Help Deciding CPU?

8bitloser

Distinguished
Feb 9, 2012
80
0
18,630
Yeah i know I've posted a lot about this but i need some tips on what cpu to get. Now don't suggest a 2500k cause i cant afford it and if it ends up being i can i defiantly will, but as of now i cant at all.

I'm going to be gaming with it though I'm not expecting 150FPS in all games just a playable experience, I only have a Radeon HD6770 but please if your one of the douches that say "that cant even play bf3 on minimum settings" cause i can play on medium right now (no AA) with my Celeron e3400 @ 3.1GHz I just tend to get a bad frame rate in intense parts so i play on low anyway.

Ill upgrade the GPU later but right now its about time i upgrade my cpu and motherboard. I'm about to be 16 and my parents do not make good money, and the fact i cant get a job do to horrible economy (especially here in Arizona) so that's why my budget is so bad. My birthday is coming up so that's how I'm getting the money to get a new cpu.

Ok now that im done with that I would prefer a quad cpu, even though the i3 im looking at isnt it was just going to be a filler till i can get a job and get a "real" cpu. But im kinda thinking i should go with a phenom 965 considering its really loved at newegg (number 1 rated) and it seems decent looking at it. Also ive seen alot online that a mild overclock will make it better than the i3 in heavily threaded programs/games (ive heard the i3 is only better in single-dual threaded programs, not sure if that's true). Thats another reason why i want the 965, its unlocked, where the i3 is locked and cant be oc more than a few hundred MHz. Another plus with the 965 is its AM3 so i can get a AM3+ board and itll work in that (if piledriver ends up being good then its even more worth it) and I can still upgrade to a am3+ cpu or possible a AM4 if they keep compatibly like it is now.

But going with the i3 i can save up for a 2500k which would most likely take FOREVER. As you can see im very torn at which to get :( . I could also use suggestion for a motherboard for either Intel or amd. AMD is cheaper overall which is whats making me lean ever closer to AMD. Im not a fan boy for either, though i agree with Intel fan boys that bulldozer was a disappointment, but If your a fanboy of one and wont suggest anything about the other then just don't reply cause i need unbiased suggestions. I get that the i3 is a bit better rated for gaming but 5FPS isnt worth the more money id spend, and i just got into overclocking my cpu and i love it so i would have to spend a minimum 80$ for a overclock ready motherboard to not be able to overclock the i3.

again i apologize for the 2 or so posts i already have about cpu's but i keep getting different opinions that change what im looking at.
 

8bitloser

Distinguished
Feb 9, 2012
80
0
18,630

I cant overclock it at all though and the graph doesn't show the 965 being overclocked a bit which i plan on doing
 
You sound like you know what you want and I think you might appreciate this suggestion. It'll save you money, perhaps give yourself an overclocking challenge in the process... Since there is a 4th core which can be "unlocked"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911
I have that thing and I like it...
Like I said, save you a little money (allow you to save up) and give you an extra challenge unlock the 4th core, see where you can clock it.
 

8bitloser

Distinguished
Feb 9, 2012
80
0
18,630

Hmm ill consider that.... One question though is this like the 960t or something like that where it only had a chance of being unlocked? I see that the stock fan isnt great but i want to get a new heatsink anyway
 

8bitloser

Distinguished
Feb 9, 2012
80
0
18,630
I want to go the amd path because its cheaper/has higher compatibly with future cpus. But intel tends to get better ratings so thats why i was also thinking them. I have never owned an AMD so thats why i have no idea on how reliable/good they are :/ Im also open to other AMD suggestions around that price point to. Also a question about bulldozer, Are they not technically half of what they say? Like the quad they marked is basically a dual hyper threaded but not at the same time?
 

popatim

Titan
Moderator
If your unlitmate goal is to get an i5 then the i3 is the way to go to save you from having to buy yet another motherboard and possibly compatible memory to go with it.

If the i5 is really just wishful thinking then it doesnt matter really which way you roll. The i3 is a bit better but the 965 is quad core which some programs can use. Have you researched the programs you use and see if they can use 4 cores?

If you have a fryes or microcenter near you they often have in store specials where you can get a free motherboard with your cpu and their prices are a few bucks lower than neweggs. Definitely worth checking out if theres one nearby.
 

Then you will have to have a GPU that benefits from the higher clock speed of the CPU. HD6770 is fine with any modern dual or quad CPU at around 3GHz.