Best CPU for gaming

[Nacho Marco Segui]

Hi guys,so far i have almost completed my build,but... I cant choose a CPU.The gpu is a R9 280x if that helps.

So im between getting the I3 4330 for 100 euros and a MSI H97m for 50(so cheap cause its from a friend)

Or a FX 6300 for 105 and an Asus M59A7 R2.0 for 67

These are the options,and i know that intel for gaming is better thanks to the better performance per core,but lately ive seen that the Fx lineup is holding against intel in games like the witcher 3.

So what do you guys think? Which would be the best cpu for gaming

[Mattrixx]

Hi guys,so far i have almost completed my build,but... I cant choose a CPU.The gpu is a R9 280x if that helps.

So im between getting the I3 4330 for 100 euros and a MSI H97m for 50(so cheap cause its from a friend)

Or a FX 6300 for 105 and an Asus M59A7 R2.0 for 67

These are the options,and i know that intel for gaming is better thanks to the better performance per core,but lately ive seen that the Fx lineup is holding against intel in games like the witcher 3.

So what do you guys think? Which would be the best cpu for gaming

i3 fo' sho'. Take a look at benchmarks. The FX lineup is older and weaker than you might think.

[minibois]

-snip-

I would say the i3, because Intel really seems to perform better in games.

But that CPU is a dual with hyperthreading, so some games can't play on it (without modding)

 

How about going for that Intel motherboard and an i5 4440? How much would that set you back?

(Not sure though if that motherboard needs a bios update though for the CPU, don't quote me on that)

[Goldensapling]

Get the i3. The FX isn't a gaming line, it has horrible single core performance.

[SeanBond]

The 4690k is really the official gaming cpu in my eyes, it's not insanely expensives and it can steam roll through 99% of the games out there. The fx lineup is really kinda crap at this point but not super terrible like others seem to think. Between an i3 and a fx6300 I would actually take the i3. More consistent performance, it's known that fx chips have lower min frame rate drops.

[SeanBond]

I would say the i3, because Intel really seems to perform better in games.

But that CPU is a dual with hyperthreading, so some games can't play on it (without modding)

 

How about going for that Intel motherboard and an i5 4440? How much would that set you back?

(Not sure though if that motherboard needs a bios update though for the CPU, don't quote me on that)

Are you sure games can't play on that? I was sure that games registered threads as cores.

[minibois]

Are you sure games can't play on that? I was sure that games registered threads as cores.

I thought so too, but I keep on hearing people say it and Luke said it in a couple game or CPU reviews too.

I'm at school and we have i7's in these PC's. Task Manager says the CPU has:

Cores: 4

Logical processors: 8

[Nacho Marco Segui]

I3's can play games that require quadcores thanks to HT,if not,the G3258 would still be popular(its pretty useless right now) 

About compatibilty,i chose the h97 board for that,it supports Haswell refresh... am i rite?

[i_build_nanosuits]

Are you sure games can't play on that? I was sure that games registered threads as cores.

all games play perfectly fine on the core i3...the FX-6300 play some games well...but tank in many others that require any kind of CPU processing horsepower.

OP i'd go with the i3-4330...it's a great board too...and next year or in two years or whatever if you want more performance you can just pop in an i5 or even an i7-4790K in there if you feel like it.

[Nacho Marco Segui]

Yeah,i think im going for the i3.People told me that if you oc the FX it can be better,but i would need a good board,cooling and a better psu for achieving high ocs

[SeanBond]

all games play perfectly fine on the core i3...the FX-6300 play some games well...but tank in many others that require any kind of CPU processing horsepower.

OP i'd go with the i3-4330...it's a great board too...and next year or in two years or whatever if you want more performance you can just pop in an i5 or even an i7-4790K in there if you feel like it.

The 6300 does not tank on all games that require lots of cpu power, just the ones that require one or two really powerful cores. I always thought it hilarious when people go an by arma with an fx chip and wonder why they get 8fps. It just terrible for games that don't use any threads.

[i_build_nanosuits]

The 6300 does not tank on all games that require lots of cpu power, just the ones that require one or two really powerful cores. I always thought it hilarious when people go an by arma with an fx chip and wonder why they get 8fps. It just terrible for games that don't use any threads.

correct, but many quad-threaded games still have a ''main'' thread and this one will only go as fast as your fastest CPU core...that's why many of these ''multi-threaded'' games you would think would run a lot better than they do on these FX chips.

[ApolloX75]

@i_build_nanosuits is correct (and has the experience to back it up too if I remember correctly), the i3 is the better choice.

Obviously an i5 is ideal but those i3s are no slouch. Also the hyperthreading will allow games like Far Cry 4 to run just fine even though its a dual core.

@SeanBond you're also correct BTW, the FX 6300 does handle most games quite well for what it is. But the fact that OP can get a good H97 board for so cheap is a huge factor. Solid AM3+ boards are way more than $50.

Just my 2 cents.

[Nacho Marco Segui]

Hi guys,finally i can stretch my budget a little bit and im going to take the i5 4460.But my question is,what mobo is compatible with this cpu? Should i stick to the h97 from msi,or can i get a B85/h81 for a lower price?

[rentaspoon]

Hi guys,finally i can stretch my budget a little bit and im going to take the i5 4460.But my question is,what mobo is compatible with this cpu? Should i stick to the h97 from msi,or can i get a B85/h81 for a lower price?

Unless you can get anything better with the extra cash I would stick with the h97

[incarnate]

If you can't stretch the budget for an i5 4440 then go with the i3

[i_build_nanosuits]

Hi guys,finally i can stretch my budget a little bit and im going to take the i5 4460.But my question is,what mobo is compatible with this cpu? Should i stick to the h97 from msi,or can i get a B85/h81 for a lower price?

well...it's tricky...if you want to go with a B85 board and save some money you have the B85 anniversary from asrock or the B85 gaming 3 i believe from gigabyte which have been released AFTER the haswell refresh line of CPU and the G3258...so they will support any cpu's out of the box...it's been a over a year already since haswell refresh sku's have launched so i assume most boards should by now support them out of the box...but H97 is a nicer chipset with better features...also the MSI uefi is vastly superior to the gigabyte or asrock uefi...software suite is also better.

[Nena Trinity]

i3 may be better at single-core tasks but the issue is that some games demand quad-core cpus or more...

[ApolloX75]

i3 may be better at single-core tasks but the issue is that some games demand quad-core cpus or more...

The i3 has hyperthreading. It is treated as a quad core, even by stubborn Ubisoft standards.

[Ketcchup]

i3 may be better at single-core tasks but the issue is that some games demand quad-core cpus or more...

 

HT is fine for that, and works really nice. The problem comes with the so overrated  G3258 

[Nena Trinity]

The i3 has hyperthreading. It is treated as a quad core, even by stubborn Ubisoft standards.

Wreally? Some people I have seen could not start with a i3!

 

HT is fine for that, and works really nice. The problem comes with the so overrated  G3258 

You two sure?!

[ApolloX75]

Wreally? Some people I have seen could not start with a i3!

You two sure?!

Yes. I've tested it myself on a 3240.

[Ketcchup]

Wreally? Some people I have seen could not start with a i3!

 

You two sure?!

 

 

3:32

 

i3 sometimes even destroys FX6300/8350

[SteveGrabowski0]

well...it's tricky...if you want to go with a B85 board and save some money you have the B85 anniversary from asrock or the B85 gaming 3 i believe from gigabyte which have been released AFTER the haswell refresh line of CPU and the G3258...so they will support any cpu's out of the box...it's been a over a year already since haswell refresh sku's have launched so i assume most boards should by now support them out of the box...but H97 is a nicer chipset with better features...also the MSI uefi is vastly superior to the gigabyte or asrock uefi...software suite is also better.

 

I wouldnt recommend Gigabyte B85 boards anymore. I saw a report on Tech Yes City's youtube channel where it was shown revision 2.0 of once good Gigabyte B85 boards are using crap components that cause lots of CPU throttling.

[SteveGrabowski0]

Hi guys,finally i can stretch my budget a little bit and im going to take the i5 4460.But my question is,what mobo is compatible with this cpu? Should i stick to the h97 from msi,or can i get a B85/h81 for a lower price?

 

I'd try to go with an H97 board just so you don't have any headaches about updating the BIOS for the i5-4460. Alternatively you could go with H81 or B85 and get an i5-4440. I mean I think it would be unlikely you get a board with a BIOS too old for the i5-4460 if you bought an H81 or B85 board (the Haswell Refresh BIOS were released for most boards in June last year), but what a huge pain in the ass it would be if you got unlucky.