I3 or G3258

[MeowBuilder]

I'd say my AMD processor is a bit old now, rolling at 4 years.
I was looking into a base intel processor (4thgen/5thgen)

I have 16GB Ram 2x SSD's at the moment.
I was wondering should I go with a I3 or a G3258 (OC'D) to play for
moderate gaming, just google docs, and other word processing. I understand as well that G3258 is a dual core, but a great value for 69.99.

Suggestions are welcome

 

[lozzahh_XD]

just go for an i3 its more pricey but worth it i recommend the i3 4170 its about $120

 

[MarkW]

More and more, games are using 4 cores. And that is only going to become pretty much what every game wants within a year or so. With game devs using DirectX 12, and having total control over what does what, they will be using the CPU for some tasks, and the GPU for others, and that means sending more work to the CPU in some cases, which will likely increase the use of multiple CPU cores used as well.

Also remember that in computers, in most cases, you really are getting what you pay for. What I am trying to say here is that if the games you want to play recommend a 4 core Intel CPU, you probably should get an Intel 4 core (I5) CPU.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

15 4460.

 

[utroz]

The i3 has hyperthreading so it is better for gaming, but if you want to OC for cheap then get a G3258..

 

[lozzahh_XD]

yeah marks recommendation is even better a 4690 would be very nice

 

[InvalidError]

If I had to build a PC around an i3 today, I would be tempted to pick the i3-6100/6300 and a h170 board.

 

[lozzahh_XD]

yeah but it sounds like this guy has a budget

 

[MarkW]

We all have budgets. Sometimes, to build a system that will perform well enough that you can actually enjoy the games, you need to save up more money, so that you do not end up buying low end hardware now, that you will only have to replace in a few months, to get it up to what you needed in the first place. It makes little sense to buy a $70 CPU today, if you really need an I5-4460 in the first place.

So look at the websites of the games you play. Look at the websites of the games you want to play. Find out what the recommended hardware specs are. If they want a 2 core CPU, and none of them want a 4 core CPU, then go ahead and get the I3. If some of them recommend a 4 core CPU, look at which 4 core CPU each game recommends, and aim for getting that. Same thing with the GPU. Make sure you get the highest GPU that any of the above games recommends that you have. And it never hurts to get a stronger CPU/GPU than the games you now play, or plan to play soon, so that you can use them at the highest settings.

That is the best way to decide what you should buy. Basing your purchase only on a budget based on what you can afford today may not be a good way to determine what to buy.