Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: January 2012

[Eggz]

Because not everyone lives near a Microcenter. That $200 is in store only.

:/

Plus tax . . . plus gas

Yea, when I go, I make a day of it, and do other things, unless it is an emergency repair type of trip.

Right? It's kind of a cluster F#*$, isn't it? I mean, I love being able to see and touch everything all in one place, especially because a lot of the core components are priced so well. But sometimes, it''s just work it to pay more for an e-tailer. You can usually get parts from Amazon or Newegg without tax or shipping, and that helps equalize the costs, especially considering that you don't have to kill a day on a Micro Center trip.

 

[logainofhades]

Microcenter is about an hr and half away from me. I usually go there, then make the 15min trip from there to Cabelas, and maybe also a trip to Bass pro, which is only about 10-15mins from there. :lol:

 

[CptBarbossa]

Microcenter is a 15min drive for me..... i find myself not having the patience to wait for shipping when microcenter has something I really want but can get cheaper online.....

 

[Eggz]

Microcenter is a 15min drive for me..... i find myself not having the patience to wait for shipping when microcenter has something I really want but can get cheaper online.....

I'd probably do the same if I live THAT close, but it's about 35 min on the subway from me. That turns into a couple hours once you factor in the shopping, and Amazon delivers to my apartment in just a couple hours for free. So its actually the reverse. I'd rather just order for slightly more more (except CPUs) to free up those hours for doing something else.

 

[Perk5]

I have a old laptop and want to build a new pc urgently. I know broadwell is about to be on for sale by june end. But please clarify that can only DDR3L memory be used in it, and not normal ddr3 memory.
And if this is really the case , please also tell which is best ddr3l memory for broadwell.
This is the computer I am building -
asrock extreme6
broadwell CORE i7-5775c
memory - ?
hdd - maybe seagate ST4000DM000

I NEED TOTAL 16GB (2x8GB and can pay for a quite better memory if performance is quite more at a moderately more price.
Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[logainofhades]

Broadwell isn't worth the extra cost vs Haswell.

 

[RedJaron]

Broadwell isn't worth the extra cost vs Haswell.

Not if you already have a Haswell. Coming from an older platform, though, Broadwell does have a few things a user might want more.

 

[de5_Roy]

Not if you already have a Haswell. Coming from an older platform, though, Broadwell does have a few things a user might want more.

desktop broadwell is dead end. it's the "upgrade" lineup of haswell/refresh and skylake will be incompatibly with a bdw platform. that's not the worst part for a new bdw build. that, is if someone uses DDR3L mobo, s/he may be s.o.l. if vendor(s) stops supporting upgrades and/or desktop ram kits run out of stock. i am saying this because the last time i checked newegg, it had no standard dual channel kits, all were so-dimms. i checked just now, only dt kits are from mushkin. DDR4 anf DDR3L aren't compatible.
or may be something like this and hope for the best:
http://wccftech.com/gigabyte-biostar-z170-motherboards-shown-preproduction-samples-featuring-ddr4ddr3l-combo-support/
edit2: that's for skylake, not has/broad.

 

[RedJaron]

Right, but Haswell is also a dead end. Skylake will have a new socket. If you're coming from an old platform and building a completely new system, you can make a full BW system with no problem. For a power user desktop, no, BW isn't the best way. For electricity conscious users, or HTPCs that can do moderate gaming, it's a viable option though. Are there other alternatives? Sure. Blanket statements saying BW is never worth it over HW aren't true, though.

The question is whether you have to have official DDR3L or just any DDR3 1.35V modules ( not sure if those are one and the same. )

 

[de5_Roy]

Blanket statements saying BW is never worth it over HW aren't true, though.

not a blanket statement. from memory and motherboard compatibility and upgradability standpoint, BDW isn't worth buying. moreover, the flagship dt bdw i7 5775c underperforms the flagship i7 4790k (thanks to it's factory o.c.) and costs more due to the EDRAM and iGPU. the guy who asked the question (Perk5) is building a dt pc with an atx mobo and core i7 cpu. for his purposes either a xeon e3 12xx v3 (1230/31/45) or an i7 4790k will be better options. those cost less than i7 5775c (can't find a retail sku on newegg) and will house standard dual channel DDR3 memory without much fuss.

if RAM is of primary consideration then i'd suggest haswell-e and a high capacity DDR4 quad channel kit.

The question is whether you have to have official DDR3L or just any DDR3 1.35V modules ( not sure if those are one and the same. )

both will run on the same slot. DDR3L only has lower voltage.
turns out TH review used a standard DDR3 kit and ran fine. however, if the mobo is known to be fussy ... i wonder why TH didn't use a certain people's fave brand for the testing...

 

[CROOKID]

So that solidifies it. Not waiting for Skylake. I7-5930K here I come!

Gaming and video editing will be a breeze. GTX989TI already on deck waiting for his new rig.

 

[logainofhades]

Save some cash and go with a 5820k, unless you plan on running 3x GTX 980TI.

 

[RedJaron]

not a blanket statement. from memory and motherboard compatibility and upgradability standpoint, BDW isn't worth buying.

Ok, I'm not enjoying nitpicking, but that itself is another blanket statement. The one I was first replying to was Logain. Now I agree that in most cases the Haswell chip is the better candidate, but I don't agree that a BW chip is never worth buying. Intel Ark has the i5-5000 chips listed about $250. If you're budgeting that on a CPU and GPU, that only leaves $60 left over for a GPU if you opt for something like an i5-4460. If you're lucky you can find a GT 730 about there, but does a 730 outperform Iris Pro 6200? Maybe you're going for a tiny case and don't want to squish in a dGPU.

I'm not saying BW is a common choice, but you do have a few corner cases where it makes sense.

moreover, the flagship dt bdw i7 5775c underperforms the flagship i7 4790k (thanks to it's factory o.c.) and costs more due to the EDRAM and iGPU.

Absolutely, and I haven't said it's the proper choice for someone doing significant number crunching.

the guy who asked the question (Perk5) is building a dt pc with an atx mobo and core i7 cpu. for his purposes either a xeon e3 12xx v3 (1230/31/45) or an i7 4790k will be better options. those cost less than i7 5775c (can't find a retail sku on newegg) and will house standard dual channel DDR3 memory without much fuss.

Right, I wasn't responding to Perk, it was Logain as I said above.

I don't think you'll find BW on Newegg yet. I can't find them on Amazon either. Seems like the chips are officially launched but not yet available in channel

both will run on the same slot. DDR3L only has lower voltage.

DDR3L official voltage is 1.35V, so it's not lower. DDR3U is 1.25V, so maybe you're thinking of that. I'm just wondering if there's any reason a 1.35V regular DDR3 module wouldn't run in an official DDR3L board, like if the mboard can detect it's not official DDR3L and refuse to boot.

turns out TH review used a standard DDR3 kit and ran fine.

I was already aware of that, but thanks.

 

[Perk5]

The old compuer is not haswell, its very old even. so please tell me (as its still not clear that I can use asrockextreme6 mobo and Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 Memory Kit (CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10) (two 8gb stick so total 16gb) - with broadwell i7, and their will be no problem with this mobo taking this ddr3 memory (as its not a ddr3l memory). please tell with your replies.

 

[Perk5]

i meant to say in my earlier comment - no problem with this mobo taking this ddr3 memory with the cpu being broadwell i7 and not haswell.

 

[RedJaron]

The Broadwell chips have a much beefier integrated GPU compared to Haswell. And they have some minor efficiency improvements. But they're also more expensive and clocked slower than the normal Haswell chips. The slower clock isn't noticeable in most things. The extra money you pay is for the iGPU. However, that's a waste of cash if you're getting a discrete GPU. In short, Broadwell may fit the bill nicely if you want to make a home theater PC or a console replacement for light or moderate gaming in your living room on your TV and you can't or don't want to use a dGPU. However, for most traditional desktop uses, Haswell is almost always the way to go.

The question between Haswell and Haswell-E greatly depends on your budget and what you want to use it for. If you want some detailed advice, I'd recommend you start a new thread in the Home Build section. Don't forget your budget, country you're buying in, and a list of what you want to use the computer for.

 

[CROOKID]

Save some cash and go with a 5820k, unless you plan on running 3x GTX 980TI.

No thanks. The extra cores will be a tremendous help in video editing, streaming and allow me to run two GPUs as 16/16 with a PCIe NVME SSD (Intel 750). I need the 40 lanes the 5930K gives me.

 

[AJammy]

The fastest of the new Core i5 processors, the Core i5-4690K, is my absolute favorite. It’s a quad-core model that runs at 3.5 GHz, with a Turbo Mode frequency of 3.9 GHz.

 

[logainofhades]

Save some cash and go with a 5820k, unless you plan on running 3x GTX 980TI.

No thanks. The extra cores will be a tremendous help in video editing, streaming and allow me to run two GPUs as 16/16 with a PCIe NVME SSD (Intel 750). I need the 40 lanes the 5930K gives me.

The core count is the same between the 5820k, and the 5930k. Only major difference is the PCI-E lanes. 2x16 is not going to perform any different, really, than 2x8, with any current GPU.

 

[RedJaron]

The core count is the same between the 5820k, and the 5930k. Only major difference is the PCI-E lanes. 2x16 is not going to perform any different, really, than 2x8, with any current GPU.

Not to mention how much you'll need to spend on a board that properly splits and utilizes the 40 lanes without crippling other features, as opposed to one that can work well with just 28.

 

[CROOKID]

The core count is the same between the 5820k, and the 5930k. Only major difference is the PCI-E lanes. 2x16 is not going to perform any different, really, than 2x8, with any current GPU.

Not to mention how much you'll need to spend on a board that properly splits and utilizes the 40 lanes without crippling other features, as opposed to one that can work well with just 28.

Pretty sure the MSI board is around the same as Asus's x99-A and Sabertooth and utilizes all lanes without M.2 shutting off a lane.

However, even the newer x99 Asus boards utilize the lanes properly for SLI and still allow for one x8 (or two x4) while allowing those GFX cards to run 16/16.

Nevertheless, I may dial down to the 5820K since running SLI at 8/8 doesn't cause any performance differences.

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[boymatmat]

ok i don't get it should i get an i5-i7 now or wait? for gaming

 

[CROOKID]

ok i don't get it should i get an i5-i7 now or wait? for gaming

Most people don't recommend needing the extra cores in the 5820K to justify the purchase for solely gaming. However, if you plan on doing anything else such as video editing, the extra cores and hyper threading should go a long way.

That's the general census at the moment.

 

[Batfarve]

Do you have corresponding MoBos for these picks? I really like the 4590 for my first build, but don't know what to pick for a MoBo. Any suggestions?

 

[Eggz]

Do you have corresponding MoBos for these picks? I really like the 4590 for my first build, but don't know what to pick for a MoBo. Any suggestions?

Here --> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-intel-amd-motherboard,3902.html