AM3 or 1155 for a cheapo 1080p Gaming PC

[almoststew1990]

I have recently got a 55" TV in the lounge. Having a big screen has made me interested in setting up a cheapo 1080p gaming system in the lounge, especially as I have half the components already.

MATX Case
650Watt Modular Bitfenix Whisper PSU
Various DDR3 hanging around
R9 380 (two slots) or Nvidia GRX 645 (Single slot)
AM3 and 1155 120mm cooler.

I'm looking at motherboard and CPU prices on eBay and I can get a fairly basic motherboard for either AM3 or 1155 for about £30.

1155 locked i5s are around £30, a bit more for a 35xx ivy and a bit less for a sandy. Phenom II x4 94/55 are about £35.

Which platform would you go for?

 

[pooley]

1155 all day..

 

[Wommers]

I guess it depends on the games you'd want to play - if it's mostly older stuff and a bit of emulation here and there then the locked i5 is the best bet. If you want to play more demanding AAA stuff (even at 1080p) then a locked i5 with 4 threads might not be enough for the latest and greatest to keep a 1080/60 lock. The latest games such as the Assassin's Creed games, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Forza etc are starting to require more cores otherwise you will encounter 100% CPU utilisation/dropped frames quite frequently. If this doesn't bother you then go right ahead.

The other alternative if you don't mind binning the DDR3 is to spend a little more on a basic B350 mobo and get a ryzen 1200 with the option of an upgrade to the latter Ryzen chips as they release. At least you are not then investing £60 into a dead system.

 

[sandys]

I was just about to say he could go low end AM4 on newer hardware with more scope for future.

 

[davida76]

If money is tight and you're set on 1155 get a hyperthreaded xeon in there. Got to say I've been ploughing through metro exodus with an rx 580 and i5 3470 combo and I'm yet to see 100% cpu, can't testify for other games but as pointed out above the latest ass creed game is an absolute dog to run. Also def go for the 380 if it's reasonable, that gtx 645 is horrific.

 

[Bacon?]

I'm running an overclocked 3570k and at 1080p I'm hitting 100% cpu usage on most modern titles with fps dropping sub 60 occasionally. If you can stretch for something with more than 4 cores / threads you'll see a definitive improvement when playing more modern titles especially as time progresses unless you planning on pairing it with a fairly low end gpu

 

[Panos]

I have recently got a 55" TV in the lounge. Having a big screen has made me interested in setting up a cheapo 1080p gaming system in the lounge, especially as I have half the components already.

MATX Case
650Watt Modular Bitfenix Whisper PSU
Various DDR3 hanging around
R9 380 (two slots) or Nvidia GRX 645 (Single slot)
AM3 and 1155 120mm cooler.

I'm looking at motherboard and CPU prices on eBay and I can get a fairly basic motherboard for either AM3 or 1155 for about £30.

1155 locked i5s are around £30, a bit more for a 35xx ivy and a bit less for a sandy. Phenom II x4 94/55 are about £35.

Which platform would you go for?

None preferably. Get a console better value for money given your stuff and budget.

 

[humbug]

Out of that:

R9 380, not a bad card, similar performance to a current GTX 1050TI. https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_1050_Gaming_X/27.html
GTX 645 is junk

1155 is better than AM3. but i5 CPU minimum. get the 35## if possible.

 

[Beren]

Definitely go intel over the AM3. You could then squeeze in an i7 for the extra threads later to get some extra life out of it.

I really enjoy having the PC on the TV, great for music and entertainment as well as gaming.

Obviously if you can find the money for some DDR 4 and an AM4 it gives you a massively better system and upgrade path, but if you are looking to get into lounge gaming especially indie steam games which are a blast in the living room on the smallest budget... Go for it.