Gaming Processor, which one is better?

Dhint23

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I am going to be building my first gaming rig sometime very soon and am wondering which processor would be better. I am not a hardcore gamer who plays all the latest FPS games. I will be mainly playing Star Wars the Old Republic, Worms Armageddon, X-Plane 10, and Age of Empires 3. I want to be able to play those games at the highest possible settings. Which processor would suit me better?

Newegg.com - AMD FX-4170 Zambezi 4.2GHz (4.3GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4170FRGUBOX

Or

Intel Core i7 2700K 3.5GHz LGA 1155 Boxed Processor BX80619I72700K - Micro Center


I will also be getting a graphics card similar to this: EVGA - NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 2GB DDR3 PCI Express 3.0 Graphics Card - 02G-P4-2645-KR - Best Buy

I guess my questions are how the AMD processor can have a 4.0 GHz processor and still be $80 cheaper than the intel. Another concern is that the AMD uses 125 watts compared to the 77 watts of the intel. Is that something that should be taken into consideration? Also, would I be better suited getting a completely different processor than the ones I mentioned?

Any comments and help will be greatly appreciated as this is my first rig.

Thank you all in advance!
 
well... you will get pretty equal FPS in most games. if not equal, the Intel would be a little higher.
when it comes to gaming, it's more important to have a good GPU then a good CPU. ofcouse both a important.

The intel is the better one overall. The reason it has lower mhz and still can be better is because of a better architecture.
an architecture is it's build design. so better architecture means typical better power design and more transistors.
plz go look at an i7-3770k. i don't think it is much more expensive, but is a little more powerful and have a better power design.
 
Hey man. I recently purchased a gaming rig which came with a AMD FX 4100 Quad Core 3.6ghz and a ATI HD 6850 1gb. In most high end games I get excellent FPS, for example: on ultra settings on Battlefield 3 I get 50-60fps. You say in your post that your 'not a hardcore gamer'. I believe that the games that you said you will be playing on your rig would run excellently on the AMD FX 4170 plus saving you $80. The Intel i7 definitely is better and will benefit you in the long run, but from the details you have posted, I believe that the AMD FX 4170 will be best for you.

Yours,
Max
 
Thanks so far EchoNatek and TechTenn! Would I be better geting a GDDR3 (2GB) graphic card or a GDDR5 (1GB) graphic card? They both are going to be made by NVIDIA.

And could you possibly explain the difference between the two?

Thanks in advance!
 
GDDR5 has higher maximum bandwidth then GDDR3. but if the card can't handle it, then it doesn't matter much.
so for your question, i'll say 2GB GDDR3 in most cases for low end GPU's. can you link the card's you are thinking about.
 
i am a fan of Tom's Hardware.
they are doing a great job with reviews and news.
they have an article series called "Best Graphics Cards For The Money"
they have just realest a brand new one for November 2012. (they don't release every month, but every second month on average)
You choose your budget, and they have 1 or 2 card's they recommend for that price range.
Best PCIe Card: $115 To $160
 
GeForce GT 640 DDR3 vs GeForce GTX 550 Ti – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare

That's what those two cards are like pitted up against each other.
Based on the numbers on that page, the 550 GTX seems like the better buy, but research the games you intend to play on each card and go with the one that makes the most sense.

The i7 you linked is end of life, which is enough for me to suggest that the AMD chip would be better in that regard - HOWEVER if you were to go to a more recent i7 (and actually, unless you need the threads, and most folks don't - the i5 is a better proposition) more threads doesn't always mean better performance.

I usually side with AMD chips, but only when it makes sense. Intel's i5 chips are vastly superior to AMD right now, in all but some very specific tests.
 
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