gtx 970 i3 4170

[ItsTheMurph]

How would the gtx 970 work paired with the i3 4170? Would it bottleneck at all?

Would i be better off going with gtx 960 + i5 4460, or gtx 970 + i3 4170? I can only afford one or the other becasue im on a strict budget becasue of college, otherwise i would get the i5 with the Gtx 970

 

[DonkeyOatie]

There are some multi-threaded CPU intensive games where the CPU will be the limiting factor, especially if you have multiple windows/tasks running as well.

What are you thinking of running on it? Later CPU upgrade is easier and cheaper than GPU upgrade. OTOH, GPUs have a significantly shorter effective life. Do you think you could sell the GTX 960 on in a year's time?

 

[b1kshad0w]

I'd get the I3/970 if you're mainly gaming.

 

[ToxicFantom]

Neither. Get an FX+8320 chip on sale and overclock the hell out of it.

 

[ItsTheMurph]

There are some multi-threaded CPU intensive games where the CPU will be the limiting factor, especially if you have multiple windows/tasks running as well.

What are you thinking of running on it? Later CPU upgrade is easier and cheaper than GPU upgrade. OTOH, GPUs have a significantly shorter effective life. Do you think you could sell the GTX 960 on in a year's time?

The most I would have running on the i3/Gtx 970 would be steam, the game, and maybe skype.

This PC is mainly for gaming, and occasionally browsing the web/homework.

I'm just worried the I3 Gtx 970 wouldn't be able to run games like witcher/skyim modded on ultra.

 

[spentshells]

1 vote for a gpu heavy pc vs a cpu heavy pc. Gaming performance will be better on the i3 with a 970 vs the i5 and a 960.
But you are in position where the upgrade will be easy in either direction. Are you the type to beat games or play online?

if online gaming is going to be the main focus then maybe the i5 is a better choice.


If you want to beat the games you own with full settings @ 1080P i3 and 970 is a better option.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Neither. Get an FX+8320 chip on sale and overclock the hell out of it.

That isn't a cheaper alternative when you allow for the CPU cooler, motherboard and power supply upgrade. Possible extra case fans too.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $238.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-05 20:52 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $233.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-05 20:54 EDT-0400

Turns out that there is a cheap, good PSU at the moments, so that is not an issue.

 

[ItsTheMurph]

1 vote for a gpu heavy pc vs a cpu heavy pc. Gaming performance will be better on the i3 with a 970 vs the i5 and a 960.
But you are in position where the upgrade will be easy in either direction. Are you the type to beat games or play online?

if online gaming is going to be the main focus then maybe the i5 is a better choice.


If you want to beat the games you own with full settings @ 1080P i3 and 970 is a better option.

My apologize for all the different questions in one thread lol.

I plan to upgrade the GPU or CPU summer of next year.

I do plan to play online, would the EVGA GTX 960 SSC 2GB + I5 4460 be enough to last me until next year when I can get an even better GPU?

I'm just worried with what to buy because i sold my xbox one for this, and have a budget of $1200 with the os inluded (canadian currency).

I'm only looking to run games at high - very high at 1080p, would the gtx 960 and i5 be able to do so?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

I would go with the i5 GTX 960 in that case. The CPU will last for years and you will probably replace your GPU at least twice.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.00 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0 Video Card ($379.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($52.25 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.53 @ Amazon Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.88 @ Canada Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($124.99 @ Memory Express)
Monitor: LG 22MP55HQ-P 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($118.88 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($25.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1240.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-05 21:14 EDT-0400

How about everything. Did I miss something?

 

[spentshells]

For 1200 bucks Canadian What is included? Do you have anything? Monitor speakers? mouse? keyboard? Let me know I will come up with some sort of in between for you.