I3 gaming capabilities ?

[willg88]

Hey guys been down a computer shop today looking at a system to run a few middle of the ground games and I have been told that the i3 on a gigabyte Mobo would run Skyrim on high settings, but with the draw distance brought down... how true is this as I am a mega geek and only really play strategy games like Cities Xl, sim city 5 ( when it comes out) total war series etc, so I need something that will cope with renering large maps, but give me the detail I want zoomed in, the spec I was looking at included 4 gb ram and 250 gb hdd, if you feel the i3 on its own just wouldn't cope, what accompanying graphics card should i use to run the afore mentioned games,

cheers guys

 

[mactronix]

Well as a CPU its fine but you have made no mention of a GPU. If you are asking if the inboard GPU will play the game as you are asking then not even close.

Mactronix

 

[Flomps]

if its rts then what you need is a good gpu. i reccomend the AMD Radeon HD 7870.

 

[13thmonkey]

this is what the HD4000 (the slightly bigger brother) can do: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5771/the-intel-ivy-bridge-core-i7-3770k-review

its not great. an i3 and a gpu would be absolutely fine, heavy multiplayer gaming might cause issues on the cpu side however.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

when it comes to games right now very games can will more than about 4 threads that is why the IPC (Instuctions Per Cycle) is so important for performance in games (video cards are still much more important). Now with a processor like the Intel® Core™ i3-3220 you are getting a good dual core processor with support for 4 threads. This means that you are going solid performance when gaming. While it may not perform as well as some of the Intel Core i5's it will give you solid performance.

 

[Brett928S2]

when it comes to games right now very games can will more than about 4 threads that is why the IPC (Instuctions Per Cycle) is so important for performance in games (video cards are still much more important). Now with a processor like the Intel® Core™ i3-3220 you are getting a good dual core processor with support for 4 threads. This means that you are going solid performance when gaming. While it may not perform as well as some of the Intel Core i5's it will give you solid performance.

Hi

Sorry but you are giving the impression that the i3 will game on its own... it wont unless all he plays is freecell...

My shops build GAMING machines every day (with both AMD and Intel cpus) , and as I say to my customers...the REALLY important part is the GRAPHICS CARD ...NOT the cpu...

To the OP you NEED to spend at least 33% of your budget on the graphics card alone...

The cpu is a LOT less important...

To give an example...I am a gamer and just spent £720/$1000 on my 7990 graphics card....(with an 1100T that was already in my gaming machine)

All the best Brett

 

[mactronix]

Hi

Sorry but you are giving the impression that the i3 will game on its own... it wont unless all he plays is freecell...

My shops build GAMING machines every day (with both AMD and Intel cpus) , and as I say to my customers...the REALLY important part is the GRAPHICS CARD ...NOT the cpu...

To the OP you NEED to spend at least 33% of your budget on the graphics card alone...

The cpu is a LOT less important...

To give an example...I am a gamer and just spent £720/$1000 on my 7990 graphics card....(with an 1100T that was already in my gaming machine)

All the best Brett

Gotta say that's not the impression I got from reading it.

Especially this part

(video cards are still much more important)

Just saying.

Mactronix

 

[Forde3654Eire]

If the OP does not have the budget to buy a graphics card, he can:

1) Get a Trinity-based APU and FM2 motherboard.
2) Get the i3 and wait (God knows how long), till he can save up for a dedicated graphics card.

For onboard graphics, AMD Trinity all the way. OP, if you know you can't save up for a dedicated graphics card, grab the Trinity APU. If you can wait, save up and get a good graphics card.

 

[willg88]

Hi

Sorry but you are giving the impression that the i3 will game on its own... it wont unless all he plays is freecell...

My shops build GAMING machines every day (with both AMD and Intel cpus) , and as I say to my customers...the REALLY important part is the GRAPHICS CARD ...NOT the cpu...

To the OP you NEED to spend at least 33% of your budget on the graphics card alone...

The cpu is a LOT less important...

To give an example...I am a gamer and just spent £720/$1000 on my 7990 graphics card....(with an 1100T that was already in my gaming machine)

All the best Brett

this was my impression, I used to be well up to speed on hardware up until the end of core 2 duos run as i moved profession so your words of wisdom are much needed ! the guy in the shop i went to is adamant that the i3 will play skyrim on high settings but with a lower draw distance, and i was like... hmm nope !

I have a really tight budget you see.. my link here for a super budget gamer is what i first inquired on parts for, but was told the i3 3220 would beat that set up, now don't get me wrong it probably does, but really the only game i want to play is the total war series and sim city 5 when it is out.

edit link : http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/375020-13-super-budget-gamer-build-think#t2835136

 

[willg88]

If the OP does not have the budget to buy a graphics card, he can:

1) Get a Trinity-based APU and FM2 motherboard.
2) Get the i3 and wait (God knows how long), till he can save up for a dedicated graphics card.

For onboard graphics, AMD Trinity all the way. OP, if you know you can't save up for a dedicated graphics card, grab the Trinity APU. If you can wait, save up and get a good graphics card.

what would you consider a 'good' card, im not after playing crysis on the highest settings nor far cry 3, just something that will handle games at a reasonable level and frame rate

 

[13thmonkey]

give us a budget to work with, and if you have a monitor keyboard etc.

 

[willg88]

give us a budget to work with, and if you have a monitor keyboard etc.

I have all bits i just need the guts so case, monitor keyboard mouse speakers etc, my budget is a measly £300 ($500)

 

[willg88]

edit: I don't need/want the newest gear second hand and last gen are all good !

 

[13thmonkey]

so mobo/ram/cpu/hdd and gpu? and PSU?

and when do you plan to next upgrade?

Sheez 300 will be tight.

 

[willg88]

so mobo/ram/cpu/hdd and gpu?

PSU ?

 

[13thmonkey]

this: http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ConfigureSystem.asp?SystemID=1526
@ 213, + 30 on a small HDD and a 50 on a PSU.

if you don't need a psu, then get the slightly better bundle and a better hdd.

if you want to upgrade later then get a GPU.

 

[13thmonkey]

missed the PSU initially in my original reply.

 

[willg88]

this: http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ConfigureSystem.asp?SystemID=1526
@ 213, + 30 on a small HDD and a 50 on a PSU.

if you don't need a psu, then get the slightly better bundle and a better hdd.

if you want to upgrade later then get a GPU.

simply a genius !

 

[13thmonkey]

A10 performance http://www.anandtech.com/show/6332/amd-trinity-a10-5800k-a8-5600k-review-part-1/5 surprising good.

 

[13thmonkey]

i'm not convinced that the bundles are always a good idea, however use the components they suggest to build the bundle yourself and see what it turns out like. They are doing free shipping till monday I think, or that might be on the today onlys.

 

[13thmonkey]

and another http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-5800k-a8-5600k-a6-5400k,3224-17.html not quite as flattering but a good foundation for a £300 system

 

[Forde3654Eire]

what would you consider a 'good' card, im not after playing crysis on the highest settings nor far cry 3, just something that will handle games at a reasonable level and frame rate

To me, a good card is one that can run the latest games, maxed out at 1080p. However no need to go overboard, as long as minimum FPS stays above 30 I'm fine with that. Overclocked Sapphire 6850 sufficing my needs nicely.

From what you've listed, that is a nice build you've put together there. APU's love good memory, and you will benefit from the Corsair Vengeance RAM you picked.

Once you're settled down and enjoying your build, you might want to experiment with overclocking, and the unlocked A10 will allow you to do just that with ease. You will also see a modest increase in performance when you get around to overclocking your RAM. Invest in a CPU cooler if you decide to overclock at some point.