Intel core i5 750 or Intel core i3 G3258

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Infinite1212

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Sep 10, 2014
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I'm trying to create a cheap but nonetheless a good gaming computer. I'm thinking a gtx 960/70 with 4 gb DDR3 ram with one of the CPU's mentioned in the title.

Would it be better for me to go with an intel core i3G3258 or an intel core i5 750? Or should I go with some other cheap but good CPU? Can anyone recommend anything (AMD, Intel, anything....)? Thanks.

My budget for the build is around $350-$400 (but preferably below the $400 mark).

EDIT: I meant to say GTX 760...not 970/960.
 
Solution
DonkeyOatie
That computer is made from used parts, so depends on availability. It also uses a used overclockable GPU. I'm not sure I'd buy a used overclockable CPU from myself, let alone anyone else.

Unless you can get all the important parts at the right price, you really can't do anything, and what do you do if anything goes wrong and you have no warranty?

I have the experience to assemble a system like that, although I would want a better system with a bigger budget, but you may need to learn quite a bit more before you could do it. Troubleshooting problems with used parts can be a bear.

Also, those parts were bought over a year ago. The market has move on since there.
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Here's an AMD system

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M EXTREME4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($58.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $391.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-11 11:40 EDT-0400

You need to provide mouse, keyboard, monitor, and OS. If you need an OS included in the budget, we need to completely re-think things.

Here's Intel:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($101.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $398.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-11 11:45 EDT-0400

Will play many games at 1080p 60 fps, although some of the effects will need to be dialed back.
 
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You're getting horribly mixed up, mate.
The i5 750 is a old quad cored chip, from Intel that uses motherboards with a LGA1156 socket.
The G3258 is a dual core Pentium part that uses the FCLGA 1150 socket.
There is several versions if the i3, all of which use different sockets.
It is ESSENTIAL the motherboard and CPU match!

If you keep tracking this thread several others will post suggestions for a complete build, (EDIT; Ah! there's two already 😉 ) but if you already have any parts (case, HDD power supply display etc) please list them so we don't duplicate parts in the suggested builds. The display is particularly important, its resolution will dictate how much graphics horsepower the build will need for good gameplay.
Don't get your hopes up, even going used I doubt you'll be able to get a GTX970 into a $400 build.
 
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really just depends on your expectaions and which games your interested in. and if you have to buy a OS or not.

AMD Athlon X4 860K --------- needs a dedicated card but its a cheap quad core.
AMD A8-7600 ---------------- can try to use the APU without graphics card


not sure 4 GB ram is good enough now adays.
 
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Yea, sorry about the not so full post. I'll admit I was getting a bit carried away and did not provide enough information. I saw the "Potato Masher" and wanted to build a PC like that one, hence the i5 750. I'm not very good at this stuff nor do I have the knowledge so you'll have to forgive my incompetence.

As for the OS.......I can get a cheap OEM Windows copy or go Steam OS. I already have the monitor and mouse+keyboard.

Also, I meant ot say GTX 760 not 970...
Thanks for replying!
 
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By cheaping everything to the max (min?) I can get to here, with no prospect of overclocking and it will run with 4Gb, but I would want to upgrade soon.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A68M-DG3+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Panram Falcon 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 370 4GB Video Card ($149.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Azza SIRIUS ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $399.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-11 12:23 EDT-0400

You are more than $100 away from any GTX 970, and $50 from a GTX 960 unless you go refurbished or open box.
 
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.....Good point. I actually meant to say GTX 760.....not 970...Also, I was trying to go along the lines of the "Potato Masher". Am I being stupid for doing this? I saw an opportunity for getting a PC that was cheap and affordable and not in the $400's that could play most games at 1080p and I thought "Hey, this isn't bad..."
Thanks for replying!
 
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The Intel build above is very decent and you can add a SSD, upgrade the CPU, and significantly improve the GPU. It will, theoretically, take a GTX 980ti + i5 4590.
 
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Thanks. Though, I heard that it's possible to cheapen out of the CPU and instead get a better GPU. Is that by any means true? Also, what of the overclocking prospects on this build? Thanks. One more thing (this may reveal me as being idiotic), how would this fare against the "Potato Masher"? I really appreciate the help. I'm not planning to build it this month or so. I'm actually planning on buying some parts off of Black Friday if i can get some decent deals. Thanks again!
 
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That computer is made from used parts, so depends on availability. It also uses a used overclockable GPU. I'm not sure I'd buy a used overclockable CPU from myself, let alone anyone else.

Unless you can get all the important parts at the right price, you really can't do anything, and what do you do if anything goes wrong and you have no warranty?

I have the experience to assemble a system like that, although I would want a better system with a bigger budget, but you may need to learn quite a bit more before you could do it. Troubleshooting problems with used parts can be a bear.

Also, those parts were bought over a year ago. The market has move on since there.
 
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Solution


Would it be possible to get a cheaper cpu and replace the R7 260x with an r9 270x? Sorry for being so stubborn. I appreciate your help.
 
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For reasons he has explained very well, I think you'd be better off overall by opting for the very good intel build suggested by DonkeyOatie rather than trying to hunt up the parts needed for something similar to the potato masher-last time I looked those i5s were dead scarce and decent P55 motherboards even rarer.

The 'B' series motherboard won't support much (if any) overclocking but it DOES support a very wide range of CPUs: http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=4731 so future upgrades will at least be possible.
Interestingly, he opted for quite a strong power supply, not one of the best but decent enough for a budget build, and it'll have enough power to run the GTX760, or even a '770 both of which are much stronger than the R7 260x and should be fairly easy to find used if you're prepared to take the obvious risk.

Probably the potato masher would run faster than the build by DonkeyOatie, because his system uses a weaker graphics card, the CPU performance would be similar, although the i5 750 is a full quad, the i3 is a newer, faster design and uses Hyperthreading to enhance its dual core architecture putting them pretty even.
 
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Thanks for the clear up. So just to be clear, no overclocking potential unless I get a better motherboard? I might get the Intel Build DonkeyOatie has suggested. Though I do have 1 question. Would it be better getting a weaker CPU and a stronger GPU or a stronger CPU? I appreciate your help. Thank you.
 
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Personally, I wouldn't drop below a i3 for a gaming rig, the Pentium is a little cheaper but without a BIG overclock it'll fall way behind even a stock i3 and you'll need a better CPU cooler and motherboard to pull off a big OC, making the whole effort pointless from a cost perspective.

 
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Thanks for the information!
 
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I did a full investigation of G3258, i3, and i5 over the summer. The data is here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2791401/xeon-1231v3-haswells-synthetic-benchmarks-science-fair.html and this http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2626627/build-log-middle-school-science-fair-project-system.html is the system I was working on. A maxed G3258 approaches an i3, but not an i5.

Your $400 budget limits what you can do.

Here's a good budget system.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($101.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi B85S3+ Ver. 6.x Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($58.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Vapor-X Video Card ($157.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $476.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-11 14:49 EDT-0400

You might be able to get a refurbished GPU from the manufacturer or a major store.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi B85S3+ Ver. 6.x Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($58.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Vapor-X Video Card ($157.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $439.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-11 14:50 EDT-0400



 
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Thanks. I might go for the Intel build. I really appreciate the help!
 
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