Advice | Choose CPU | Intel Core LGA1150 | Gaming PC

[Robosaur]

Hello. I'm going to build a new PC and I need advice on the CPU. I want my new PC to be able to handle most games decently, I would go down to 1650p just to get those sweet 60 frames per second. Once I buy the CPU I don't plan on upgrading for, at least, a year.

Also, I have mention that I live in Mexico and things are, generally, a bit more expensive here. So I'll put the prices for American Dollars and Mexican Pesos to get the best feedback possible. I will be buying the pieces in my country, so buying them from Amazon or any other seller outside of Mexico is, sadly, not an option. All prices are estimates. Note: A mid-range PC in Mexico can range between 8000 and 11000 pesos which is kind of expensive; in perpective, the PS4 ($400 dlls.) is priced here at 7500 pesos, NOT a fair conversion.

So, what would YOU go for?

Option 1:
Intel Core i3-4160 - ($120 dlls.) ($2400 pesos)
AMD Radeon R7 260X - ($130 dlls.) ($2800 pesos)

Option 2:
Intel Core i5-4460 - ($190 dlls.) ($4000 pesos)

Of course -if I want to play games- I will eventually buy the graphics card after 4 to 6 months. Then, the question would be: Is it worth choosing a better CPU and waiting later to buy the GPU, especially now on 2015 and expecting NVidia's and AMD's new products, OR should I just buy the CPU and the GPU right now and worry about upgrading both later in the future.

I was actually going for the i5 and saving money for the GPU later, but I want to hear what you think about it. Of course, if I were to buy the Intel Core i5-4460 I wouldn't upgrade my CPU until Intel's Broadwell processors are not as expensive as they are right now. Luckily, they both use the same socket.

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Obviously, in the short term, the i3 with a discrete gpu will give the far best gaming experience. It will be a decent long term system as well.

The i5 is a better long term gaming solution, but you will have to forego playing any graphically intensive games until you get the discrete gpu. A fair number of older games will be playable on the igp at low resolution, but it will not be a very good experience.

 

[nurturedhate]

I think it really depends on what type of games you play. if it were me I would buy the i5 system and then get a video card later especially if your goal is to get 60 fps mins.

 

[crashtech]

If you have the ability to sell the i3 when you are done with it, the first option will provide the most satisfying experience today, then you can upgrade once you have saved the money for a better CPU. If you are able to get back 75% of the price of the i3, the future upgrade to i5 will then cost about 2200 pesos.

I should mention that financially this is not the very best way to go, it is like renting the i3 for 600 pesos so you can play games better until the i5 can be purchased. Some would say it would be better to save your money until the i5 plus a GPU could be purchased, but waiting can be hard.

 

[Burpo]

Get the best CPU you can afford now.. the rest as you need it..

 

[crashtech]

The i5-4460 has the HD 4600 graphics, but still, is that really up to any kind of gaming? I thought not, in any meaningful way.

 

[escrow4]

I'd step up to a 4690 at least. Via MCE that can run all cores in game @ 3.9GHz, the 4460 would hit 3.4GHz top. Seeing as neither can be overclocked an extra 500MHz in game would make a difference.

 

[flexy]

The issue is you want to build a system for gaming but want to wait 5-6 months for the GPU. You won't have too much gaming fun with a nice CPU *but without a GPU*.

If I were you I would buy a decent *second hand* bundle with a decent CPU, not the newest 4690k or 4790k but a second hand 4570k or 4770k which many people currently sell. (The difference to current 4670k or 4690k in terms of REAL performance is negligible. Also, for gaming you do NOT need an i7, an i5 would be more than sufficient).

And then look you get a used GPU also, I'd recommend a GTX 660 TI, GTX 770 TI etc. which you can also get cheap because so many are upgrading to 970 and 980. A decent (even "old" Haswell I5 or I7 and a GTX 660 TI is *more than* adequate to play everything for now, IMHO)

 

[tweakboy]

i3 is only 4 threads while the i5 is 8 threads.

In the future games will require lots of CPU horsepower But you can get away from it if you overclock that i5 , Just dont use AA , etc...,