Which? I5 or i7

[mogbat]

Just upgraded my graphics card to a gtx 660 windforce and now thinking about the CPU, I've got an alienware x51 that currently holds a i3 2120, so I'm looking at either an i5 3570 or i7 3770, which will I benefit more as my systems is mainly for games?

Mick

 

[RJC]

Stick with 3570 (K) version, but I would update the BIOS first to ensure the cpu will work, also see if they have a cpu support list.

 

[mogbat]

Will I notice much if I get the 3570 over my current i3

 

[Smoogels]

Will I notice much if I get the 3570 over my current i3

For some games it probually would not be massive. However, for demanding games such as Battlefield 3 I suspect 4 real cores would be a fair bit better than 2 real + 2 hyperthreads.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=701

 

[lee32uk]

Hope the power supply can cope ok with all these upgrades

 

[teenwolf]

for the games that use 4 cores you will notice the difference.

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

Get a 3570k, be sure to get the 3570k rather than the 3570 non-K as the former has an unlocked multiplier- allowing overclocking

 

[Reptile Guy]

3570K

 

[lee32uk]

@mogbat

How much will you have spent in total once you have upgraded the cpu ? Am I right in saying it's going to be over £700 ?

 

[Phil2008]

Will I notice much if I get the 3570 over my current i3

I was quite disappointed with the games boost comming from a intel core duo [email protected] to a 2500k [email protected]

 

[illuz]

Came from a 2gb DDR2, BFG 7950GT, E6750 @ 2.6ghz to my sig spec. Mind blowing difference!
You need a new case and some fans though, any space to fit a cooler in there too?

 

[Phil2008]

Came from a 2gb DDR2, BFG 7950GT, E6750 @ 2.6ghz to my sig spec. Mind blowing difference!
You need a new case and some fans though, any space to fit a cooler in there too?

Yeah if you upgrade your gpu at the same time game performance then will be a big hit. But I didnt upgrade my 6950 at the same time

 

[UKFX]

Just upgraded my graphics card to a gtx 660 windforce and now thinking about the CPU, I've got an alienware x51 that currently holds a i3 2120, so I'm looking at either an i5 3570 or i7 3770, which will I benefit more as my systems is mainly for games?

Mick

You will also see upwards of 20+ FPS over 2 cores with 4 on games like Far Cry 3, which is one of the first games to properly and equally utilize 4 cores on a CPU very well. i7 you don't need it. i5 is more than enough for gaming.