Advice on Gaming Rig

[tobats120]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently planning on upgrading from my current setup which is:

AMD 64 2500+ 2.7ghz
ECS mcp61p-avl
kingston 2gb ddr2 800
ASUS GTX560ti OC DCII
FSP 600W PSU

I will retain my PSU and GPU and replace my board, proc and RAM My choice would be:

1st build:

Intel Core i5-3450
Asus P8Z77-M Pro
RipJaws 8gb 1600 (12800CL9D)

2nd:

Intel Core i5-2500K
Asus P8Z68-M Pro
RipJaws 8gb 1600 (12800CL9D)

3rd:

Intel Core i5-3570K
Asus P8Z77-M Pro
RipJaws 8gb 1600 (12800CL9D)

My current dilemma is still the battle over ivy bridge and sandy bride and to overclock or not.

Basically the first build is my budget build which costs ~ $432.

Next build would be sandy vs ivy build which will set me ~ $460 & $490 respectively.

Hope you can help me see the pros and cons of the build.

Thanks!

 

[diellur]

When talking about Ivy v Sandy, Ivy is the more up-to-date architecture but the improvements are generally on the integrated GPU side. They will be slightly better than Sandy for processing, but not a step change...for gaming, you'll not notice the difference, practically speaking.

For overclocking, you add longevity to your system as you can push the CPU harder instead of upgrading to a newer one. It can lead to component failure as you're pushing it harder but CPUs are robust. Just make sure you have good cooling. Due to the 22nm architecture on the 3570K, the temps that it will be at when overclocking will be greater than they would be on the 2500K at the same frequency, which could over time translate to a quicker wear out with Ivy v Sandy. However, you're probably talking 7 years v 7.5 years, which isn't going to bother you if you replace after 5 years.

The 1st build can't be overclocked as it doesn't have an unlocked multiplier like the other two builds you put up, so if you're interested in OCing, don't go for this build.

The 2nd and 3rd builds are good for gaming systems. It just depends on what CPU you want...both are good and both will last a good while. I'd go so far as to say Ivy won't necessarily last longer than Sandy as a gaming CPU despite being a year younger, as from the processing side they're reasonably similar.

 

[tobats120]

Well first the question is for casual gaming not an enthusiast, is there really a need to spend extra bucks for OC?

 

[diellur]

Well first the question is for casual gaming not an enthusiast, is there really a need to spend extra bucks for OC?

Then you should really have stated that upfront, instead of listing two overclockable CPUs as build options, no?

Fill this in in the New Build section of the forum: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/261222-13-build-advice

We'll get back to you.

 

[tobats120]

Best answer selected by tobats120.