Dual Core for gaming?

[Freeeeezy]

I'm choosing the parts for a budget gaming rig and I was thinking about using a dual core i3 CPU. I know that this is considered blasphemous but I only really plan on playing some of the simpler games such as Minecraft, League of Legends, and CS:GO.

 

I was considering maybe trying some more graphic intensive games, but obviously with two cores, my choices are pretty limited. I was thinking about trying Crysis 3, Bioshock Infinite, and also some Battlefield. 

 

I'm still not sure if I want to get in to these games. But if I end up going with a dual core CPU would I be able to play these games

 

BTW heres my build

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qzdnBm

[dizmo]

You'd be better off with an AMD 280...or perhaps even a 270x.

Dual cores are ok. I believe an I3 is seen as more of a 4 core because of hyper threading. I might be wrong.

[VioDuskar]

i'd try my best to spring for a quad core.

[SkilledRebuilds]

The i3 should LAST you long enough that you could save and buy an i5. (Playing less intensive games) then save save save,.. soon enough, its i5 time,.. and its a straight up Drop in and swap...and any game is perfectly matched with that powerhouse CPU + your GPU will not be limited in titles that take a shit on CPU threading.

 

It really is a better way to go than buying an AMD quadcore and expecting it to work the same way.

[ApolloX75]

You'll be fine with the i3, it's seen as a quad core thanks to the hyperthreading so you don't run into the issues that a G3258 does. Also clock for clock the i3's are very tough even without the ability to overclock. You'll get good use out of it.

[Freeeeezy]

i'd try my best to spring for a quad core.

I'm just messing around with this build. The system I am building has a nice quad core Intel Xeon E3 1231v3 with Hyperthreading. Pretty excited!

[Blebekblebek]

if an i3 have problem running most game, either game is broken or unoptimized

[Freeeeezy]

You'd be better off with an AMD 280...or perhaps even a 270x.

Dual cores are ok. I believe an I3 is seen as more of a 4 core because of hyper threading. I might be wrong.

But for this build I would need it in an ITX form also AMD cards are waayyy more power hungry which would also mean I would have to upgrade the PSU as well. I choose efficiency over just a small performance boost.

[Gale]

Having an i3 for gaming should be fine for the most part. It might struggle in games like Battlefield 4, the newer Total War games, and stuff like that.

[Humbug]

Modern i3 is ok. And games are heading in the direction of more CPU efficiency with Vulkan and DX12.

For a GPU I recommend an R9 285 or a GeForce 960. Whichever is cheaper..

[dizmo]

But for this build I would need it in an ITX form also AMD cards are waayyy more power hungry which would also mean I would have to upgrade the PSU as well. I choose efficiency over just a small performance boost.

You realize that the case you picked fits pretty much any video card on the market, yes?

Also, while you would have to pick a more powerful power supply, you're getting a lot more than a small performance boost. In a lot of situations the 270x doubles the numbers the 750Ti can put out.

The PSU required is a mere $30 more.

[Nonco]

You could go with something like the Pentium G3258, but this is only if you can overclock it, its very cheap but has huge OC potential.

[CatzRuleZWorld]

Dual core is plenty for those first games you listed. IDK about many other games but BioShock: Inf did 50-60 FPS on high for me with a G3258 and 750Ti so you'll be fine for that and probably other games made around the same time.

[PatrikStar24]

snip

i'd try my best to spring for a quad core.

You realize that the case you picked fits pretty much any video card on the market, yes?

Also, while you would have to pick a more powerful power supply, you're getting a lot more than a small performance boost. In a lot of situations the 270x doubles the numbers the 750Ti can put out.

The PSU required is a mere $30 more.

@Freeeeese I know you wanted a dual core, and that's fine for the games you listed. However, following the advice of the 2 people shown above and using your parts list as a base, I was able to compile a superior parts list for only 15 cents more than your parts list (quite a surprise imo).

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard  ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($53.89 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ Adorama)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($151.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case  ($79.99 @ Directron)

Power Supply: Silverstone 450W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $595.82

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-30 02:56 EDT-0400

 

Off topic: Perhaps I should add to my signature that I may or may not be an ass when I'm tired >_> .

[dizmo]

@Freeeeese I know you wanted a dual core, and that's fine for the games you listed. However, following the advice of the 2 people shown above and using your parts list as a base, I was able to compile a superior parts list for only 15 cents more than your parts list (quite a surprise imo).

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard  ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($53.89 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ Adorama)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($151.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case  ($79.99 @ Directron)

Power Supply: Silverstone 450W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $595.82

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-30 02:56 EDT-0400

 

Off topic: Perhaps I should add to my signature that I may or may not be an ass when I'm tired >_> .

Intel cores are much, much stronger than AMD cores. So you'll likely see better frame rates with an i3 at a very slightly higher cost.

[VioDuskar]

Intel cores are much, much stronger than AMD cores. So you'll likely see better frame rates with an i3 at a very slightly higher cost.

yeah, i've been running AMD for a while now, and i think im done.

i'd save costs on a card for now to get a better CPU, and later get a better GPU.