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CPU upgrade, I3 or I5?

N

n47h4n96

Member
Hello all,

I am going to upgrade my gaming computer's CPU, RAM and motherboard since I would like to game with high-ultra on Battlefield 3, Mantle-driven Battlefield 4 and GTA5 in 1080p.

I currently have an R9 270x powered with a 430Watt PSU. What CPU would YOU recommend for this build and why? My searches below:

I3-4130

I5-4440
 
i5 no contest for gaming, as games are using more threads a Quad core will see you further into the future.
 
Many thanks for your quick replies both "dave_the_nerd" and "Deders". I was originally going for an I5-4670K matched with a Z97 MPOWER motherboard since I enjoy overclocking, however being a Mantle user and also with only a 430Watt PSU, I could run the latest games up-to-date today on an I5-4440 and H*7/Z*7 motherboard for half the price. Would you agree?
 
For BF4 there is no question, 4 cores will be a big gain in multiplayer even with that GPU. An i3-2100 going to a 2500k is worth an average of 29% more frame rate with a decent GPU in a variety of games and up to 235% faster. Almost all games benefit from the additional cores on offer, three quarters of games have 22% or better performance improvement between these two CPUs (gamegpu.ru CPU data run with a 690 or 780 ti).

Since Mantle is in so few games I wouldn't rely on that having a significant impact. Getting an earlier model of motherboard instead of the Z97 if its cheaper might make sense if you don't care about the updates (USB3 ports, M2 slots etc). But if you get that i5 it wont overclock, you need to spend a bit more to get that feature.
 
Thank you very much for the reply "BrightCandle", I will keep away from overclocking for now since I do not have a overly big income of money, I feel I would need a good motherboard if I was to overclock a K-series CPU. I have found a Motherboard named "GIGABYTE H97-HD3" here is the link below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GIGABYTE-H9...mputers_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1P8EGW62WT61SA10J3NJ

Not a bad price at all and with the features I would like, this would make a good "balanced" system with 8GB DDR3, would you agree?
 
n47h4n96 said:
Many thanks for your quick replies both "dave_the_nerd" and "Deders". I was originally going for an I5-4670K matched with a Z97 MPOWER motherboard since I enjoy overclocking, however being a Mantle user and also with only a 430Watt PSU, I could run the latest games up-to-date today on an I5-4440 and H*7/Z*7 motherboard for half the price. Would you agree?
Click to expand...

I would say yes, I run today's games without issue with my oc'd i5-750.

If you are planning on keeping that GPU then you could easily go for a K series and overclock it without having to worry too much about your power limit. On the other hand it would be better if you used that money on a faster GPU.
 
I see what you mean there "Deders" the graphics card also houses some superb overclocking features since it is the MSI HAWK series model, I bought this purposely since I felt it would last me much longer with the overclocking potential.

I currently own a Pentium E5200 overclocked to 3.06GHz haha with 4GB DDR2 on a Gigabyte GA-G31m-ES2L. I can play Battlefield on low at 30-40FPS under Mantle, but I do feel I would enjoy more than a 2008 CPU going for £7.99 on eBay haha
 
Going for the i5 would be paramount for any new Battlefield games. Hell i made the recent switch from my i5 2500 non k to a i7 3770 and saw a fps boost there as well in BF4 but i run modest settings for maximum fps though.

Had a i3 2100 in BF3, ran fine but made the move to the i5 2500 non k and the saw a good boost there, follow the advice of the forums and skip the i3 all together.
 
The gains from an i5 to an i7 are much more modest on average, about 5% average and at most 22%. Hyperthreading definitely makes a difference but its not the same sorts of gains you see going from an i3 to an i5. The gains from an i7 to a 6 core i7 are equally moest, just 1% on average but at most its 67% faster, but in the grand majority of games its a wash.

What basically happens is not only do you get diminishing returns from each move but it also applies to less games as well. The i5 is todays sweet spot, the i3 is still better for its price/performance than any of the other options.
 
Great choise all the best for your build...

Sigs go in your signature space
-ViRGE
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'll tell you how badly I want an i5-4690. My budget is like this:

total $708 (Canadian dollars)
- $78 Internet
=$630
- $370 rent (small apartment)
= $260
- $17 telephone (prepaid monthly cost)
= $243
- $38 electricity (monthly summer, winter is $68/month)
= $205
- $55 food etc. (minimum I can spend when I go to the food bank)
= $150
- $60 credit card payment
= $90

If I have no emergencies (and don't do anything that cost money), I can save $90 a month (until the winter). Next month I get a $63 GST rebate check. So, $90 x 2 = $180 + $63 = $243. OK, I do have a bit of emergency money aside but that means in August, I can buy the i5-4690. (In the last few months, I bought an AsRock Fatal1ty H87 Performance motherboard and later 8GB Kinston 1866MHz RAM when I got birthday money. The H97 Performance mobo is now available.)

I want to buy a GTX 850Ti next year so I'll be able to play Unreal Tournament 2015 when it comes out. 🙂
 
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