Intel Core I5 + Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3

[helltaimer]

Good afternoon guys. I was planning con upgrading my setup next summer (January for me as I live in Argentina) and I found this combo online. My current specs are:
-Asrock 960gm vgs.
-AMD FX 6300 Black Edition @stock.
-(x2) Gskill Ripjaw 1600 MHz 4gb.
-EVGA GTX 750 Ti FTW.
-XFX PRO 550W Ts550 80+ Bronze.

I saw the MOBO and CPU separatedly but both at discount prices (Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 and Intel Core I5 3570k) and I wanted to know, is this a good combo for gaming? How much performance boost will this give me over my current setup?

Likewise, I was thinking on changing the GPU as well, but can only afford either the GPU alone or the MOBO and CPU combo. I was looking at either a r9 380 4gb vram or gtx 960 4gb vram. Will the GPU give more performance boost than the CPU and MOBO combo? Which of these 2 GPUs should I buy? Do I buy the GPU or CPU+MOBO?

I'll be playing LoL, WoW, the CoD franchise (MW2 to BO2), Battlefield franchise (BC3 onwards), Skyrim, GMod, GTA 5, Hitman Absolution, Farcry 4 and many newer titles.

Thank you all!

 

[IamTimTech]

First I would like to mention that the 3570K is a LGA 1155 socket processor and will not work with the Z97 1150 motherboard. Both are great components but are not compatible with one another. Second I'd like to say that if you are on a budget then go with a B85/H87/H97 motherboard and an i5-4440 or 4460 depending on whichever is cheaper. That's a budget i5 combo that performs very well. Lastly I would lean towards the R9 380 4GB because the 4GB of VRAM on a 960 is practically useless because it's BUS width is only 128bit. The 4GB on the 380 is going to be better utilized and in general will be the better performing card.

 

[helltaimer]

Oh thanks for bringing that issue to light, I messed up with the compatibilities haha so you wouldn't recommend me going for a k version i5? And what will give me a more noticeable performance boost? The i5+MOBO combo or a new GPU? Thank you! 😀

 

[IamTimTech]

You got it exactly right. I myself love the inexpensive H81 boards, many people dislike their lack of "features" but I find them perfectly acceptable for a budget build. But most will agree that on a budget skip the K and put that money into a nicer GPU.

 

[helltaimer]

Thing is that I'll probably have to wait longer for a new GPU if I get the CPU and MOBO due to prices being well above twice what's worth in USA. To put it in perspective, my amd fx 6300 is worth around 100 USD right? In Argentina it's worth (in pesos, mind you) around 1800 pesos, 1 dollar is worth 9 pesos.
That said, I found a decently priced combo (3000 pesos or 310 USD) where I get a i5 4570 and a gigabyte b85m, is that combo worth it? The plus on that is that It will cost about half my future budget and I will be 1500 pesos moreorless away from any GPU I want to buy. Should I go with that CPU and MOBO combo and then save up for a new GPU (keeping my 750 ti ftw) or upgrade my GPU first, then save for a better CPU/MOBO combo? Which of the 2 options will give me better immediate performance boost? ( will the i5 4570+b85m, keeping my gpu give me higher fps gain than changing my 750 to ftw to a r9 380)? Thank you and sorry for my bad English+ long questions 😀

 

[helltaimer]

Also, will the Gigabyte B85M DS3H support crossfire or sli? It it a good board? Sorry I'm still kind of new and my current build is my first one, thanks!

 

[James Mason]

Also, will the Gigabyte B85M DS3H support crossfire or sli? It it a good board? Sorry I'm still kind of new and my current build is my first one, thanks!

It's a fine board, but it won't do crossfire or SLI, and you can't SLI an 750ti anyways.

The i5 and b85 board is a pretty good combo, your PSU and ram are both good, a 750ti is a bit weak for an i5 but it's still pretty good card all around.

For a GPU for your i5 you'd be looking at a gtx 970/770 (or higher) or a r9 380/390.

i3's are also much stronger than your current CPU, and games are more GPU dependent than CPU dependent, you may consider getting an i3 and then getting a stronger GPU sooner rather than later, any motherboard that supports an i3 will also support up to an i7.
http://www.techspot.com/review/972-intel-core-i3-vs-i5-vs-i7/

 

[helltaimer]

Ya I know the 750ti can't be used in SLI sadly. Also, this is me talking out of ignorance but what is the PCI Express x1 for? Cause i checked the MOBO mentioned and it has 2 of those, but idk what use they have.

I just checked and the i5 combo I mentioned is cheaper than buying the mobo and i3 separatedly, which is odd considering how much the i5 chips are worth here as well as that mobo, I'll have to look into it.

Would you recomend a ATI R9 380 over a GTX 970? Would my PSU support any of those 2 cards added with the i5? Thanks!

 

[James Mason]

Ya I know the 750ti can't be used in SLI sadly. Also, this is me talking out of ignorance but what is the PCI Express x1 for? Cause i checked the MOBO mentioned and it has 2 of those, but idk what use they have.

I just checked and the i5 combo I mentioned is cheaper than buying the mobo and i3 separatedly, which is odd considering how much the i5 chips are worth here as well as that mobo, I'll have to look into it.

Would you recomend a ATI R9 380 over a GTX 970? Would my PSU support any of those 2 cards added with the i5? Thanks!

PCI 1x is used for smaller data impact cards, like , sound cards, wired network cards, wireless cards, extra USB ports, or a fan controller. Any PCi 1x can also be put into a 16x lane as well. You don't "need" any of those unless you're doing some extra fancy stuff though.

The 970 is the stronger of the two, and your PSU shouldn't have any problems powering any single one of them.
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-970-vs-AMD-R9-380/2577vs3482

 

[helltaimer]

If I buy a new CPU and MOBO combo, will the fps gain be higher than changing only the GPU? In the games I mentioned.

 

[IamTimTech]

Also, will the Gigabyte B85M DS3H support crossfire or sli? It it a good board? Sorry I'm still kind of new and my current build is my first one, thanks!

Some of the B85M boards do, and other's do not. You will not find SLI on a B85 board, that is reserved for Z boards exclusively. I generally do not recommend building with crossfire or SLI in mind to someone who is building on a budget. But since you are already considering a R9 380 it wouldn't hurt to keep it in mind.

 

[helltaimer]

I had found a Z model board decently priced (1700 pesos, around 200 USD), but buying that and the CPU would greatly delay when I buy the GPU due to lack of funds. I seem to get different answers when asking, some people tell me that I should buy the gpu first and save for the MOBO and CPU, others tell me to do it the other way around. Any suggestions?

 

[IamTimTech]

You should be buying the gpu first, no question.