147 replies to this topic

[Goose]

The Pentium G3258 has it's fans, but we are back to overclocking, again, to make a playable game.

About two years ago, Tom's Hardware said stop buying dual-cores, but make an exception for the overclocked G3258s …

Last time I checked, your budget constants made it hard to sneak in an i5-4590, but as no one has a hard CPU model/GHz combo to meet, or be equivalent of, and that part seem like bang-for-buck, I'd find a way to get it …

Video cards are easy to replace, but doing so, even at a later date, isn't exactly money well spent …

[ShinobiHunter]

So I'm leaning towards one of these 2 now. Any thoughts on them? I know AMD isn't very popular on the forums, but it seems like a good processor, especially since I intend to use my pc for other tasks where the 8 cores could come in handy. Any idea what sort of FPS I would get with either of these?

https://pcpartpicker...ed/#view=KyhdnQ

https://pcpartpicker...ed/#view=D69XsY

And yes, I managed to find a little extra cash to throw at it

Edited by ShinobiHunter, 19 February 2015 - 05:30 AM.

[Goose]

http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4191335

http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4199012

I view the R7 265 as a minimum …

Also: Win10 is free for a couple of months, or so …

[Goose]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Prolimatech Basic 48 CPU Cooler ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card ($133.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $644.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 01:56 EST-0500

Base Total: $705.79
Mail-in Rebates: -$65.00
Shipping: $3.99
Total: $644.78

[ShinobiHunter]

Goose, on 18 February 2015 - 09:36 PM, said:

http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4191335

http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4199012

I view the R7 265 as a minimum …

Also: Win10 is free for a couple of months, or so …

Where do I find Win10? Isn't it just the preview for now, or will that run MWO, etc?

[Catamount]

ShinobiHunter, on 19 February 2015 - 05:33 AM, said:

Where do I find Win10? Isn't it just the preview for now, or will that run MWO, etc?

Yes. The Tech Preview will run anything Windows 7/8 will.

[ShinobiHunter]

Well I finally got my new rig built. I know AMD isn't the best for MWO, but I really didn't want to go dual core, and i5 are just a bit much. Plus, I just get some weird satisfaction out of supporting the underdogs So I went with this:
AMD FX-6300
MSI 970 Gaming mobo
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
8 GB DDR3-1600 RAM
MSI Twin Frozr R9 270 2GB
Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD

So far it's much, much faster and smoother than my old laptop. I'll try to get some video up of it running MWO soon.

[Roaxis Stalomainis]

ShinobiHunter, on 21 March 2015 - 08:58 PM, said:

Well I finally got my new rig built. I know AMD isn't the best for MWO, but I really didn't want to go dual core, and i5 are just a bit much. Plus, I just get some weird satisfaction out of supporting the underdogs So I went with this:
AMD FX-6300
MSI 970 Gaming mobo
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
8 GB DDR3-1600 RAM
MSI Twin Frozr R9 270 2GB
Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD

So far it's much, much faster and smoother than my old laptop. I'll try to get some video up of it running MWO soon.

Not trying to rip on your build, but AMD Seriously has optimization issues with their 8 core CPU's. Starting with the Trinity line it got better, but if you want to stay on the cutting edge for MWO go with Intel. I went from an AMD build to an Intel build and had noticable performance improvements on the lowest speed Ram and a GT640. I'll list my build for you, but it might make your wallet scream at you for doing this. Also, I would recommend staying away from the GTX 900 Series GPU's until MWO gets their act together and properly optimizes their games to handle them without random crashes (side note: Crashes have been rare with the latest patch for me and I run a GTX 980 in my build). So before we get started, I'm going with a Haswell "Devils Canyon" core build using the z97 chipset for memory cost efficiency and use the same Mobo as the base of the build. Everyone has their own preferences, MSI boards have always died fast on me for some odd reason, ASUS seems to last forever. It's all just preference of the user and how comfortable they are with their system and how advanced their system will be.

My Build:
CPU: i7-4790k @ 4.0GHz (4.4GHz+ in Turbo Mode)
Cooling: Corsair H80i Closed Loop Water Cooler (Water Cooling required for this CPU)
PSU: Corsair RM850 Fully Modular 850W Power Supply (Allows you to only use the cables you need for sufficient airflow)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus VII Hero z97 Chipset
Memory: G.Skill RipjawsX Series PC2400 8GB x 2 (Total of 16GB Ram)
GPU: Zotac Nvidia GTX 980 Amp Extreme Edition
Storage: Samsung 800 Series SSD 500GB Data Center Edition
Seagate Baracuda 7200RPM 1TB HDD
OS: Microsoft Professional+***

This build ran me close to about $2000 to build on my own. You could build an AMD for a fracion of the cost and OC it on LN2 to get better performance than my Water Cooled system, but you won't have nearly as long of a lifespan to the AMD Fanboys dismay. Proper airflow is a MUST for this build as well, as the GPU will reach temps of about 70c while running MWO and the Water cooler keeps the CPU at a nice 45c for it's speed. You would be wiser to go with a 280mm water cooler instead of the 140mm I purchased for myself and mount it to the top of your case for proper heat disappation. Then you will want about 2 fans bringing air in on the front, 2 in the side to cool your GPU, 1 out the back and the fans for you radiator blowing out of the top. This will allow for the most efficient build in terms of airflow if you use 120mm or 140mm for case fans because just like in MWO, heat is your worst enemy! Now, go with a Devils Canyon i5 CPU instead unless you want to go with the stock 4790 (which runs at 3.2GHz in compairison to the i7-4790k and benchmarks better as well). As for the GPU, steer clear of the 900 series for now unless you want to go for the GTX 960, which is the budget version of the 980, and experience ingame issues... Or you could go with an older model such as the GTX 880 or 780 and get a little less performance in exchange for that extra bit of stability. I haven't messed with ATI GPU's for the last few years, but if you're already an ATI Fan then stick with your guns, can't force you to change on that note.

Suggested Build:
CPU: i5-4690 (stock CPU, fan cooling for simplicity)
Cooling: Stock Fan packaged with CPU
Mobo: ASUS ROG Maximus VII Hero (Same as mine, no heat shielding for cost efficiency)
PSU: Corsair RM850 Fully Modular (Same PSU so you can retain heat efficiency and have proper airflow with power to spare if you want to SLI or Crossfire later on)
Memory: G.Skill RipjawsX Series (Same as mine, will discuss more in detail after the list. Model: F3-2400C11D-16GXM)
HDD: Seagate Baracuda or WD Black 7200RPM 1TB
GPU: ASUS GTX 960 (The choice is up to you, but ask around for opinions on GPU's before buying)

Total Price: $1,134.87 USD with about $15 in Shipping and Handling.

That will give you a solid build that will last for several years. Now, I know it's pricy, but everything listed has an excellent warranty averaging about 3 years per part (don't take my word though, read over the product information)! Also, the reason why I included some of the same hardware from my build is to simplify the complexity of my build and reduce the number of power cables to an absolute minimum for the highest cooling efficiency. All of the fans on this system have a 300,000 hour lifespan, as for the case listed it comes with only one fan, which is the reason why I listed the correct number of fans in the provided wishlist. Now, don't fear the prices, because there is a way to get this hardware cheap and the secret is... Look for sales! I shaved about $500 off the overall cost of my hardware just by keeping an eye out for these discounts and coupon codes to lower the prices even more. Also, note that I provided the model number to the exact memory kit you should use for this build. The reason why I listed that is because you're going to have a hard time finding the exact same type and size ram for that price. A good matched kit like this can run you about $230 easily for a lower speed! Also, the case listed is exactly the same as mine, I would say the disadvantages you may have is that it's a mid-size tower, only comes with one fan, and has no reset button. Now, before you dismiss the case, for that price you can fit a GTX 980 Amp Extreme Edition in it. Now, that's what I call a large mid-size tower (I can take a pic and post it to this thread later for those non-believers in the holy GTX 980, jk). Now, as for the HDD's, you could easily slip in a 120GB SSD (special spot on the bottom of the case to mount one with ease) to boost your speed, but the HDD I used for this build has a 64MB Cache, 7200RPM, and 1TB of storage space with a 5 year warranty! So you get excellent performance, storage, and support for your drive for that price! The Seagate Barracuda HDD's aren't bad, I use one myself to be honest, but it only comes with a 3 year warranty instead. Also, word on the net has it that Seagate HDD's are lasting longer than Western Digital; just goes to show how peer reviews should affect your shopping after you verify what's being said.

Now, I'm sorry for the wall of text, but that's my personal opinion on system builds. I make them to last for years to come after making a substantial investment in my system to ensure it's lifespan. And finally, what you've been waiting to see if you have read this far... the link to the wishlist slapped on at the very bottom (when newegg decides to refresh and make it public). Thank you for actually reading this massive wall of text, I can only hope it helps newbie system builders get a better grasp on how to build systems by pointing out some of my systems flaws and making some corrections in the newer build (if you can catch what I did).

Edit:
For some odd reason Newegg does not wish to share my wishlist publically. So in turn I took a screenshot of the list for you to view, you will just have to use a calculator to tally up the price. (The price I listed under Recommended build is accurate as of 3/22/2015 at 2:26am)

Edited by Roaxis Stalomainis, 21 March 2015 - 11:31 PM.

[Oderint dum Metuant]

Roaxis Stalomainis, on 21 March 2015 - 11:17 PM, said:

Suggested Build:
CPU: i5-4690 (stock CPU, fan cooling for simplicity)
Cooling: Stock Fan packaged with CPU
Mobo: ASUS ROG Maximus VII Hero (Same as mine, no heat shielding for cost efficiency)
PSU: Corsair RM850 Fully Modular (Same PSU so you can retain heat efficiency and have proper airflow with power to spare if you want to SLI or Crossfire later on)
Memory: G.Skill RipjawsX Series (Same as mine, will discuss more in detail after the list. Model: F3-2400C11D-16GXM)
HDD: Seagate Baracuda or WD Black 7200RPM 1TB
GPU: ASUS GTX 960 (The choice is up to you, but ask around for opinions on GPU's before buying)

Total Price: $1,134.87 USD with about $15 in Shipping and Handling.

for $1.1k thats a bad build, also the RM series of Corsair PSU's are bad, cheap secondary caps, bad voltage control, higher operating temps, if your going to pick a corsair PSU it needs to be one of the high end ones (HX/AX) that aren't made with bad OEM parts.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($218.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($115.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($323.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.98 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.98 @ Mwave)
Total: $1113.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-22 08:45 EDT-0400

Better CPU (allowing overclock) less money wasted on a high end board that simply isn't required, better GPU, better PSU, added SSD in addition to the HDD.

Which is all pointless as the OP has already made the mistake of going AMD on a far smaller budget than $1.1k

[KhanJames]

I had a AMD FX 8350 and like people said it works and works relatively well (Although intels single core speeds kill it in MWO) ( with it slightly overclocked (4.5) +R9 270 clocked to X + 8gig 1600) gave me an average of 60 frames with (Comunity warfare) dips to 15ish but thats only for the dropship (the new optimisations helped alot in CW) and for lights at 120+ kph spinning takes it down to around 45 fps which IMO is sill quite playable.

At the same time though i would say dont cheap out, i know that its tempting to buy cheap so you can play now but as some one who tried to do that and had a Mobo fail (in under 3 months of use) (An Asrock "Performance" mobo) (Even sadder when the gigabye mobo that i got before it for free when i bought the processor is still working) its better to spend a bit more even if you have to wait because other wise you'll end up like me waiting a new mobo with a expensive paperweight.

For Parts
-Have 2 EVGA fully modular PSUs love them well worth the cost.
-An XFX Graphics card (270) over clocked it to 270x spend and its damn good for the price with lifetime warranty. People say Nvida over AMD IMO its preference (Nvidea has features (Plus there "control" drivers get updated alot more and include more optimisations) AMD doesnt have or that manufacturers/game creators dont use(many were aligned with nvidea/Intel now seems to be shifting), AMD is usually $50-100 cheaper to comperable performance, AMD easier to multi gpu,) (Hell you can get a R9 295 (crossfired 290x) for just under $700 and that card will be high end for quite some time)
-SSD > regular HDD (iwould get atmost one large 3+ terrabyte drive primarily for backups and doccuments/etc where speed isnt an issue. Personally kingston SSDs have always been cheap and good for me, Although I also got a 850 Pro which is awesome.
-Personally prefer watercooling (maybe because i try to overclock AMD which naturally run hot.)
-I never bother with Disk Drives (DVD/Blu) USB better IMO (also starting to see thunderbolt and usb 3.1 becoming more common)
-Mobo is preference I have found gigabyte to be untouchable in terms of price vs reliability, Asus is more expensive but usually worth the additional (never getting another Asrock not sure what kinda manufacturer cheaps out to the point caps blow in under 3 months). heard good things about MSI never had one so grain a salt.

If you have the cash later get a Razer / logitech game pad love mine and when you "remap" it it makes games like MWO way easier to play.

Edited by KhanJames, 22 March 2015 - 06:13 AM.

[Lord Letto]

User.cfg for that 6300, Credit goes to Smokeyjedi, edit as needed:

Quote

gp_option_ShowCockpitGlass=0 (off/on)
r_DepthOfField=0 (off/on)
r_HDRGrainAmount=0.0 (film grain amount)
r_motionBlur = 0

r_MultiThreaded = 1

cl_fov = 70 (Default is 75)

sys_MaxFPS = 144

d3d10_TripleBuffering = 1
d3d11_TripleBuffering = 1
d3d9_TripleBuffering = 1

e_GsmCache = 1
r_FogShadows = 0

q_ShaderWater = 0

r_silhouettePOM = 0
r_UsePOM = 0

sys_enable_budgetmonitoring = 1
sys_budget_sysmem = 8192

*open command console as admin from start menu- type "winsat mem" and press enter. add values to this chart below.....
but multiply your value X1024 for systembudgetthroughput*

sys_budget_streamingthroughput = 26320912
sys_LocalMemoryGeometryStreamingSpeedLimit = 25604
sys_LocalMemoryTextureStreamingSpeedLimit = 25604
sys_streaming_max_bandwidth = 25604


sys_budget_videomem = 2096 (your GPU VRAM value)

sys_main_CPU = 0
sys_streaming_CPU = 1
sys_physics_CPU = 2

sys_budget_soundCPU = 5
r_WaterUpdateThread = 5

ca_thread0Affinity = 0
ca_thread1Affinity = 3

sys_limit_phys_thread_count = 6
s_NumLoadingThreadsToUse = 6

sys_TaskThread0_CPU = 0
sys_TaskThread1_CPU = 4
sys_TaskThread2_CPU = 3
sys_TaskThread3_CPU = 2
sys_TaskThread4_CPU = 4
sys_TaskThread5_CPU = 1
sys_TaskThread6_CPU = 5

plug it in and OC as much as possible, 4.5GHz+ if that 970 chipset allows it, I know a 990FX would have. i'd love to see results of this CPU @ 4.8GHz.

[Roaxis Stalomainis]

DV McKenna, on 22 March 2015 - 04:47 AM, said:

for $1.1k thats a bad build, also the RM series of Corsair PSU's are bad, cheap secondary caps, bad voltage control, higher operating temps, if your going to pick a corsair PSU it needs to be one of the high end ones (HX/AX) that aren't made with bad OEM parts.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($218.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($115.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($323.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.98 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.98 @ Mwave)
Total: $1113.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-22 08:45 EDT-0400

Better CPU (allowing overclock) less money wasted on a high end board that simply isn't required, better GPU, better PSU, added SSD in addition to the HDD.

Which is all pointless as the OP has already made the mistake of going AMD on a far smaller budget than $1.1k

That's not a bad build, but right now it's a battle of the budgets and flagships. I built my system because of it's features for Virtual Environments and Intense Rendering. What I posted was a mini version of my system, I've yet to have any issues with it aside from the MWO client wanting to crash randomly in mid match (after about 10+ hours of continuous gaming on the weekends). You can argue about the flaws in the system, but in the end I have a deep dislike for MSI motherboards myself due to personally watching my stepdad burn them out year after year until he went to ASUS. As for the Corsair PSU, I have yet to have any issues with it. ASUS does make lower end boards that are compatable with the CPU, but might lack some of the features such as the integrated M.2. port for additional storage. Also, AMD is getting better in terms of CPU Quality, but I'm weary around any AMD FX series CPU to this day just because I know when it goes to 8 core many of the games today still do not utilize all 8 cores, only 4.

[S204STi]

Lord Letto, on 08 February 2015 - 08:44 AM, said:

NO, NO & NO!
I'd say Build your own and build at least this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $499.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-08 11:43 EST-0500

if your budget is higher than $500, Let us know.

after having a look at them, I'd say the $365 MAY Be OK depending on the Mobo (Not Listed), although they screwed up 1 thing I noticed in Description, FX-4300 With ATI HD 3000 Onboard Graphics?
1) FX Series CPUs got no Onboard Graphics so that's a Lie
2) It's now AMD, Not ATI
3) HD 3000 Series is OLD!

the other 2 Listed is APUs and not the greatest for Gaming, at least not for MWO. For MWO, Intel>AMD and Quad Core>Dual Core, though if on a Budget, the G3258 Pentium Anniversary Does VERY Good for it's Price!

That pentium is a beast, and loves to overclock. But, if the user is not going to do so on his own, I'd suggest a slightly higher base clock processor, in the i5 range.

I'd probably suggest a more modern video card. The 960 is a solid budget card, though at that price point I'd also consider the R9 280, with a slightly beefier PSU. Otherwise, this would be a rockin' build on the cheap.

[Smokeyjedi]

That 6300 @ 4.5-4.8ghz will fly on CM212 no problem.....encode a 1080P movie in under 12mins..........and now that MWO has had optimization passes, im guessing the game has changed.....the FPS seems less volatile and floppy.......I have so far run 2 matches and fraps benched them, when i hit 5 i will post......

[SethAbercromby]

I like a lot of the bufget build some people have posted here. Just a few of my own cents:

If you intend to go Nvidia, stay with the 700 or 800 series for now. The 900 series has great raw stats, but has been greatly underperforming in benchmarks, so you should stay away from those until Nvidia has managed to straighten those issues out.

Little tidbit: Last I heard, Nvidia kinda dropped the ball on AMD with PhysX recently in that programs that rely heavily on PhysX without option to either turn it off or use stock calculations for their ragdolls and particles can cause the system to either put heavy stress on the AMD card or crash the game altogether.

In terms of CPUs I have to admit that I personally consider hexa and octa cores to be overrated as few applications actually take advantage of the potential power. I find i5 and i7 cores much more reliable in that regard. Note that when the readout says 4 cores, they mean 2 physical cores with hyper-threading (which simulates a "logial" core on each physical core), which means that the cores can share rescources to some degree, increasing the CPU performance for singe-threaded applications whenever possible.

I've got an i5 3470 3.2 GHz CPU in my rig which carries my old as dirt Nvidia GT330 (the better specs for each column apply for mine). The i5 you can get for relatively cheap and if my craptastic GT330 can handle most games, budged cards like the GTX 500 or 600 series can be more than adequate to keep you playing for a few more years.

[Goose]

wat

[Oderint dum Metuant]

Did I sleep through the Nvidia 800 series?!?

[S204STi]

SethAbercromby, on 22 March 2015 - 12:52 PM, said:

In terms of CPUs I have to admit that I personally consider hexa and octa cores to be overrated as few applications actually take advantage of the potential power. I find i5 and i7 cores much more reliable in that regard. Note that when the readout says 4 cores, they mean 2 physical cores with hyper-threading (which simulates a "logial" core on each physical core), which means that the cores can share rescources to some degree, increasing the CPU performance for singe-threaded applications whenever possible.

I've got an i5 3470 3.2 GHz CPU in my rig which carries my old as dirt Nvidia GT330 (the better specs for each column apply for mine). The i5 you can get for relatively cheap and if my craptastic GT330 can handle most games, budged cards like the GTX 500 or 600 series can be more than adequate to keep you playing for a few more years.

Sort of; the desktop 4690k has four physical cores. Depends on the line.

Edited by S204STi, 22 March 2015 - 03:07 PM.

[S204STi]

DV McKenna, on 22 March 2015 - 02:53 PM, said:

Did I sleep through the Nvidia 800 series?!?

800 series were M chips only.

[Goose]

How does Blowardia get so many representatives around here?