Balancing CPU & GPU

[haidergill]

Hi,

I'm looking at putting together a system. The main uses will be gaming. Looking to play Supreme Commander 1 & 2, Call of Duty SP-OPS/MW3, Dirt 3, Deus EX Human Revolution and other new games. Having difficulty in assessing CPU and GPU balance. On the GPU front MSI Hawk AMD 7870 2048 MB. Obviously you can only balance in general terms to cover most situations. I'm looking at Intel Core i3-3240 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) or Intel Core i5-3330 3.00GHz (Ivybridge). Would of these would create a 'good' balance between CPU and GPU?


Thanks
Haider

 

[azathoth]

Supreme commander can be VERY cpu intensive when the battles get going, and MANY modern games utilize four cores now days.

I would recommend you get even the cheaest ivy bridge quad core you can, and stick with that GPU.

 

[haidergill]

Hmmm with one-eye to the future and my penchant for stratergy games do you think it may be more advisable Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge). I have seen an overclocked pre-bulit bundle at £300 leaving £200-£250 for the GPU: -

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz @ 4.00GHz Sandybridge CPU
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68
RAM: TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel
Cooler: Prolimatech Lynx CPU Cooler


Would the MSI Hawk be a good match or a weak link?


Thanks
Haider