Which is the better combination?

[gluconolactone]

CPU: i3-4150

GPU: MSI GTX 750 Ti

Mobo: MSI H81M-P33

 

OR

 

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K

GPU: MSI Radeon R7 265

Mobo: MSI A88XM-E35

 

The main use is gaming, and pricing is very similar, albeit the i3 combo is about $10 more expensive.

[Stevemario]

if you do strategy games, or streaming, or play metro, or play skyrim, or play hitman absolution, quad core is better. there are more games, no doubt, majority of games will be tied because games are gpu limited these days.

[rambi36]

I believe that the AMD option is better. If you have a bit more money, bump up the r7 265 to an r9 270 it will perform a bit better

[ForsakenLive]

On games? The i3 will pwn the 4 core Athlon. 

[luke_2bossly]

Intel Nvidia Choice... i3 has better performance especially single thread, Also 750ti is more energy effecient better software support and almost on par in performance...

[Momas]

I would personally go with AMD. You could also do some overclocking on AMD cpu (I think H intel chipsets don't support overclocking).

[gluconolactone]

On games? The i3 will pwn the 4 core Athlon. 

I do know that, but the 265 is better than the 750 Ti... So would it actually be worth it to drop the 265 to a 750 Ti, for the i3?

One more thing, are the advantages of dual channel ram very significant? Because I'd like to get a single DIMM for a better upgrade path in a MicroATX board.

[Stevemario]

on the gpu I would take the nvidia card for gsync, linux support, better temps, and because I've tried amd got too many bsods and now I wanna try nvidia. (no need to flame or argue, people)

[i_build_nanosuits]

your gpu and cpu choices are independant so you could very well go with the core i3 and r7 265, that would give you the better performance..

and no, for gaming purposes dual channel ram wont change anything..

[gluconolactone]

your gpu and cpu choices are independant so you could very well go with the core i3 and r7 265, that would give you the better performance..

 

Not quite. The i3 is more expensive than than Athlon, and the r7 is more expensive than the 750ti. So it's pretty much this or that...

[i_build_nanosuits]

Not quite. The i3 is more expensive than than Athlon, and the r7 is more expensive than the 750ti. So it's pretty much this or that...

then i would go with the better GPU option, do you play/plan to play online MMO's? (Elder scroll online, guild wars 2, planet side 2)

[gluconolactone]

then i would go with the better GPU option, do you play/plan to play online MMO's? (Elder scroll online, guild wars 2, planet side 2)

 

Not really. More into FPS such as BF3, BF4 and CS:GO.

I also heard the Athlon is excessively loud and hot with the stock cooler. Really can't afford an aftermarket atm .

[ForsakenLive]

Not really. More into FPS such as BF3, BF4 and CS:GO.

I also heard the Athlon is excessively loud and hot with the stock cooler. Really can't afford an aftermarket atm .

Games like MMOs are very CPU dependant, and Intel beats whatever AMD currently has (those games are single core, poorly optimized). Some other games are not CPU bound at all, and the difference between the i3 and the athlon becomes shorter. On games optimized for several threads, while the i3 has only 2 cores, its hyperthreading comes in handy, this thing is basically a 2 core i7.

Between the i3 4150 and the Athlon 760k, with a basic mATX mobo with at least 1 PCIe x16 slot and Sata III (6.0 gbps), there is only a $20 difference. Personally, I would save those $20, look for coins around the house, beg, or even skip a meal. I think it's worth it, you will be using this PC for like the next 2 years.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/W4Jm3C

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qcDGjX

[i_build_nanosuits]

i'd personaly save some more to afford FX-6300 setup or Core i5-4430 or similar.

Same goes for GPU if you plan to play at 1080p get at least a r9 270x or GTX 660

[gluconolactone]

i'd personaly save some more to afford FX-6300 setup or Core i5-4430 or similar.

Same goes for GPU if you plan to play at 1080p get at least a r9 270x or GTX 660

 

Actually I'm planning 900p. That's the max of the monitor I got now, I guess a 265 can handle it easily.

[i_build_nanosuits]

Actually I'm planning 900p. That's the max of the monitor I got now, I guess a 265 can handle it easily.

yes, mostly on high/ultra settings at 900p for most games.

[gluconolactone]

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

Just a question, are existing motherboards such as the H81M-P33 compatible with Haswell Refresh CPUs such as the i3-4150? From what I understood is that they require a BIOS update but function fine and are compatible (correct me if I'm wrong). How troublesome is updating a BIOS?

[gluconolactone]

Thanks for the help so far everyone.

Just a question, are existing motherboards such as the H81M-P33 compatible with Haswell Refresh CPUs such as the i3-4150? From what I understood is that they require a BIOS update but function fine and are compatible (correct me if I'm wrong). How troublesome is updating a BIOS?