cheap gaming CPU's, wich is best?

[pctweaks]

First, i'm all new to these forums and feel free to correct me if i inadvertently did something wrong.

Secondly, i'd like to know wich one of these four processors offers the best bang for about hundred (or a bit less) bucks:
AMD athlon II X3 445
AMD athlon II X4 640
AMD phenom II X2 555
Intel core i3 530

From what i've heard o read they are all great bang for the buck processors, now i'd like to know wich is really the best for FPSing, RTSing and MMORPGing, taking OC'ing into account offcourse.

 

[Sp12]

Throw out the AMD X2/X3. Niether are very compelling purchases unless you can get an unlock.

What's your budget?

 

[khon]

The i3-530 is the fastest gaming CPU out of the ones listed, while the X3 445 is the best value in the group.

 

[pctweaks]

550euro or 709$, but probably a bit less because taxes are quite high in the netherlands, i don't need an OS because i've got a win7 CD lyingaround somewhere, but i do need a screen wich will cost me another 180$, making it 680$ for the system.

 

[abbadaba]

I'll second khons opinion. the i3-530 is the fastest one you listed, its ~115 bucks. The X3 445 is the best buy under $100, should be about $85 I think.

I disagree with SP12, the X3 445 is a fine chip if you are on a very tight budget.

Whats the resolution on your screen? If its fairly high I would get the cheaper processor and the fastest graphics card you can fit into your budget.

 

[pctweaks]

what about the 555 BE? It looks like quite a fine gaming CPU, and i've read quite a few stories of people succesfully unlocking a third and even a fourth core on that one: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/119?vs=120

 

[Sp12]

IMO you should avoid building new with less than a quad, as games increasingly use 2, 3 or even all 4 cores. The 445 and 635 are in line in terms of price/performance, but I think the extra performance of the fourth core is worth it in terms of longevity.

If you can get an unlock on a 555 then it's an amazing price/performance purchase. If you can't, well, it's not.

The i3 overclocks very well, and has hyperthreading, which can make up for the loss of 2 cores.

 

[pctweaks]

ALso, i just found this: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
On wich the 640 is ranked quite high, for its price

 

[pctweaks]

Okay, so the 640 has longevity, the 555 is the best if you're lucky, the i3 is strongest, and the 445 is the best bang for your buck

 

[abbadaba]

ALso, i just found this: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
On wich the 640 is ranked quite high, for its price

I'd strongly suggest using the bench feature on this site instead of synthetic benchmarks like passmark.

Okay, so the 640 has longevity, the 555 is the best if you're lucky, the i3 is strongest, and the 445 is the best bang for your buck

Sounds about right.

 

[pctweaks]

okay, thanks guys, i'll probably take the 640 then, as it'll be some time before i can upgrade.

 

[Gikaseixas]

good luck with the AMD athlon II X4 640. Wise choice

 

[BD231]

88 Dollars for the Phenom II X3 740 @ newegg, best value IMO.

 

[nyker96]

stop double threading. you already got a thread on this topic!

 

[Markfw]

Locking, as, yes, this is a double post.