Which is better build for my budget?

[DrinToFatic]

i3 6100 and GTX 960 4gb Asus Strix

i5 6500 with GTX 950

 

[aquielisunari]

i5 6500 with GTX 950
Check out youtube for helpful videos like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaGFjqHMWAk

 

[greens]

i5 6400 in a Z170 with a GTX 970.

The performance would be way worth the wait. Dont get a non K CPU without getting a Z170. BCLK overclocking is real.

 

[Hlsgsz]

i3 6100 and this: http://pcpartpicker.com/product/kskwrH/evga-video-card-04gp43967kr
or, better yet, wait for the RX 480 coming at teh end of teh month for $200 with fury level performance.

 

[DrinToFatic]

Is the FX-6300 overclocked worth than an i3-6100 stock?

 

[Hlsgsz]

Is the FX-6300 overclocked worth than an i3-6100 stock?

A big no. Don't invest in that dead platform. It's way past it's time.
After Zen comes out, we'll see what's what, but, for now, Intel is the name of teh game.

Go with the i3 and teh RX 480 at the end of teh month like i recommended. You won't believe what a monster of a gaming machine you got for your money

 

[rhysiam]

I would say it depends on whether you want to maximise fps-for-your-dollar right now, or whether you're prepared to sacrifice a little right now to get yourself a system that will last you longer and accept a graphics card update down the track.

The i3 and 960 (or absolutely the RX 480 as Hlsgsz recommends if you can squeeze it into your budget) will for sure give you better fps right now. However, going to the i5 means that in 2-3 years, you'll still have an extremely capable CPU+Mobo+RAM combo, and all that's required for an update would be a new graphics card. You'd then have a fantastic gaming PC once again.

I'm less confident in 2-3 years that an i3 will still be able to hold it's own with a new mid-highish end graphics card. Come upgrade time, you'd probably need to sell the PC and do a full new build.

I think you can make a strong case either way. If the i3 can get you to an RX 480, then you will have a significantly faster gaming machine than anything with a 950. Simply because the 480 is the first next-gen mid range card out of the blocks, so just doesn't have any real competition the at the moment. But investing in a better platform for a longer-lasting system with a GPU upgrade down the track is also a solid choice. It depends what you prioritise.

 

[Hlsgsz]

I would say it depends on whether you want to maximise fps-for-your-dollar right now, or whether you're prepared to sacrifice a little right now to get yourself a system that will last you longer and accept a graphics card update down the track.

The i3 and 960 (or absolutely the RX 480 as Hlsgsz recommends if you can squeeze it into your budget) will for sure give you better fps right now. However, going to the i5 means that in 2-3 years, you'll still have an extremely capable CPU+Mobo+RAM combo, and all that's required for an update would be a new graphics card. You'd then have a fantastic gaming PC once again.

I'm less confident in 2-3 years that an i3 will still be able to hold it's own with a new mid-highish end graphics card. Come upgrade time, you'd probably need to sell the PC and do a full new build.

I think you can make a strong case either way. If the i3 can get you to an RX 480, then you will have a significantly faster gaming machine than anything with a 950. Simply because the 480 is the first next-gen mid range card out of the blocks, so just doesn't have any real competition the at the moment. But investing in a better platform for a longer-lasting system with a GPU upgrade down the track is also a solid choice. It depends what you prioritise.

I don't think a platform change will be due for a good 5 years or more(look at sandy owners). If the i3 starts to show it's age in two years, you just pop a second hand i7 6700 or i5 6500 in there and be good for another 4-5 years. honestly though, with DX12 coming along, teh i3 may actually become better and not warrant a replacement in two years.

 

[rhysiam]

I don't think a platform change will be due for a good 5 years or more(look at sandy owners). If the i3 starts to show it's age in two years, you just pop a second hand i7 6700 or i5 6500 in there and be good for another 4-5 years. honestly though, with DX12 coming along, teh i3 may actually become better and not warrant a replacement in two years.

That's a fair point about chucking a Skylake i5/i7 in the system down the track, if you can still find them around.

Most people are hoping DX12 will make better use of CPU cores, which might push an i3 even harder. Though I'll believe that when I see it. But yeah, I see where you're coming from. With the original question I think you can make a strong case for the i5 + 950, because the gap between the 950 & 960 is not all that big. But if indeed the i3 gets you a 480, I'd concede that you're probably right and it's clearly the better choice. If the 480 turns out to be as good as it looks so far, it's just untouchable from a price/performance perspective and so far ahead of the 950/960 that it puts the i3 build on top.

 

[Hlsgsz]

I don't think a platform change will be due for a good 5 years or more(look at sandy owners). If the i3 starts to show it's age in two years, you just pop a second hand i7 6700 or i5 6500 in there and be good for another 4-5 years. honestly though, with DX12 coming along, teh i3 may actually become better and not warrant a replacement in two years.

That's a fair point about chucking a Skylake i5/i7 in the system down the track, if you can still find them around.

Most people are hoping DX12 will make better use of CPU cores, which might push an i3 even harder. Though I'll believe that when I see it. But yeah, I see where you're coming from. With the original question I think you can make a strong case for the i5 + 950, because the gap between the 950 & 960 is not all that big. But if indeed the i3 gets you a 480, I'd concede that you're probably right and it's clearly the better choice. If the 480 turns out to be as good as it looks so far, it's just untouchable from a price/performance perspective and so far ahead of the 950/960 that it puts the i3 build on top.

Yup. Now, if only AMD would restart to simplify out CPU choices aswell, that'd be nice