Help Choosing Between CPUs For Gaming PC

[stevewp8427]

I'm helping a friend of mine build his first gaming PC. He doesn't know much about them, but I feel like I have a decent idea since I built my own. Anyway, I am stuck on deciding if he should go with the i3-8100 with the GTX 1060 or the i5-8500 and GTX 1050 Ti. He is on a budget so he doesn't want to go too expensive, he also wants to stick with intel/nvidia.Which of these combos do you guys think would get him better performance in games?

Edit: I am aware that the best option is the i5 with the 1060 but since he is on a budget its either the i5 or the 1060 upgrade

 

[mdd1963]

I'd opt for the 8400 if at all possible, preferably with the GTX1060 (6 GB)....(the 8100 is 4c/4thread, which might not have much longevity, and is already beginning to struggle in some thread-hungry games...)

 

[stevewp8427]

I'd opt for the 8400 if at all possible, preferably with the GTX1060 (6 GB)....(the 8100 is 4c/4thread, which might not have much longevity, and is already beginning to struggle in some thread-hungry games...)

Do you mean the 8500? And I can only really choose either the i5 or the 1060 because like I said hes on a budget.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

agree with mdd1963. 4c/4t is just maxing out right now in AAA games. Lots of posts about 100% CPU usage and game stuttering. Defo go for a 6 core. Th 8400 is best bang for buck gaming CPU right now.

It's a pity though on the Intel only. Better value and almost equal performance from AMD now.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

I'd opt for the 8400 if at all possible, preferably with the GTX1060 (6 GB)....(the 8100 is 4c/4thread, which might not have much longevity, and is already beginning to struggle in some thread-hungry games...)

Do you mean the 8500? And I can only really choose either the i5 or the 1060 because like I said hes on a budget.

no he means the 8400 which is slightly cheaper and offers practically the same gaming performance is the 8500.

 

[geofelt]

A balanced gamer will budget about 2x the cost of the cpu for the graphics card.
Neither option quite fits that model. But, neither option is bad.
I3-8100 is a bit short on the cpu side, but the i5-8400 option is a bit short on the graphics side.

If friend likes fast action shooters, opt for the stronger graphics option.

If friend likes multiplayer games, the 6 cores of a I5-8500 will be helpful.

For sims, strategy and mmo type games, fast single thread performance is best.
For that, a i3-8350K with an overclock is very good.
Unfortunately that processor does not get the love it deserves on this forum.


Then, also what is the likelihood that this pc will need a cpu or graphics update in the future?

You have some wiggle room on the GTX1060 cards, the 3gb versions cost less than the 6gb versions.

Can you perhaps compromise with a i5-8400 and a 3gb version of the GTX1060?

List the rest of the proposed parts, perhaps there are some other opportunities to jigger the budget.

 

[dontlistentome]

My view, as a long time low budget gamer. is you spend a bit less on the component that allows you the most flexibility in making adjustments when trying to raise framerate.

If you have a CPU that's too slow, not enough threads, there's nothing you can do about that other than upgrading. If you have videocard that's too slow, you can reduce settings, you can reduce resolution, you can live with slightly lower framerate...you have options.

Now if the person demands ultra settings, and only plays videocard dependent games, it makes sense to focus on the videocard.

 

[stevewp8427]

Okay guys so here is the list of parts, my friend said f it and will go more expensive, so what do you all think?

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/stevewp8427/saved/YXspGX

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Okay guys so here is the list of parts, my friend said f it and will go more expensive, so what do you all think?

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/stevewp8427/saved/YXspGX

Its pretty solid build for 1080p 60hz gaming with high/ultra settings.

The only thing is get 2 x 8gb matched kit for ram. 8gbs used to be the sweetspot. Not so anymore. 16gb is the recommended for high/ultra settings. Games like BF1/COD WW2 use upwards of 9gb-11gbs system ram.

 

[madmatt30]

You can do 16gb easily for less money.

The 8500 is not worth the extra $30. He's spending too much on the case & Psu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($179.00 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: MSI - B360 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING X Video Card ($299.00 @ B&H)
Case: Phanteks - Eclipse P300 Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $853.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-30 12:25 EDT-0400

 

[stevewp8427]

You can do 16gb easily for less money.

The 8500 is not worth the extra $30. He's spending too much on the case & Psu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($179.00 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: MSI - B360 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING X Video Card ($299.00 @ B&H)
Case: Phanteks - Eclipse P300 Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $853.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-30 12:25 EDT-0400

I tried getting 16GB originally but it went over budget. Your list looks solid, thank you.

 

[stevewp8427]

Thank you to everyone who helped me out! Now my friend has a better system than me