CPU/GPU advice

[Lethalgator]

Can I get away with a dual core cpu and 2gb of vram on my gpu for a gaming rig?

[don_svetlio]

Exact models?

[pwn_intended]

Just now, Lethalgator said:

Can I get away with a dual core cpu and 2gb of vram on my gpu for a gaming rig?

If the only games you play are from 2009 and earlier (or their graphics are from that era), then sure, otherwise....youre gonna have a bad day.

[themctipers]

i think you can still get away with an i3 for gaming

2gb of vram is ok/bad for 1080p ... try 720p gaming

[Zyndo]

Yes, you should be able to play games @ 1080p with that sort of hardware. even current games. However you're likely not going to getting 60 fps, in some games you may not even get smooth fps throughout the whole thing, and you're certainly not going to be playing at high settings.

But yes, games will probably be functional and playable on that hardware (Of course this statement can vary depending on the dual core and 2 GB of VRAM, i'm assuming something like a i3 6100 and a GTX 950)

[Lethalgator]

2 minutes ago, pwn_intended said:

If the only games you play are from 2009 and earlier (or their graphics are from that era), then sure, otherwise....youre gonna have a bad day.

How many gb of vram should I get then?

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, Lethalgator said:

How many gb of vram should I get then?

WHAT EXACT COMPONENTS? THIS HERE IS FUCKING GUESSWORK >.<

[Lethalgator]

1 minute ago, Zyndo said:

Yes, you should be able to play games @ 1080p with that sort of hardware. even current games. However you're likely not going to getting 60 fps, in some games you may not even get smooth fps throughout the whole thing, and you're certainly not going to be playing at high settings.

But yes, games will probably be functional and playable on that hardware (Of course this statement can vary depending on the dual core and 2 GB of VRAM, i'm assuming something like a i3 6100 and a GTX 950)

Yes, but a 960 instead of a 950

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, Lethalgator said:

Yes, but a 960 instead of a 950

960 is shit value and not worth a damn anymore. RX 480 or 1060.

Also - a fucking Pentium is a bottleneck in ANY game for ANY GPU beyond a 750 Ti

[Lethalgator]

1 minute ago, don_svetlio said:

WHAT EXACT COMPONENTS? THIS HERE IS FUCKING GUESSWORK >.<

i3 6100 with a pny geforce gtx 960 2gb xlr8 elite oc video card

[pwn_intended]

1 minute ago, Lethalgator said:

How many gb of vram should I get then?

The question isn't how many GB of vram you need, but which specific card and CPU you need.

IMHO, the bigger bottleneck here would be the dual core CPU (once again depending on specific one) than a 2GB video card.

Also, definitely lower your expectations for quality settings/smooth framerates for any newish games.

[don_svetlio]

Just now, Lethalgator said:

i3 6100 with a pny geforce gtx 960 2gb xlr8 elite oc video card

i3 is fine, 960 is crap. Get a 1060 or 480 (whichever is cheaper) - 2GB of VRAM on that kind of card is also stupid. But so is the pathetic 128-bit interface on the 960.

TL:DR - i3 = good, 960 = shit

[pwn_intended]

Just now, Lethalgator said:

i3 6100 with a pny geforce gtx 960 2gb xlr8 elite oc video card

Are you saying you already have the components or you are looking to buy?

If you already have them, fire up some games and see if you can get away with it.

[Zyndo]

If you actually are going to use an I3 6100, a GTX 960, and 8 GB of RAM, that  setup will be able to play pretty much all current games at 1080p. But again, you're not going to get much eye candy, or hit your monitors refresh rate. But it SHOULD be functional and playable. If you haven't purchased anything yet, I would recommend the RX 480 or GTX 1060 instead of the 960 if you can afford it. and if you cant, the R9 380 should be about the same price as a 960 and should perform slightly better in games.

[Lethalgator]

1 minute ago, pwn_intended said:

The question isn't how many GB of vram you need, but which specific card and CPU you need.

IMHO, the bigger bottleneck here would be the dual core CPU (once again depending on specific one) than a 2GB video card.

Also, definitely lower your expectations for quality settings/smooth framerates for any newish games.

So I should spring for an Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor and a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card for anything decent?

[Lethalgator]

1 minute ago, pwn_intended said:

Are you saying you already have the components or you are looking to buy?

If you already have them, fire up some games and see if you can get away with it.

Looking to buy 

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, Lethalgator said:

So I should spring for an Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor and a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card for anything decent?

i5 is a MUCH better option (over 60% faster than the i3) and the 960 is still a shitfest. DO NOT BUY MAXWELL.

 

[Lethalgator]

1 minute ago, don_svetlio said:

i5 is a MUCH better option (over 60% faster than the i3) and the 960 is still a shitfest. DO NOT BUY MAXWELL.

 

If I only have about a $200 budget for a gpu, what should I get?

[don_svetlio]

Just now, Lethalgator said:

If I only have about a $200 budget for a gpu, what should I get?

RX 480 4GB. 60% faster than the 960 and actually supports DX12/Vulkan unlike the 960

[Dackzy]

stay the F away from a 960 or really any maxwell card, they suck at dx12 and async compute.

[Notional]

Literally anything is better than a 2GB 960. If the 480 is out of your price range, try a 380/x 4GB. Much better value too.

[Zyndo]

5 minutes ago, Lethalgator said:

So I should spring for an Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor and a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card for anything decent?

If you could spring extra money for an i5 6500 (or 6600, non k) and an RX 480 or 1060, you take your gaming potential from iffy and, "yes it will work, but it won't be awesome" to, "All of your friends will be jealous of how damn good your games look and feel to play." (assuming you're staying at 1080p gaming)

But if the 6100 and gtx 960 is all you can afford, then get the 6100 and R9 380/RX480

[Lethalgator]

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/fBZnHN

 

better?

 

theme is B&W btw

[don_svetlio]

Just now, Lethalgator said:

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/fBZnHN

 

better?

PSU is crappy as well. Get an XFX TS 550W or SeaSonic M12II EVO 520W

[don_svetlio]

3 minutes ago, Lethalgator said:

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/fBZnHN

 

better?

 

theme is B&W btw

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/2tckcf/xfx-power-supply-xfxts550w