CPU Pair for Mid-Range GPU

[Jackrukey]

Hello, I'm new to building PC's for gaming, and I would like to get a budget GPU like the GTX 750 Ti.  Since I am on a budget I would like to know what low end processors would not bottleneck a card like that, and still be cheap.  I was also wondering if I could still use a dual core processor like a Haswell i3 with next gen titles, because I've heard that minimum requirements won't allow for dual core processors, even if they can handle the game.  My price range for a processor would be anywhere up to $200 at maximum.  Thank you in advance  .

[MadManMarsBar]

Intel Pentium G3258 would be my vote , get a good cooler for it and OC the crap out of it

[BloodWithIce]

you could find an 8350 for that price. 

[Ragin Asian]

Go for an athlon 860k if you're worried a dual core won't be enough.

[Jackrukey]

Intel Pentium G3258 would be my vote , get a good cooler for it and OC the crap out of it

Would a dual core be able to play next gen titles though? (I know that it is definitely powerful enough, but I am not sure if it meets next gen games requirements).  But thank you for your quick response MadManMarsBar

[Faceman]

Hello, I'm new to building PC's for gaming, and I would like to get a budget GPU like the GTX 750 Ti.  Since I am on a budget I would like to know what low end processors would not bottleneck a card like that, and still be cheap.  I was also wondering if I could still use a dual core processor like a Haswell i3 with next gen titles, because I've heard that minimum requirements won't allow for dual core processors, even if they can handle the game.  My price range for a processor would be anywhere up to $200 at maximum.  Thank you in advance  .

What is your overall budget for the build?  Where are you located?  Can you reuse anything from a previous build?  Do you need an OS, peripherals, monitor, etc..?

[Jackrukey]

Go for an athlon 860k if you're worried a dual core won't be enough.

Thank you Ragin Asian, I've heard that is a great budget processor.  Do you know how well it compares to a Pentium, i3, or FX 4350 after it is over clocked?

[Jackrukey]

What is your overall budget for the build?  Where are you located?  Can you reuse anything from a previous build?  Do you need an OS, peripherals, monitor, etc..?

My overall budget would around $550-$600.  I am located in the Boston, MA area.  I cannot reuse a anything from a previous build.  I already own an OS, peripherals, monitor, Disc Drive and a hard drive. Thank you for the quick response Faceman.

[Ragin Asian]

Thank you Ragin Asian, I've heard that is a great budget processor.  Do you know how well it compares to a Pentium, i3, or FX 4350 after it is over clocked?

 

860k vs pentium:

 

IMO the 4300 isn't worth it since it's on an older platform than the other two.

[Jackrukey]

860k vs pentium:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVmIVSalP-s

 

IMO the 4300 isn't worth it since it's on an older platform than the other two.

Thank you very much, I'll definitely consider the 860k now

[Ragin Asian]

Thank you very much, I'll definitely consider the 860k now

 

No problem.

[i_build_nanosuits]

My overall budget would around $550-$600.  I am located in the Boston, MA area.  I cannot reuse a anything from a previous build.  I already own an OS, peripherals, monitor, Disc Drive and a hard drive. Thank you for the quick response Faceman.

faceman will suggest something, i would but i'm on my phone...with that budget you can have much better...and you are close to a micro center you should get a cpu/motherboard combo there in store for cheap...for the gpu look for r9 270 or even r9 280 both severely outperform the 750ti...anyways as i said im sure faceman will respond in a few, follow him he knows his stuff! good luck

[Faceman]

My overall budget would around $550-$600.  I am located in the Boston, MA area.  I cannot reuse a anything from a previous build.  I already own an OS, peripherals, monitor, Disc Drive and a hard drive. Thank you for the quick response Faceman.

Ok, lucky for you, you live near a Microcenter.

 

Go to Microcenter and buy an Intel i5-4690k + ASRock Z97 Extreme 4.  It comes to $275.  This should be the foundation for your build.  Don't ignore this deal.  This is an incredible deal and it is only available for in-store purchase.  This is a CPU that will be able to handle anything you throw at it for many years to come, and on a very good, and feature-rich motherboard.

 

Next, buy the least expensive kit of 4GBx2 RAM you can find.

 

You will have enough budget left over for an SSD.  I strongly encourage you to buy an SSD from the start.  Install your OS on the SSD, and use your HDD for games and media.  This will make your system incredibly fast.  Nothing will give you that "new computer, money well spent feeling" like an SSD.

 

The R9 280 is an incredibly powerful GPU that is capable of playing the majority of games at High-Ultra settings.  It is a steal for only $140.  This is the GPU for you.

 

The CX line of power supplies are not the best, but they are very good for budget builds.  I used one in mine until I had enough money for a higher quality one down the road.  The CX PSU will last you 2 years, maybe 3.  So it is an excellent budget option that will allow you to build your computer and enjoy it until it comes time to upgrade.

 

The case is a very personal choice, I went with something inexpensive that can fit your budget.

 

Lastly, when you get more money, buy a CPU Cooler.  The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is the best CPU Cooler for the money at only $25-$30.  This will allow for overclocking, and quiet operation.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pyXkzy

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pyXkzy/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Micro Center)

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($75.00)

Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($65.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.40 @ Newegg)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($140.00 @ Newegg)

Case: Azza SIRIUS ATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $595.36

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-05 21:52 EST-0500

 

Admittedly, it is not color coordinated, but we're going for performance here, not aesthetics.

 

This is a home run build for $600 once you add in your HDD, OS, Peripherals, and Monitor.

[Jackrukey]

Ok, lucky for you, you live near a Microcenter.

 

Go to Microcenter and buy an Intel i5-4690k + ASRock Z97 Extreme 4.  It comes to $275.  This should be the foundation for your build.  Don't ignore this deal.  This is an incredible deal and it is only available for in-store purchase.  This is a CPU that will be able to handle anything you throw at it for many years to come, and on a very good, and feature-rich motherboard.

 

Next, buy the least expensive kit of 4GBx2 RAM you can find.

 

You will have enough budget left over for an SSD.  I strongly encourage you to buy an SSD from the start.  Install your OS on the SSD, and use your HDD for games and media.  This will make your system incredibly fast.  Nothing will give you that "new computer, money well spent feeling" like an SSD.

 

The R9 280 is an incredibly powerful GPU that is capable of playing the majority of games at High-Ultra settings.  It is a steal for only $140.  This is the GPU for you.

 

The CX line of power supplies are not the best, but they are very good for budget builds.  I used one in mine until I had enough money for a higher quality one down the road.  The CX PSU will last you 2 years, maybe 3.  So it is an excellent budget option that will allow you to build your computer and enjoy it until it comes time to upgrade.

 

The case is a very personal choice, I went with something inexpensive that can fit your budget.

 

Lastly, when you get more money, buy a CPU Cooler.  The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is the best CPU Cooler for the money at only $25-$30.  This will allow for overclocking, and quiet operation.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pyXkzy

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pyXkzy/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Micro Center)

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($75.00)

Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($65.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.40 @ Newegg)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($140.00 @ Newegg)

Case: Azza SIRIUS ATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $595.36

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-05 21:52 EST-0500

 

Admittedly, it is not color coordinated, but we're going for performance here, not aesthetics.

 

This is a home run build for $600 once you add in your HDD, OS, Peripherals, and Monitor.

Thank you very much, that is an amazing deal and I hadn't known that there was a Microcenter near me,  Thank you for informing me.

[i_build_nanosuits]

this is what i would suggest you look for there are some awesome deals on this list but as i said drop by microcenter for a motherboard and cpu youll get something much better for about this price:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($41.34 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($140.00 @ Newegg) 

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($21.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $526.28

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-05 22:09 EST-0500

[Jackrukey]

 

this is what i would suggest you look for there are some awesome deals on this list but as i said drop by microcenter for a motherboard and cpu youll get something much better for about this price:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($41.34 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($65.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($140.00 @ Newegg) 

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($21.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $526.28

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-05 22:09 EST-0500

 

That looks like a great build for the price, thank you for the response.

[Linux User]

I'd say 860K, but if you are in a place like where I live where the 860K isn't sold, dual graphics isn't a bad option. Get a 7850K or 7700K and pair it with a 250X for similar performance to a single 260X