# Which CPU is better for medicore gaming?



## c313 (May 10, 2011)

Hello

So i was wondering, How do CPU's work? Which will be good for average gaming .. nothing serious, And just internet use

Looking at these 3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115071

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074

The I7 would seem like a obvious choice, But i was actually told its rather useless for gaming..

Which of these choices would be best for a medicore gamer? i play on the lowest settings so the high FPS does not really matter to me, its mainly just how well these will hold on my games / normal internet use like youtube / facebook


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## voyagerfan99 (May 10, 2011)

The i7 is too extreme for mild gaming and regular internet surfing. I'd go with the Phenom II myself because it's a cheap quad core with an unlocked multiplier for OCing, L3 cache, and a good stock speed.

If you want to go Intel, then go with that i5, but like I said, the i7 is pretty overkill for what you're looking for.


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## c313 (May 10, 2011)

Thank you for the reply

Just out of curiousity what is the I7 mostly for?


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## voyagerfan99 (May 10, 2011)

c313 said:


> Thank you for the reply
> 
> Just out of curiousity what is the I7 mostly for?



The i7 is for extreme computing and extreme performance. If you're looking to run virtually anything, that's your processor. They're good, but just not worth the ridiculous price.


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## mihir (May 10, 2011)

For medium gaming the Phenom would be really nice.Even for High End Gaming it won't slack.
You can also consider the Core i5 2500k.
The best gaming CPU out there only second to the i7 2600k.
And it is not that expensive also.
It would be around $225.
Amazing CPU and really powerful specially for gaming.


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## FuryRosewood (May 10, 2011)

for the money if i was building under those stipulations, id get a athlon ii x4 vs the phenom and save some dough, the performance diff on the L3 cache vs not having it is marginal as far as i know


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## mihir (May 10, 2011)

I would suggest the 2500k unlocked multiplier and not that expensive also and great for gaming and also very much future proof.
But if you aren't able to afford it then the phenom II x4.


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## 87dtna (May 11, 2011)

I5 2500k


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## Casey (May 11, 2011)

I'm using a 3.1 Gigahertz Dual Core Processor and I've been able to handle anything so far. !


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## Thunderdome (May 11, 2011)

c313 said:


> Hello
> 
> 
> The I7 would seem like a obvious choice, But i was actually told its rather useless for gaming..



Who would say the i7 is useless for gaming? Its a very powerful processor, and if you can afford it, it might future proof you for a little while. In my opinion.


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## mihir (May 11, 2011)

Thunderdome said:


> Who would say the i7 is useless for gaming? Its a very powerful processor, and if you can afford it, it might future proof you for a little while. In my opinion.




i7 is useless for gaming since the games will not utilize the processor's full potential.


The i5 2500k is made for gaming and plus an unlocked multiplier increases its future a bit.



(Even the i7 2600k has an unlocked multiplier)


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## Thunderdome (May 11, 2011)

mihir said:


> i7 is useless for gaming since the games will not utilize the processor's full potential.
> 
> 
> The i5 2500k is made for gaming and plus an unlocked multiplier increases its future a bit.
> ...



Would the i7 not be more future proof as eventually games will be able to utilize the processors full power? I am new to all this, so just assumed the faster the processor the better


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## voyagerfan99 (May 11, 2011)

Thunderdome said:


> Who would say the i7 is useless for gaming? Its a very powerful processor, and if you can afford it, it might future proof you for a little while. In my opinion.



I never said it was useless. I just said it was overkill for what he was looking for.


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## daisymtc (May 11, 2011)

What is your overall budget?

from your list, probably be core i5. core i7 probably won't make a significant different.

However, you will need to take consideration with your overall budget. mid-range cpu + higher end video card probably faster than highend cpu + mid range video card


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## mihir (May 11, 2011)

Thunderdome said:


> Would the i7 not be more future proof as eventually games will be able to utilize the processors full power? I am new to all this, so just assumed the faster the processor the better



/Thread Title Mediocre.


Yes the i7 would be more future proof.
But mediocre gaming, the i5 would be enough.
But speaking from my experience the CPU rarely bottlenecks a game for few years., it is mostly the GPU.


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## 87dtna (May 11, 2011)

I5 2500k


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## mihir (May 11, 2011)

87dtna said:


> I5 2500k



HAhaha the wink smiley fits there perfectly.


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## 87dtna (May 11, 2011)

lol.

The 2500k is overkill for games right now.  Even at stock speeds there is NO game with any settings that the 2500k will be bottlenecking.  

Honestly for what his needs are, an I3 550 would be more than enough....1156 platform with a P55 chipset board.  Cheaper alternative for a still extremely capable CPU.  Dual core with 4 threads.


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## mihir (May 11, 2011)

87dtna said:


> lol.
> 
> The 2500k is overkill for games right now.  Even at stock speeds there is NO game with any settings that the 2500k will be bottlenecking.
> 
> Honestly for what his needs are, an I3 550 would be more than enough....1156 platform with a P55 chipset board.  Cheaper alternative for a still extremely capable CPU.  Dual core with 4 threads.



The i5 2500k even beats the gulftown in all the benchmarks.
It is way overkill.
And even my CPU doesn't sweat at all while playing any games


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## 87dtna (May 11, 2011)

No, any intel quad core can handle any game, older quads like Q6600 and Q8200 need to be at alteast 3ghz though.  Any Phenom II quad can pretty much do the same, they are comparable to the lower end core 2 quads clock for clock.  The 2500k is definitely the most futureproof gaming CPU within a reasonable price point at this point in time.


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## 2048Megabytes (May 11, 2011)

Heh! Heh!  Everyone offering their opinion without a price range.  Let us wait and see what price range the person states they want to stay within.


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## 87dtna (May 11, 2011)

I gave two options, one for lower price range (I3 550) and one for higher price range (I5 2500k).  So it's covered.


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## mihir (May 11, 2011)

And according to his orginal post he also listed the i7 2600k.But really did not want to spend that much so,that is why I suggested the i5 2500k.




mihir said:


> I would suggest the 2500k unlocked multiplier and not that expensive also and great for gaming and also very much future proof.
> But if you aren't able to afford it then the phenom II x4.


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## 87dtna (May 12, 2011)

Yeah so even if considering a 2600k as a possibility but just slightly tight money wise, the 2500k is the perfect choice.


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## ktec (May 12, 2011)

AMD Phenom II x2 555 BE and hope it unlocks to a quad core.  All for under $100


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## 87dtna (May 12, 2011)

And what if it doesn't?  Screwed.  At that point I'd way rather have an I3 550 because then you know what you got, a CPU stronger than an AMD triple core easily plus overclocks better and runs cooler.


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## voyagerfan99 (May 12, 2011)

ktec said:


> AMD Phenom II x2 555 BE and hope it unlocks to a quad core.  All for under $100



Blah I wouldn't. Mine didn't.


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## kdfresh09 (May 12, 2011)

honostly c313, you should go with any socket 1155 platform.  stick with any i series line cpu, since the design of the i series are much more efficient and give them a supirior performance gain over any amd series chip to date.  depending on your budget, any i3 cpu will be GREAT for medicore gaming, and getting a socket 1155 will help you in the long future by providing upgrade paths to a much more powerful line of cpu's (i5 and i7 lines).   even the non k series from intel are great performers, and will out perform amd chips clock for clock everytime, although paying the small extra for a k series such as the I5 2500K, is much smarter, since it will give your cpu more performance through out its life span.  im no intel fan boy or anything.  i mean ive got amd all over the place here, but i have 4 friends who all have either 1156, 1366, or 1155 platforms, and while using each of them doing the same things, (gaming, and video transcoding/encoding), they all are better than the six core 1090t at a max clock of 4Ghz that im using.  

so in a nut shell the i3 on 1155 platform for ok gaming, put the money saved into a much nicer video card?, upgrade cpu later when needed, or aim for the i5 2500k and get a lesser of a video card, and having to upgrade that later.  

personaly, i think its smarter and cheaper to get the i3, put money saved towards a better video card, then upgrade cpu since they will be cheaper when you need to.  

ive seen micro center sell i5 2500k cpu for $180.  if there is one by you then you should check it out.


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## 2048Megabytes (May 12, 2011)

voyagerfan99 said:


> Blah I wouldn't. Mine didn't.



I'll trade you my motherboard, processor and RAM for yours 

You can have my Quad-Core Phenom II.


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## voyagerfan99 (May 12, 2011)

2048Megabytes said:


> I'll trade you my motherboard, processor and RAM for yours
> 
> You can have my Quad-Core Phenom II.



No thanks


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## 87dtna (May 12, 2011)

I would not go with any I3 on the 1155 platform....they are not overclockable.  An I3 550 at 4.2ghz would easily beat a sandy bridge I3 at 3.1ghz.


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## mihir (May 12, 2011)

87dtna said:


> I would not go with any I3 on the 1155 platform....they are not overclockable.  An I3 550 at 4.2ghz would easily beat a sandy bridge I3 at 3.1ghz.



That seriously sucks man.They should have made it atleast overclockable with the P67 or the Z68.
I was reading their review and instantly imagined the i3 SB becoming the new processor which all the Branded desktops will have the.The mid end series of branded desktops.
On one side they are giving the unlocked multiplier CPU for $225 and on the other they are giving a CPU which is not overclockable.


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## kdfresh09 (May 12, 2011)

well although the i3 doesnt seem like the cpu for the OP to get, im pretty sure it would exceed his expectations, overclockable or not.  the i3 will perform better than 3 core amd chips, which i think would clissify the i3 chip as medicore gaming, and for the price piont and socket that it dresses you in, i dont see how HE could go wrong, considering his requirments.  i mean, im running a athlon II x 2 250 3Ghz dual core cpu in one of my rigs, and paired with one of my gtx 470's, it runs BF:BC2, crysis 2, black ops, metro ect ect maxed out at 1080p, so the i3 would perform better than that so i would say its completly safe to role with the i3 for HIM, since 3.1Ghz on intel chips, is more like 3.6Ghz on an amd chip.


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## FuryRosewood (May 13, 2011)

its actually even more than that...approximately the intel chips do 2x as many instructions per clock cycle as the amd equivalent.


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## 87dtna (May 13, 2011)

Yeah sandy bridge is two architectures ahead of Phenom II.  Phenom II is comparable to core 2 technology.  Even the high end core 2 quads, like the Q9450-Q9650 with 12mb cache are stronger than Phenom II quads clock for clock.


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## ChrisUlrich (May 13, 2011)

Is there ANY AMD chip that is close or better to the i5 2500k?


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## 87dtna (May 13, 2011)

A 1090t or 1100t hex core would probably beat it in a select few multi-threaded benches, but for real world apps the I5 pwns AMD bad.


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## ChrisUlrich (May 13, 2011)

87dtna said:


> A 1090t or 1100t hex core would probably beat it in a select few multi-threaded benches, but for real world apps the I5 pwns AMD bad.



I don't understand how that works.  How can it win in those types of test but lose in real world?  Not that i'm saying I don't believe, just asking!


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## 87dtna (May 13, 2011)

Because nothing really is coded for 6+ cores yet except synthetic benches.  Most apps (I'd venture 80-90%) are still single threaded, which sandy bridge completely obliterates Phenom II at.


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## Iceyn1pples (May 14, 2011)

Hey C313, you should post your budget and let us know which part of the world you're from. That way, we can actually help you design a system that works with your budget. 

You have to consider the price of the motherboard to go along with your CPU. From experience, Budget gaming builds love the AMD paired with with decent motherboards. Great performance, easy overclocking for some added performance value. 

The AMD CPUs are great for everyday multitasking and pretty good for your level of gaming.


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## kdfresh09 (May 14, 2011)

i agree that amd may be the way to go for him.  although, im one to not think its wise to buy into amd right now since the current am3 socket is about to be replaces, and since the athlon II and phenom II cores are a bit older, id say its not money well spent.  but if that all the OP wants is something to get him by over the next year or 2, then a athlon II quad core would be nice.  and the cpu and motherboard would be cheaper than an intel set up, but with a loss in performance.


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## 87dtna (May 14, 2011)

I would never recommend an Athlon II for gaming, the lack of L3 cache does make quite a significant difference with performance.  I'd take a Phenom II triple core over an Athlon II quad anyday.

But staying within the price point, I'd take an I3 550 over any Athlon II as well.  Plus the power consumption on the I3 is around 30 watts less at idle and 70 watts less at load (total system not just CPU)-

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/105?vs=143


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## StrangleHold (May 14, 2011)

You can get a Phenom II 955 for 120 bucks with a 10 buck card and free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808


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## 87dtna (May 14, 2011)

Ahh they just lowered the price again.  Was $140 just the other day.

Well a 955 will beat an I3 with games optimized for quad cores, but most games aren't....the I3 is still much faster with single threaded apps too.  But the price coming down sure did narrow the gap on price for performance.


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## Iceyn1pples (May 14, 2011)

Well, you have to think about future proofing too. 

The AMD x4 and x6 Cpus offer much better futureproofing for the average user than the i3 can. The i3 isnt THAT much faster. Comparision you posted is true, but you have to take into consideration the clock speeds of the 2 CPUs. The i3 was clocked 3.06ghz and the AMD was only 2.8. If the athlon was clocked the same, the results would be MUCH closer. Plus the AMD has more cores to use when the application can use it.

Edit: At newegg.com, the AMD 955 is only a dollar more than the i3 540. Hands down, the 955 will beat the i3.


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## StrangleHold (May 14, 2011)

Heard they will get cheaper in the next few weeks. AMD clearing inventory out. I still would not buy one unless you get a AM3+ board. So you will still have some upgradeability.


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## Iceyn1pples (May 14, 2011)

...and the OP is gone....


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## 87dtna (May 14, 2011)

Iceyn1pples said:


> Well, you have to think about future proofing too.
> 
> The AMD x4 and x6 Cpus offer much better futureproofing for the average user than the i3 can. The i3 isnt THAT much faster. Comparision you posted is true, but you have to take into consideration the clock speeds of the 2 CPUs. The i3 was clocked 3.06ghz and the AMD was only 2.8. If the athlon was clocked the same, the results would be MUCH closer. Plus the AMD has more cores to use when the application can use it.
> 
> Edit: At newegg.com, the AMD 955 is only a dollar more than the i3 540. Hands down, the 955 will beat the i3.



Meh, with socket 1156 you can always upgrade to an I7 860/870 which is stronger than any AM3 cpu anyway.

The clockspeed was relevent...swayed toward AMD even.  Most athlon II quads will struggle to hit 3.8ghz as a daily overclock when pretty much every I3 540 or 550 can do 4.2-4.4ghz as a daily OC.  So the comparision only showed a 200mhz difference when in real life it's a 400-600mhz difference.

I do not feel an Athlon II is more futureproof than an I3 in any way.  The I3 is a very strong CPU.  What I mean by that is by the time things are mostly optimized for quad or more cores, both CPU's will be LONG obsolete.  So in the mean time why not get the CPU thats much faster at single and dual threaded things, pretty close with quad threaded things which is pretty much nothing the OP will do.

The I3 is also still easily stronger than a 955 is single and dual threaded tasks.


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## Iceyn1pples (May 14, 2011)

I agree with you. But it is hard for any of us to make a recommendation as the OP has not stated his budget. My point is that AMD is great value/dollar and tons of performance for all the non-gamers out there.


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## 87dtna (May 14, 2011)

Well just the fact that he was considering an I7 2600, his budget must be pretty flexible.


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