, which doesn't require much power. Regardless, it seems gaming (WoW) is his priority, and the strongest AMD cpu performs worse than Intel's 2-3 year old i3's.

[JTwolfbaggins]

Thank you Chaz! I was hearing a lot of negative things about i3's and gaming which is why I chose the i5 but perhaps they were also false claims. This build looks pretty awesome though and very affordable.


BTW, does this setup not require any extra cooling, like fans, etc.?

[chazus]

There's nothing really 'negative' about them, they just weren't as good as the i5's. However that's sort of old news. The biggest problem was clock speed. Older i3's were in the 2.9-3.1ghz range, compared to an i5 that basically starts at 3.6, and can overclock to 4.5. the new Haswell i3's however (4330 in this case) is 3.5. If you don't get a 4670K, the 4670 will get to 3.6.. So you're spending like $80 on 100mhz, more or less. The cores help, a little, but not a huge amount.

Most of the complaints about i3's are either misinformation, or people complaining about performance on their 4 year old clarkdale/sandy i3-5xx/i3-2xxx, which is just a matter of being 3 generations old, and slower on top.

I really do not recommend anything but the i3-4330 or i5-4670K these days. Anything else on either side of either of those is just not worth the money for performance, or not worth saving money on.

ANd no, it won't need extra cooling, the CPU comes with a stock cooler. If you can get an EVO, it might be nice and quiet, but certainly not necessary.

[JTwolfbaggins]

Wow, excellent information and just what I was wanting to understand. I really appreciate the help chazus! Thanks