Bad CPU and Good GPU vs. Good CPU and Bad GPU?

[XoneRato]

Hey, i'm building a new gaming pc, and the 2 components left that i need to buy are: the cpu and the gpu. I've an Z170 Motherbard so i'm able to overclock. I looked for some options for my small budget. 1st option was to buy an i5-6600k (Because i can overclcok) and buy an GTX 950.
2nd option was to buy an i5-6500 (No Overclocking) and an GTX 960.
And the 3rd was to buy an i3 and a GTX 970.
I still need to buy a new monitor, that's why i've a small budget, so what do you guys think that is the best option for the future and money? Do you guys have any better option?

Thanks!

 

[CTurbo]

I would go with the middle option of i5 6500 + GTX960 as my first choice and the i3 + 970 as my second. I would not get the 6600k + 950 for sure.

 

[iRon_Man22]

^ I 2nd Turbo's solution, You do not want any less than 4 cores for gaming. But depending on where you live I would greatly consider buying a 970 with your i5 6500. I see new or barely used 970's on Craigslist for $200 or less everyday. That would only be like $40 more than the 960

 

[CTurbo]

I wouldn't pay more than about $220 for a GTX970, $150 for a GTX960, or $120 for a GTX950

 

[Karadjgne]

The i3 has hyperthreading, runs performance above the i5-6500 in single thread strong apps and right between the i5-6400 and i5-6500 in multiple threaded apps. Core count really doesn't apply to cpus only pushing avg 50-55% load at best. It's thread count and an i3 fields 4 threads at 3.7GHz. Even taking into account the lack of core bandwidth (which doesn't usually become an issue until @80% usage) the i3's faster core speed more than makes up for any shortcomings. It would pair up very nicely with a single 970.

If you decide that sli is in the future, you'd be better off with the 6500k, running igpu graphics until you can afford a 970 then running that until you can afford sli.

 

[XoneRato]

^ I 2nd Turbo's solution, You do not want any less than 4 cores for gaming. But depending on where you live I would greatly consider buying a 970 with your i5 6500. I see new or barely used 970's on Craigslist for $200 or less everyday. That would only be like $40 more than the 960

Where i live (portugal) an gtx 970 costs 330$ :\

 

[XoneRato]

I would go with the middle option of i5 6500 + GTX960 as my first choice and the i3 + 970 as my second. I would not get the 6600k + 950 for sure.

Not the 6600k? So i guess OC is not too important for gaming?

 

[CTurbo]

No OC is not important for gaming.

 

[XoneRato]

No OC is not important for gaming.

Thanks! You just saved my money

 

[Karadjgne]

OC for newer generation isn't really anything more than a hobby. Some few games like GTA:V are very heavy on thread performance, so there clock speeds help, but the vast majority of games, it doesn't make more than a few fps difference. This only really applies to single gpus at 1080p. At 4k with SLI 1070's, yes, the added power is a bonus

 

[XoneRato]

OC for newer generation isn't really anything more than a hobby. Some few games like GTA:V are very heavy on thread performance, so there clock speeds help, but the vast majority of games, it doesn't make more than a few fps difference. This only really applies to single gpus at 1080p. At 4k with SLI 1070's, yes, the added power is a bonus

Thank you for the clarification!