CPU question

[Rulke]

Greetings,

This December I will be building a new rig for the use of FFXIV, SC2, D3 and maybe GW2. I am starting to look at prices on processors. I'd like to shoot for the Intel core i7 series, however there is a distinct price jump to that from the Core2 Quad processors. For the games I am wanting to play, do you think the jump in CPUs is worth it? Are the i7s that much more powerful than the Core2 Quads? I do want to build a quality machine, however I dont want to squander money on an upgrade I wont notice.

[Shadowhusky]

SC2 stands for...? Aside from that, you should be fine with a Core2 quad. It's more than enough to run those games really.

[njitjk68]

SC2 stands for StarCraft 2.

As far as CPU's are concerned, if you are mostly concerned with gaming, the Core2quads (even Core2Duos) are more than enough to handle pretty much any current game/new releases.

The GPU is what counts the most these days. If you are mostly going to worry about gaming performance, plan your budget accordingly to get a good GPU card.

[Solefald]

consider getting a core i5, it's more powerful than core 2 quads and cheaper than i7

[fishstix]

The prices for the CPU itself are relatively the same, unless you're looking at the higher end i7s and extreme versions. The extra cost usually comes from the motherboard and ram though. I also agree with what's said above, the i5 is a good choice when looking for more performance for cheaper than an i7 cost, while having an upgrade path down the line.

Although if you're under a budget and have to balance money between the gpu and cpu, I'd go with a Phenom II x4 and a good gpu.

[Cephius]

Keep in mind that some games you listed aren't going to be available for months or a year+... you'd be well advised to wait as long as possible before building your new rig. Prices on processors drop fast as new technology is made available.

[Blabj]

Keep in mind that some games you listed aren't going to be available for months or a year+... you'd be well advised to wait as long as possible before building your new rig. Prices on processors drop fast as new technology is made available.

This. By the time those games are all out, i7s will literally be half the price.

[Olo401]

Mentioned before, but C2Q is old technology with no upgrade path because Intel no longer makes processors for that socket. If you can't afford Core i7, go with Core i5. They're about the same starting price as some of the low-end Quads or even the high-end Duos, yet they will be much faster by design and by the clock, and also more power efficient.

Or, you can go AMD. They may still be running behind Intel but their CPUs will run the upcoming games just as well. The real emphasis for gaming has moved beyond the processor these days to the GPU anyways, so no matter which way you go this is one place where you should not cut corners.

[Cephius]

The real emphasis for gaming has moved beyond the processor these days to the GPU anyways, so no matter which way you go this is one place where you should not cut corners.

This is a common misconception, in my opinion. A computer is only as good as it's weakest link, regardless of what is the "hot" component to upgrade at the time. If you have a screaming GPU but an average processor, the CPU will bottleneck your performance because the GPU can only process data as fast as your CPU sends it.

The CPU is the core of the machine, and gaming relies on processor clocks more than people think (even those of us in the FFXI community who are used to thinking that CPU > GPU in terms of importance) and thus shouldn't be skimped on.

I think the best advice is to balance out your build and budget so that no component is much better than the others, so that you get the best performance possible out of them. My advice to the OP remains to wait until we're closer to the release dates of the games he plans on playing, so that he gets the best bang for his buck.

[Rulke]

Thanks for the input all, didnt think about the i5s at all for some reason. My concept of building a computer has changed since my gaming style has changed. I used to build with the idea of rebuilding every 3 years or so, but now that I am picking up games that keep me busy for 5+ years or more (and adding fewer newer games to my lineup) I want a machine that will age gracefully. I am more apt to spend more on a CPU now because I know I will be running it 5+ years down the line and go for a graphic card update as those are much easier to switch out etc.