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Which Cpu for low res gaming?

B

Bman123

Diamond Member
I am trying to build a new pc but I am lost on the cpu part. I dont want to spend a ton of cash on this tower. It will be used for netflix, hulu streaming and gaming hooked up full time to a 32inch 720p lcd hdtv. I am trying to ditch the 360 and come back to pc gaming to take advantage of the steam sales since console games stay expensive for what seems like forever.

I will mainly play call of duty ( dont know if mw3 is gonna be good if not then cod4)
fallout 3, fo new vegas, and pick up whatever cheap games catch my eye on steam.
With the res being so low I am kinda lost on what cpu to get.

What cpu do you suggest? I am on a budget guys, I dont have a set amount but the cheaper the better thats for sure. I do have a local microcenter so I can take advantage of the get a free mobo deal they always have with amd cpu's. I just dont know what route I should go here.
 
I imagine intel is gonna be alot more proficient at the same clock speed then amd but at the same time be alot more money. And with the free mobo deals from microcenter I dont think a amd cpu would overclock good unless I get a black edition. I am just so lost right now and dont want to waste money buying something that is totally overkill and overpriced or buy something that is a waste of money.
 
I have to build a whole new tower, buy a new mouse and keyboard too since I am giving my current rig in sig to my 6year old so she can watch netflix and play her girly games in her room and stay off my living room tv. Thats why I said the cheaper the better here. Bad enough I am already trying to piece together everything else like the HDD, dvd drive, case, power supply and video card haha
 
I3-2100 is the easy recomendation

I also wouldn't be afraid of an AMD PII x4 955 (or better) roughly equal in price, depending on what you can get on a deal
 
See the thing I dont know about tho is this. At this low res isnt overall cpu speed going to be a big factor in performance? Also wouldnt it be wise to get a quad core
 
BF3 Alpha showed that, even at low res and low settings, you need a Quad Core. Now I'm aware that you didn't list BF3 and that Call of Duty is fine on dual-cores, it is something to keep in mind for the future. So a PhII X4 955 wouldn't be a bad idea. In dual-core optimized games it will be slower than an I3-2100, but not drastically enough to cause you to be unable to game. And in future games that are Quad Core like BF3 Alpha was - then the 2100 is virtually unplayable and way slower than the 955. Seems like a safer choice to select a quad core so that you aren't in trouble in the future.
 
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Now a 2100 is faster than a 530, undoubtedly. It's hard to gauge how much exactly, but according to AnandTech Bench, it ranges from 15% to 50% faster in games.

So if the Alpha is indicative of the final product, than at best add 50% to the i5 530 in that benchmark and it's still virtually unplayable considering that is only 640x480 Low Quality and on a beastly GTX 580. But hopefully the real thing has better performance on dual-cores.

If this is a sign of things to come... then even if you don't play BF3 it is something to be wary of in the future. AAT Bench shows the i3-2100 beating the PhII 940 by anywhere from 4-22% in games. Even if you add 50% to the i5 530 in that BF3 benchmark, the 940 destroys it. Again, that's why I call the 940 the safer option for the future.

But if he doesn't care about BF3, another option is to get the i5 2100 now, enjoy the slightly-to-moderately better performance now, and get a 2500 or better in the future when the 2100 doesn't cut it in games he plays.
 
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I3 2100 has hyperthreading and seems to scale well at least in Deus Ex (according to tom's) can't speak to BF3


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but again I don't think you could go wrong with a PII x4 either
 
Kingbee13 said:
I3 2100 has hyperthreading and seems to scale well at least in Deus Ex (according to tom's) can't speak to BF3


but again I don't think you could go wrong with a PII x4 either
Click to expand...


Hyper Threading cannot be compared to real cores. Yes it gives 10-20% boost (On an i7, not sure how much on the i3), but it can't come close to doubling the performance in well threaded applications/games.

But I second the Phenom II route. I got mine for $130 with free shipping. And it may be slower than an i5-2500, but it cost me a whole lot less. I doubt you will be disappointed with it.
 
you are talking about a game that's unreleased, i think just wait til release then u can tell which hardware combo will work well for this game. otherwise it's just guessing game and many times u guess wrong.
 
Im not buying bf3 but these charts show the difference between dual and quad very well. Idk why everyone started talking about bf3 anyways. I have a local microcenter so I get a free mobo with a amd cpu.
 
Bman123 said:
Im not buying bf3 but these charts show the difference between dual and quad very well. Idk why everyone started talking about bf3 anyways. I have a local microcenter so I get a free mobo with a amd cpu.
Click to expand...

Looking at microcenter website they have 2500K for 180$ which is amazing price.
 
I like the Intel® Core™ i3-2105 as it will give you the Intel HD 3000 Graphics and a H67 or Z68 board and should allow you to upgrade in the future if you want.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team
 
Bman123 said:
Im not buying bf3 but these charts show the difference between dual and quad very well. Idk why everyone started talking about bf3 anyways. I have a local microcenter so I get a free mobo with a amd cpu.
Click to expand...

BF3 is the latest and greatest thing in PC gaming. Every system even from ultra low budget gets the BF3 spec check.
 
The older i3-530 was mediocre and should not be compare with the i3-2100.
I have the i3-2100 and a c2 q9550.
The Q9550 is definitely snappier but i3-2100 is ok so far. I'm still in the middle of the build (finished initial win7 install last night on a z68 but the 500gb drive I used is little long in the tooth).

I built for the same purpose.
Media center hooked up to 46 LCD (@ 1080p) that will be running XBMC and all sorts of addons and it will be used for general gaming (Portal, Portal 2, Call of Duty, console emulators etc- The q9550 is being used for beefier titles)

I have it plugged into a Z68 board and will initially use it with an old HD4830 I have lying around (along with the hd2000)
 
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