What CPU for my new build for gaming ?

nightrider1470 · 29 May 2011 at 18:48

Looking to build a ganing PC for gaming only. Dont want to be spending loads on a top of the range one when am not going to use it

Any come to mind ?, looking for quad core and overclock

TheCheeseMonger · 29 May 2011 at 18:52

On a budget I'd point you towards either:

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 965 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.40GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail - £104.99

or for a £15 less...

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail - £89.99

Fantastic prices for performance.

nightrider1470 · 29 May 2011 at 19:02

Thank you

Do they compete with the older i5 CPU"s clock for clock ?

TheCheeseMonger · 29 May 2011 at 19:56

I think this hierarchy gaming cpu table will help you out to see intel vs amd. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-gaming-cpu,review-32195-5.html

The AMD processors recommended in my previous post are in my opinion your best bet when compared with the older i5's. I hear that the 955 version is unlocked if your into over-clocking.

Randomface74 · 29 May 2011 at 19:57

2500K

DragonQ · 29 May 2011 at 20:08

There's essentially 3 sensible price points right now:

1) Athlon II X4 640 (~£70)
2) Phenom II X4 955BE or Core i3-2320 (~£100)
3) Core i5-2500K (~£170)

HangTime · 30 May 2011 at 20:25

If I was buying today I'd get a 2500K, although it is somewhat disappointing to see that the price hasn't fallen since launch.

If budget is a big issue then you'll be better off saving on the cpu rather than the gpu. e.g. a £170 graphics card paired with a £100 cpu will be a lot better than a £100 graphics card paired with a £170 cpu.

panyan · 30 May 2011 at 20:45

HangTime said:
If I was buying today I'd get a 2500K, although it is somewhat disappointing to see that the price hasn't fallen since launch.

+1

Nightglow · 30 May 2011 at 20:52

logi-cat · 30 May 2011 at 22:57

Easy choice is the 2500K

andy_mk3 · 30 May 2011 at 22:59

HangTime said:
If I was buying today I'd get a 2500K, although it is somewhat disappointing to see that the price hasn't fallen since launch.

+1

Although people are paying the price for it so it wont drop much while they're raking it in

JulioH · 30 May 2011 at 23:12

andy_mk3 said:
+1

Although people are paying the price for it so it wont drop much while they're raking it in

It's worth every penny

easyrider · 30 May 2011 at 23:13

TheCheeseMonger said:
On a budget I'd point you towards either:

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 965 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.40GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail - £104.99

or for a £15 less...

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail - £89.99

Fantastic prices for performance.

why?

=XDC=FluphyBunny · 31 May 2011 at 10:34

Really need a budget but for the price a i5 2500k (as mentioned once or twice) is a lot of CPU for the money

TheCheeseMonger · 31 May 2011 at 10:40

Don't let the AMD 955 or 965 be suppressed by the Intel fanatics!...

The AMD cpus mentioned before runs everything on highest.

If the i5 matched or came very close to matching I'd definitely say go for it... otherwise get the AMD cpu with an AM3+ ready motherboard and prepare for bulldozer!

zxh800 · 31 May 2011 at 11:44

TheCheeseMonger said:
Don't let the AMD 955 or 965 be suppressed by the Intel fanatics!...

The AMD cpus mentioned before runs everything on highest.

If the i5 matched or came very close to matching I'd definitely say go for it... otherwise get the AMD cpu with an AM3+ ready motherboard and prepare for bulldozer!

But doesn't the i3 2100 beat both those Phenoms in gaming benchmarks?

Source

trisp · 31 May 2011 at 11:56

billysielu said:
2500K

This^^ as a decent 2500k setup only sets you back around 300 pounds ish

DragonQ · 31 May 2011 at 11:58

zxh800 said:
But doesn't the i3 2100 beat both those Phenoms in gaming benchmarks?

Source

955BE can be overclocked and I believe at ~3.8GHz it matches or just beats the i3-2100. Assuming you get an AM3+ compatible motherboard, you'll be able to upgrade to a better CPU in the future either way so it's kind of a toss-up.

opethdisciple · 31 May 2011 at 12:19

trisp said:
This^^ as a decent 2500k setup only sets you back around 300 pounds ish

Show me...

panyan · 31 May 2011 at 12:34

opethdisciple said:
Show me...

dont be obtuse - he means a 2500K based system, not the whole rig!

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £167.99

MSI P67A-C45 Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** £89.98

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C7 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3P1333LV4GK) £29.99

Total : £299.35