What is the best processor for a gaming pc?
- Thread starter severio
- Start date
That's the million dollar question........AMD or INTEL.
I was intel in the early 90s, then through most of 2000's i was AMD, now i'm back to Intel......for me when building a PC its all down to bang for MY buck....this time it was Intel and their SB i cores.
What's your budget?
I was intel in the early 90s, then through most of 2000's i was AMD, now i'm back to Intel......for me when building a PC its all down to bang for MY buck....this time it was Intel and their SB i cores.
What's your budget?
I don't think the CPU brand is what you have to worry about. Just go for a reasonably fast quad-core. If you go Intel, pick up an i5. If you have the money, go for an i7.
If you go AMD, Athlon II X4s are decent, but spring for an Opteron if you have the dough.
These days, the CPU isn't as big a deal as your video card, so don't feel bad about shaving a few bucks off the CPU to get a better GPU instead.
If you go AMD, Athlon II X4s are decent, but spring for an Opteron if you have the dough.
These days, the CPU isn't as big a deal as your video card, so don't feel bad about shaving a few bucks off the CPU to get a better GPU instead.
yeah, backing up Robert on saying the i5 or i7...
whatever you're doing, back up the processor with some fast RAM, at least 8gb and make sure you're running a x64 system to make the most of it...
if you're looking for gaming as well, then the graphics card is just as important as the processor... you'll want a good card with at least 1gb of DDR dedicated graphics memory, preferably 2 of them running in an SLI config to maximize your graphics setup...
so to top it up, i'd recommend a full SSD hard drive for your main boot system... just for the main speed and drive time... you'll be booting and loading files in miliseconds on an SSD, you'll really notice the difference
M
whatever you're doing, back up the processor with some fast RAM, at least 8gb and make sure you're running a x64 system to make the most of it...
if you're looking for gaming as well, then the graphics card is just as important as the processor... you'll want a good card with at least 1gb of DDR dedicated graphics memory, preferably 2 of them running in an SLI config to maximize your graphics setup...
so to top it up, i'd recommend a full SSD hard drive for your main boot system... just for the main speed and drive time... you'll be booting and loading files in miliseconds on an SSD, you'll really notice the difference
M
The Intel i7 2600K performs like hell in games.
The Intel i7 2600 is a monster, and won't break the bank.
I highly recommend it!
I highly recommend it!
What is your budget for a whole rig?
"Hardcore"? Well, if you're hard core, you wouldn't settle for anything less than an i7 2600K or 2700K Sandy Bridge, to go along with the dual GPUs in your $2000 battlestation. If you want a machine that can run any game very well, an i5 2500K for $75-100 less will do very nicely. Coupled with something like a 120GB SSD and a Nvidia GTX560 or Radeon 68XX series you'll be able to smoothly run almost any game at max or close to max settings for under a grand.
I really wouldn't bother with AMD processors right now. They're cheaper, but they don't really hold the bang for your buck title like they used to. Basically, you get what you pay for. If price is your only real consideration, they might be worth a look.
I really wouldn't bother with AMD processors right now. They're cheaper, but they don't really hold the bang for your buck title like they used to. Basically, you get what you pay for. If price is your only real consideration, they might be worth a look.
Yeah, its too bad about AMD. In some benchmarks, their new Bulldozer CPUs are actually slower than their previous Phenom II X4's.
I had previously used nothing but AMD cpus for my gaming pc's, but for my most recent upgrade I bought my first ever Intel chip, an i5 2400k.
I built a gaming rig recently, with a 560GTX for graphics, 4GB ram, and only an Intel i3 2100 for processor. I was expecting the processor to hold me back, being at the `low end` of Intel's range. I was planning to maybe upgrade later. But actually, the system has run absolutely everything I've thrown at it at the highest possible settings. That includes Skyrim, Witcher 2, Crysis, and so on. The only demanding game that I haven't tried ( off the top of my head ) is BF3.
My 2 cents: I don't think people really need as powerful CPU's (or as many cores) as they think. Better off spending more money on the Graphics card.
Also, I suspect the `low end` of Intel's range may be on a par with the `high end` of AMD's.
My 2 cents: I don't think people really need as powerful CPU's (or as many cores) as they think. Better off spending more money on the Graphics card.
Also, I suspect the `low end` of Intel's range may be on a par with the `high end` of AMD's.
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AnitaMegan
Guest
I recommend Intel Core i7-990X, its CPU speed is 3.46GHz. You can play any games without any troubles if you get this.
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Amaris
Guest
Definitely look toward the 'i' series of Intel processors. I'm an AMD fan to the core (heh) but their current line just don't really up the game like they used to. For now, Intel's the way to go.
