[citation][nom]youssef 2010[/nom]Correction: A better experience TODAY. But once the games capable of utilizing 4 cores become the norm, you'll see a ridiculous CPU bottleneck.This is based on my observation of the Core i7-920. Released back in 2008, this processor is still considered a very capable gaming option 5 years later (with some overclocking). This means you'll only need to replace your GPU every 3 years. And with AMD slacking off in the performance race and focusing in other areas, the situation won't change anytime soon. I've owned the 3770K for some time now. And after one year of it's release, I find that it's performance is still top-notch, even at stock speed. When I need more performance, I'll simply overclock it[/citation]
Yes, I can agree with that. It can and will happen, but when? OC is the stinker, but you can just pop the appropriate 2nd or 3rd gen i5 in the past year’s $500 gamers and be golden still. And had we gone more CPU plus less GPU, then what? The GPU would already limit things, and need replacing at an earlier time.
It’s a shift that started, long ago with GTA IV as one example. But when, will dual-core no longer cut it? We have circled this same debate since quads were released, E8400 vs. Q6600 as an example. Yet both those chips were stellar for years. It depends on your type of game, shooter vs. RTS, and more specifically your exact game. It's still not the norm, meaning it’s rare a G850 or say G2020 is incapable. And certainly, $70 Pentium + $165 for 7850, will out game almost any other combo for the same total price. G2020 + GTX 680 SLI is obviously a dumb combo, but somewhere down the scale you need more GPU than CPU. The question is, what are enough CPU and enough GPU, for your games and settings?
But that comment you “corrected” goes back to the intro, so credit the HD 7850 for introducing a new level of 19x10 gaming. Credit the Pentium just for allowing it at $500, and showing it does a fine job in our crop of games, even including the latest FC3.