Low end intel processors+ GTX 960

[orca-4444]

Will a pentium G3260 or an i3-4160 bottleneck a GTX 960? Also, do I need a quad-core processor, or should dual core be fine for recent and upcoming(until 2018-ish) games?

 

[rolli59]

I5 would be better but between those two the I3 would do OK with the GTX960.

 

[Chayan4400]

Will a pentium G3260 or an i3-4160 bottleneck a GTX 960? Also, do I need a quad-core processor, or should dual core be fine for recent and upcoming(until 2018-ish) games?

Will a pentium bottlneck a 960? Yes. Will an i3 bottlneck a 960? No. I have one on order for my i3 4130 build right now. It can just handle the 960.

For most current games, you can maintain high or even ultra at 1080p on an i3, with a few exceptions that are really CPU intensive dropping to medium settings. So will it handle current games? For the most part, yes. Will it handle games until 2018? Absolutely not, unless you are okay with cutting back on settings. Newly released games are increasingly multi-threaded and this trend is sure to continue. Right now the i5 is the sweet spot for gaming as 4 cores does go a long way.

My guess is for the next 2 years 4 cores will be enough for gaming. However, with a 960 you aren't going to be playing games 2 years from now without making substantial compromises in the settings. Save up and get an i5, it is worth it.

 

[orca-4444]

I5 would be better but between those two the I3 would do OK with the GTX960.

If the elder scrolls 6 came out in 2018, what would the max graphical settings that I could achieve be, that wouldn't absolutely tank the settings; that would only affect the settings as going up from one level to another today?

 

[rolli59]

I5 would be better but between those two the I3 would do OK with the GTX960.

If the elder scrolls 6 came out in 2018, what would the max graphical settings that I could achieve be, that wouldn't absolutely tank the settings; that would only affect the settings as going up from one level to another today?

I am not clairvoyant, neither do I have a Crystal ball so really I can not say. All I can say if you can get to an I5 now even if you have reduce GPU to GTX950 then you will be happier in 2018 and all you may have to do is upgrade GPU for better gaming experience.

 

[orca-4444]

I5 would be better but between those two the I3 would do OK with the GTX960.

If the elder scrolls 6 came out in 2018, what would the max graphical settings that I could achieve be, that wouldn't absolutely tank the settings; that would only affect the settings as going up from one level to another today?

I am not clairvoyant, neither do I have a Crystal ball so really I can not say. All I can say if you can get to an I5 now even if you have reduce GPU to GTX950 then you will be happier in 2018 and all you may have to do is upgrade GPU for better gaming experience.

How long would an i5-4460 last for, compared to an i3-4160, and the pentium?

 

[rolli59]

It really depends on game publishers but not many games today utilize more than an I3 can handle but they do exist and we can only expect more and more games benefit from more cores.

 

[orca-4444]

It really depends on game publishers but not many games today utilize more than an I3 can handle but they do exist and we can only expect more and more games benefit from more cores.

The pentium and the i3 computer are from lenovo and:

The pentium G3260 computer comes with 4gb of memory, a 500gb hard drive, and an insufficient PSU for 230$
The i3-4160 computer comes with 8gb of memory and a 1 TB hard drive, but still an insufficient PSU for 330$

The i5-4460 computer is from dell and comes with 12gb of memory, a 1TB hard drive, and an insufficient PSU for 430$

Which should I get (and upgrade), in your opinion? I would buy a 3tb hard drive and a new PSU for whichever I get, and add more ram to the Pentium, if I got it. I plan to play a variety of AAA games (elder scrolls 6, fallout 4, borderlands 3, bioshock 3(if it ever comes out)the studio that made it broke up), etc.). A cheap laptop can play old(pre-2013) games so I'm not worried about those.

 

[rolli59]

It really depends on game publishers but not many games today utilize more than an I3 can handle but they do exist and we can only expect more and more games benefit from more cores.

The pentium and the i3 computer are from lenovo and:

The pentium G3260 computer comes with 4gb of memory, a 500gb hard drive, and an insufficient PSU for 230$
The i3-4160 computer comes with 8gb of memory and a 1 TB hard drive, but still an insufficient PSU for 330$

The i5-4460 computer is from dell and comes with 12gb of memory, a 1TB hard drive, and an insufficient PSU for 430$

Which should I get (and upgrade), in your opinion? I would buy a 3tb hard drive and a new PSU for whichever I get, and add more ram to the Pentium, if I got it. I plan to play a variety of AAA games (elder scrolls 6, fallout 4, borderlands 3, bioshock 3(if it ever comes out)the studio that made it broke up), etc.). A cheap laptop can play old(pre-2013) games so I'm not worried about those.

What is the model number of the Dell?

 

[orca-4444]

It really depends on game publishers but not many games today utilize more than an I3 can handle but they do exist and we can only expect more and more games benefit from more cores.

The pentium and the i3 computer are from lenovo and:

The pentium G3260 computer comes with 4gb of memory, a 500gb hard drive, and an insufficient PSU for 230$
The i3-4160 computer comes with 8gb of memory and a 1 TB hard drive, but still an insufficient PSU for 330$

The i5-4460 computer is from dell and comes with 12gb of memory, a 1TB hard drive, and an insufficient PSU for 430$

Which should I get (and upgrade), in your opinion? I would buy a 3tb hard drive and a new PSU for whichever I get, and add more ram to the Pentium, if I got it. I plan to play a variety of AAA games (elder scrolls 6, fallout 4, borderlands 3, bioshock 3(if it ever comes out)the studio that made it broke up), etc.). A cheap laptop can play old(pre-2013) games so I'm not worried about those.

What is the model number of the Dell?

It's a inspiron 3847. I don't know the exact model number.

 

[rolli59]

Looking at the prices to pay a $100 for the I5 + extra 4GB over the I3 I am not so sure. Both will need a PSU upgrade for powerful GPU's so really up to you.
Either way you would have a hard time building either for that price.