i3 or i5 upgrade opinion

soliddragon88 · Apr 7, 2013

I am planning on an upgrade of my current rig, which is a little dated.

Specs for current rig is:
CPU: i3-540 (first generation)
Motherboard: Gigabyte H55M-S2
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Low Profile (2 x 4GB)
GPU: MSI HD7770 OC Power Edition
SSD: 120GB Kingston
PSU: Cooler Master Extreme 2 625W

There are three options which I am considering (CPU and Mobo).
Option 1:
CPU: i3-3220
Motherboard: MSI Z77MA-G45
GPU: One additional Sapphire HD7770 OC for Crossfire

Option 2:
CPU: i5-3470
Motherboard: MSI Z77MA-G45
No additional GPU for crossfire.

Option 3:
CPU: i5-3570 (No "K")
Motherboard: MSI Z77MA-G45
No additional GPU for crossfire.

I mainly do light gaming such as FIFA, Need for Speed, Dota 2 etc. No heavy gaming such as Battlefield, Crysis etc as first person shooter games are not really my cup of tea.

Main reason of upgrade is for SATA 3 port for my SSD and also PCIE 3.0 slots for GPU. Wonder is it worth the money for upgrade lol.
Kind of on a tight budget, so please feel free to comment.

Thanks.

rdr09 · Apr 7, 2013

how much more is the i5 with a K? that mobo is meant for the K version. but haswell is coming very soon. you might want to wait.

bg92 · Apr 7, 2013

There is one more option which I would recommend and that is waiting for haswell to be released, which is in the next 3 months or so.

Liranan · Apr 7, 2013

I would also recommend waiting, there's not much wrong with your current CPU. If you really want to upgrade get a new GPU, it will serve you far better than upgrading CPU and motherboard.

soliddragon88 · Apr 7, 2013

I am contemplating whether to overclock my current cpu too as suggested by my friend. If I decide to OC, is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo suitable as it is considerably cheap lol? Currently running on stock cooler.

DaveLT · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by soliddragon88

I am contemplating whether to overclock my current cpu too as suggested by my friend. If I decide to OC, is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo suitable as it is considerably cheap lol? Currently running on stock cooler.

http://www.amazon.com/DeepCool-Gamer-Storm-Extreme-Overclocking/dp/B003XWVG2I $35.48 a much better cooler than the H212 Evo and a hella lot more silent as well
Quote:

Originally Posted by rdr09

how much more is the i5 with a K? that mobo is meant for the K version. but haswell is coming very soon. you might want to wait.

If only haswell wouldn't launch with ridiculous prices, the last time i checked it might just be

Indiegreg · Apr 7, 2013

Hey solid. I5 3570k Here. I want to say, that even for your light gaming, the K model is great for overclocking. Even if you're new to it, the ivy bridge has mainly been able to overclock to 4.4 GHz.
Source
Do you water cool? Even with a closed loop kit, one could do a mild overclock and play fifa and need for speed with improved performance. if you dont, i would suggest getting the i5 for gaming. over an i3, the quad core would dominate the i3 with games needing more than 2 cores.

soliddragon88 · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indiegreg

Hey solid. I5 3570k Here. I want to say, that even for your light gaming, the K model is great for overclocking. Even if you're new to it, the ivy bridge has mainly been able to overclock to 4.4 GHz.
Source
Do you water cool? Even with a closed loop kit, one could do a mild overclock and play fifa and need for speed with improved performance. if you dont, i would suggest getting the i5 for gaming. over an i3, the quad core would dominate the i3 with games needing more than 2 cores.

Thanks Indie. I might be waiting for the launch of the new gen intel cpu and then go on from there since many suggest that I should wait instead of getting one now lol. I might be trying to overclock my current i3 though during this waiting period. Currently on stock cooler only and probably will be getting a non-water cooled cpu cooler due to budget constraints sadly.

soliddragon88 · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveLT

http://www.amazon.com/DeepCool-Gamer-Storm-Extreme-Overclocking/dp/B003XWVG2I $35.48 a much better cooler than the H212 Evo and a hella lot more silent as well
If only haswell wouldn't launch with ridiculous prices, the last time i checked it might just be

Hi Dave, I am considering the H212 Evo due to budget constrains sadly. Wondering whether if it is able to provide adequate cooling if I decide to OC?

soliddragon88 · Apr 7, 2013

Also guys, do I need a new psu if I intend to overclock? Current one is Cooler Master Extreme 2 625 W. Thanks.

soliddragon88 · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by soliddragon88

Also guys, do I need a new psu if I intend to overclock? Current one is Cooler Master Extreme 2 625 W. Thanks.

By overclocking I mean my current i3. Cheers.

Indiegreg · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by soliddragon88

Thanks Indie. I might be waiting for the launch of the new gen intel cpu and then go on from there since many suggest that I should wait instead of getting one now lol. I might be trying to overclock my current i3 though during this waiting period. Currently on stock cooler only and probably will be getting a non-water cooled cpu cooler due to budget constraints sadly.

I heard that you own the Evo? Alot of people back that air cooler up. i would say go for some overclocking with it.

Are you waiting for haswell? I would say to keep waiting. Haswell will be on a different socket type, meaning you'll have to sink at least another 150 dollars into a new motherboard, plus a 200 plus processor. Its Intels (second Gen?) APU, and they CLAIM it can hold its own. But that is up to you.

DaveLT · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by soliddragon88

Hi Dave, I am considering the H212 Evo due to budget constrains sadly. Wondering whether if it is able to provide adequate cooling if I decide to OC?

How much does the Gamerstorm cost for you? It's the same price of a H212 Evo if it's 33$ (Evo is 37$). The gamerstorm is leaps and bounds better than H212 Evo if shipping is free
The PSU will hold up, don't worry. i3-540 is only a dual core 73W so it's an non issue

Also if you can find this cooler get it, it's priced the same as a H212 Evo as well
http://www.overclock.net/t/1377869/deepcool-neptwin-one-of-the-most-insane-bang-for-buck-air-coolers

soliddragon88 · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indiegreg

I heard that you own the Evo? Alot of people back that air cooler up. i would say go for some overclocking with it.

Are you waiting for haswell? I would say to keep waiting. Haswell will be on a different socket type, meaning you'll have to sink at least another 150 dollars into a new motherboard, plus a 200 plus processor. Its Intels (second Gen?) APU, and they CLAIM it can hold its own. But that is up to you.

Yup I am probably waiting for it. Do I need to upgrade my psu if I intend to overclock my i3 now? Current one is Cooler Master Extreme 2 625 W. Thanks.

Indiegreg · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveLT

How much does the Gamerstorm cost for you? It's the same price of a H212 Evo if it's 33$ (Evo is 37$). The gamerstorm is leaps and bounds better than H212 Evo if shipping is free
The PSU will hold up, don't worry. i3-540 is only a dual core 73W so it's an non issue

The i5 runs off 77w. Little more power, ALOT more Performance.

No need to upgrade that PSU, its fine, i have a coolmaster as well.

soliddragon88 · Apr 7, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveLT

How much does the Gamerstorm cost for you? It's the same price of a H212 Evo if it's 33$ (Evo is 37$). The gamerstorm is leaps and bounds better than H212 Evo if shipping is free
The PSU will hold up, don't worry. i3-540 is only a dual core 73W so it's an non issue

Hmm I am not particularly sure of the price of Gamerstorm yet. Need to check it out at some local stores. Thanks for the info man. Cheers.

Gnomepatrol · Apr 7, 2013

You PSU is fine as Liranan said I would keep your current setup and upgrade the GPU. Those 5xx intel chips have been known to do 4.0-4.5ghz overclocks. I would overclock the cpu and upgrade your GPU. You would see greater gains that route. As far a cooling the Hyper 212+ will suit you needs and if you would want something a bit quieter I would go with a Noctua cooler. Another plus for the Noctua coolers, although more expensive, they have offered (repeatedly) socket kits to support their users. Just something to consider.

soliddragon88 · Apr 8, 2013

Hi guys, am trying to oc my i3. Just wondering, is there a difference if the total Core speed is the same, but with different bus speed and multiplier. Take the following example as a reference:
1) Bus speed = 160 MHz
Multiplier = x22
Hence, core speed = 160 x 22 = 3520 MHz

2) Bus speed = 168 MHz
Multiplier = x21
Hence, core speed = 168 x 21 = 3528 MHz

Both settings result in a core speed of around 3.52 GHz, except that the bus speed and multiplier are different in both settings. Is there a difference in performance between these two? Thanks for clarification.

Gnomepatrol · Apr 10, 2013

The higher bus would mean a higher ram clock, but intel doesnt gain a whole bunch from mem clocks over 1600mhz. I would just shoot for the highest possible cpu clock. I would look to get around 175-185 bus clock for around a 3.9-4.1ghz clock. Adjust your ram accordingly, but i would stay around 1600mhz for it.

i3 or i5 upgrade opinion

soliddragon88

rdr09

bg92

Liranan

soliddragon88

DaveLT

Indiegreg

soliddragon88

soliddragon88

soliddragon88

soliddragon88

Indiegreg

DaveLT

soliddragon88

Indiegreg

soliddragon88

Gnomepatrol

soliddragon88

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