In need of CPU advice for gaming performance

[Chubner]

I'm looking to upgrade my PC in a big way for gaming (particular performance on World of Warcraft is notable for reference). I found http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/custom/gaming/form-factors and have no clue of the performance difference between the Intel Pentium G3258 and the i5 4690K. I'm currently really struggling with fps, I have an r9 280x to add to this as well as a seagate 1tb hard drive. Due to the sort of pricing i'm umming and ahhing about the difference and trying to squeeze out as much value as I can get.
Any advice at all to help me work this out would be appreciated.

 

[zxt827]

WOW is a CPU intensive game rather. I would suggest the i5 the best you can. You have a decent GPU, pair it with a good cpu is the right move. So yes, squeeze your pocket man!

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

If you give us your total budget and the components you need, we can put some builds together for you. Besides Warcraft, what else do you use the PC for?

 

[Chubner]

If you give us your total budget and the components you need, we can put some builds together for you. Besides Warcraft, what else do you use the PC for?

I plan to buy a motherboard, CPU, 8GB RAM and possibly a new case if I can justify it. My budget isn't strictly there, just that my funds are a little limited and I plan to buy these within roughly the next month, whether all at once or after a second pay check is in for me (cash flow problems suck).
I use my current pretty low spec PC for general use, internet browsing, movie watching, music. Primarily gaming is the purpose though. I currently play WoW, LoL and CS:GO but this is mainly down to performance limitations of my current PC, hence the update.
I've never built anything nor done anything greatly technical with hardware so I find the idea of buying expensive parts very daunting. This is why the scan mobo/CPU/RAM bundle appealed to me, as well as being overclocked prior to shipment. I've done a little research and don't feel that it's greatly overpriced for what you get. But I post here because I trust this awesome community to be ten times more knowledgeable than me in their sleep.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

But I post here because I trust this awesome community to be ten times more knowledgeable than me in their sleep.

LOL, yeah, we are pretty awesome, but seriously, thanks for the compliment.

If you're after a processor, motherboard and 8GB RAM, here are two suggestions; one Intel and one AMD. I don't know if you could buy these as a bundle, but they shouldn't differ much in price.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/XdfmmG
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/H6QZLk

I've purposely omitted a case as they vary wildly and everyone has different needs and aesthetic taste.

There are a couple of downsides you should be aware of regarding both builds, however. The H97 chipset on the Intel-build motherboard won't allow overclocking and doesn't support PCIe 3.0. That said, there's currently no game on the market which can yet surpass the speed of PCIe 2.0 x16, so don't let that put you off. As far as the AMD build goes, the upgrade path on the AM3+ socket is very limted. The motherboard will support the FX-8xxx series processors, but there's no upgradeability beyond that.

If you're on a budget then the AMD build will probably suit you better. The FX-6300 isn't as strong as an i5, but you can overclock it to make up for the performance deficit.

 

[Chubner]

The pricing of the two listed is definitely very modest. I'm quite conscious of lifespan and upgrade potential of parts that I buy, I'm rarely in a position to fork out money on PC parts so it's quite a difficult decision for me.
Apologies for my lack of knowledge, but even calling me an amateur would be kind to be honest.
When you say that the Intel build motherboard doesn't allow overclocking I fear that this limits the potential of the CPU fairly heftily, or do I misunderstand? I'd happily spend towards £400 collectively (before considering the case) on these parts and would prefer going towards Intel because as far as I understand: lifespan, quality and potential upgrade paths blow AMD out of the water, even if the pricing is noticeably higher.
I really don't want to go to the trouble of buying so many new parts, learning to and then assembling the machine only to be disappointed by the performance that it gives.
Hopefully that makes sense, I'd rather spend a little more than the lowish mid range to squeeze more performance for money in the long term even.
I appreciate your advice, thanks so far

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

OK, so going on a £400 budget with a preference toward high-end Intel components, here are a couple of choices:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/gr9pzy
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/BJhnMp

The i7 doesn't offer a significant gaming improvement over an i5 now, but as games become more optimised for multiple-threaded processors, it could prove its worth further down the line. Both of the above combinations will allow you to overclock, but remember that overclocking is never an exact science, and you may not get the results you want. Both motherboards will also allow you to upgrade to the new 14nm processors.

Besides internal and external port availability, the ASRock Killer motherboard will allow you to SLI/Crossfire a graphics card, whereas the PRO4 won't.

 

[Chubner]

OK, so going on a £400 budget with a preference toward high-end Intel components, here are a couple of choices:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/gr9pzy
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/BJhnMp

The i7 doesn't offer a significant gaming improvement over an i5 now, but as games become more optimised for multiple-threaded processors, it could prove its worth further down the line. Both of the above combinations will allow you to overclock, but remember that overclocking is never an exact science, and you may not get the results you want. Both motherboards will also allow you to upgrade to the new 14nm processors.

Besides internal and external port availability, the ASRock Killer motherboard will allow you to SLI/Crossfire a graphics card, whereas the PRO4 won't.

Thanks a lot for the time you've taken to give me advice. I really do appreciate it. I've done a lot of digging personally and believe right now that an Intel pentium G3258 is a great start for my low budget first build. Further down the line the i5 4690k or if I was feeling particularly crazy, an i7 like the one you've mentioned would be my upgrade of choice. It would be a simple swap with a Z97 motherboard as far as I've understood. I really think I can get such good bang for my buck out of the pentium. Time will tell. Like you say, overclocking isn't an exact science and I can't guarantee getting the same clock speed out of it as others have. Wish me luck!

 

[damon9128]

As an owner of an overclocked g3258 I can honestly say for the money it's a really great cpu if you keep in mind the price. My does just fine in BF4,AC4,Titanfall and several others.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

No worries, enjoy your build.