[SOLVED] is the Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz Quad-Core CPU good for gaming still?

[TheLazyGuy]

I am not trying to play hardcore games, Just looking to build a pc with a motherboard I got that needs this chip.

It has the video card and 4GB ram

any suggested parts (CPU fan, mid tower case, 700w power supply, and hard drive)

 

[Darkbreeze]

For general use, like internet browsing or basic office applications, it can probably still get by ok. For gaming, it will be difficult to say the least, however there are still a good many people using them even with somewhat decent graphics cards.

I won't lie to you and say "sure, that one is still perfectly fine" like might be true with something like an Ivy bridge 3770k, which itself is pretty damn long in the tooth, but that i7 is still probably better than a lot of the FX processors people are even to this day using in their "gaming" systems. Yours however is somewhat slower. Considerably in fact. Both overall and in single core performance, it lags behind an FX-6300 which is long past (Actually, it never was really) the point where it can be even a good budget offering.

 

[InvalidError]

4GB of RAM will heavily limit what you can comfortably do even in more casual games, 8GB is the bare minimum you want to have for most semi-recent games unless you enjoy constant stuttering from swapping.

 

[DMAN999]

I just put together a PC using old parts I had around the house.
It has a Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P, an i7-870 (OC'd to 3.6 GHz), 4 GB 1600 MHz RAM, and a Gigabyte HD 6850 1 GB.
It can run some older games at a decent fps BUT I would not want to try and play any current games on it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, Error is correct. 4GB is probably the WORST offender in that configuration, if you had to use a CPU that old you definitely would want another 4GB of memory at least.

 

[99StefanRO]

Maybe you'll go fine with old titles on a 4:3 resolution, but that's about it. There is no decent gameplay, in my opinion, for the newer titles. Your config is far behind decent.

Anyway, by no hardcore gaming you mean no gaming at all or casual gaming?

If no gaming at all, you'll be fine. Just a web browsing, multimedia machine will be great.

If gaming then there is a slight problem. You should consider saving for a better investition later, like a 2nd gen i7 (still ok, not great but you will game) or even a 4th gen.

For both situation, save your money and use tge stock cooler (or a cheap aftermarket one). If no "gaming" buy a 240 SSD, it will boost your everything.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Maybe you'll go fine with old titles on a 4:3 resolution, but that's about it.

That actually has very little to do with it, and might in fact make it WORSE, since at a lower resolution the graphics card would be able to render MORE frames quickly, in which case any lack of performance from the processor would become MORE obvious. Increasing quality settings on the graphics card and running at a normal resolution (Besides which 4:3 is NOT a resolution anyhow, it's an aspect ratio, like 16:9 or 16:10) with the understanding that while you might get decent graphics you are probably not going to ever be hitting 60FPS in anything even remotely modern, is a foregone conclusion.

For older games, at medium-ish type settings, you might find a good compromise of quality and frame rates. It will likely require some playing around to find an acceptable "sweet spot.

@99StefanRO, it really sounds to me like you don't have a lot of experience in this area, so maybe you should step back and continue to learn things until you are more prepared to offer answers that are helpful.

 

[TheLazyGuy]

Thanks for all of the replies I will look for better ram

 

[TheLazyGuy]

for the pc, would something like "Patriot Memory Viper Elite Series DDR4 4GB 2400MHz (PC4-19200) Single Module" be good?

 

[Amdlova]

Iam gaming on Xeon L5630 2.3ghz Miss a good graphics card. processor ? NO!

 

[Karadjgne]

No. There's different versions of ram, Sdram, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4 etc. And each is individual to a specific cpu. Your cpu uses an Lga1366 motherboard, and has native speeds of DDR3 800/1066 MHz.

Using something like an Asus Sabertooth X58, 12Gb of 1333/1600/1866 in triple channel, some OC and the biggest cpu cooler (it's a 130w cpu) you can budget for (Noctua NH-D15S or similar, even a decent 240mm/280mm AIO), will go a long way to getting even close to usability in gaming.

 

[Darkbreeze]

In other words, no, that memory will not work with your system. You need DDR3. And if you can find a 4GB stick that is the EXACT same model as what you already have, that would probably be the best, least expensive way to do it. Otherwise, you may want to buy a full kit of 8 (2x4GB) DDR3 memory in 800 or 1066mhz flavors.

Probably, you can find a matching stick to what you have now on Ebay or elsewhere.

 

[Karadjgne]

Just FYI, that's about the same as what's available on a PS/4 for AC:Oddessy. And that i7 930 is still a quad core +HT cpu, which is the only reason it gets that much fps, AC Oddessy relies heavily on thread count. Other games that rely more on IPC, like Witcher 3 or BF5, will tank hard and you'd be looking at closer to 15-20fps, cpu capped limits.