Best bang for buck i3/i5 for around $100-150?

C

CyByte

Gawd
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Jan 6, 2003
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Motherboard is an ASRock H77M and video card is a Power Color 7770 Ghz edition

My budget got cut so this is what I have to work with for a processor. I have plenty of power from the PSU in this one. 600Watts and only a single HDD.
 
I've been burned by used processors in the past. I'm not sure I want to try that again?
 
Check to see if you have a Microcenter around you to pick up an Intel® Core™ i5-3570K. Otherwise I would focus on the Intel Core i3-3220.
 
I just sold a 3570k for $160. Hunt around for one, they pop up from time to time.
 
mzs_biteme said:
Used 2500k. Should find it for around $150.
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Agreed.

New depends on what your needs are.

Need HTT? Then it's the i3-3225. Need four real cores? Then it's the i5-3450.

Even better, the two are MAYBE $25USD apart new. - even at Newegg.

Other than HTT vs. real cores, the two CPUs are also otherwise alike, down to the HD4000 on-die GPU on both processors; however, neither is a K (unlocked) CPU.
 
CyByte said:
I've been burned by used processors in the past. I'm not sure I want to try that again?
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It depends on how the CPU was used (or abused, as the case may be).

I bought my Q6600 here; however, while it's a known quality overclocker (SLACR), I bought it to run bone-stock (motherboard chipset issue - it's in a G41-based motherboard). When I HAVE bought used, I buy it to RUN stock - not overclockability. I've bought corporate pulls (CPU+motherboard) as swap-ins for family and friends with older hardware - again, stock.

Back to the Q6600. While the G0/SLACR Kentsfield (and Conroe E6600 it's based on) were known and bragged on for overclockability, they are just as impressive run bone-stock. (Even Q6600 and G4x aren't a new Odd Couple; Dell sold quite a few slimline Dell Inspirons with this seemingly silly tag-team of CPU and chipset - running either Vista or 7 Home Premium x64 no less. I refer to the tag-team as "seemingly silly" due to G41 not supporting ANY sort of overclocking, while E/Q6600 was the King of LGA775 Overcrankage.)
 
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