Overclock i3 vs i5

[TyFilms]

Would an overclocked i3 6100 be better than a stock i5 6400? I get that 4 cores is always better than 2, but how big of a difference would it make? I'm hoping I can save some money on my build. 

[paprikman]

1 minute ago, TyFilms said:

Would an overclocked i3 6100 be better than a stock i5 6400? I get that 4 cores is always better than 2, but how big of a difference would it make? I'm hoping I can save some money on my build. 

Even overclocked i3 will be almost 1.5-2 times less effiecient, than stock i5. Also, consider that some games just won't start on 2 core cpu.

[TyFilms]

1 minute ago, paprikman said:

Even overclocked i3 will be almost 1.5-2 times less effiecient, than stock i5. Also, consider that some games just won't start on 2 core cpu.

 

Are there any i5s cheaper than a 6400 with similar power? I really need to get my build under $700 but it's hard with an rx 480.

[paprikman]

5 minutes ago, TyFilms said:

Are there any i5s cheaper than a 6400 with similar power? I really need to get my build under $700 but it's hard with an rx 480.

No, I don't think so. But it does worth it to save up.

[Cela1]

15 minutes ago, TyFilms said:

Would an overclocked i3 6100 be better than a stock i5 6400? I get that 4 cores is always better than 2, but how big of a difference would it make? I'm hoping I can save some money on my build. 

You cannot overclock (base multiplier) either of those CPUs

[TyFilms]

2 minutes ago, Cela1 said:

You cannot overclock (base multiplier) either of those CPUs

I thought you could with a Z series mobo? Sorry if I'm wrong lol

[TheLaserCucumber]

2 hours ago, TyFilms said:

I thought you could with a Z series mobo? Sorry if I'm wrong lol

Some Z series mobos still support bclk overclocking on locked chips.

[Sreno1]

An i3-6100 is good enough for games and almost zero games utilize 4 or more cores. The i3-6100 base clock is already pretty good. 4 cores is mostly needed for multi-tasking and CPU bound games like Cities Skylines or Total War.