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Chose a Processor and Graphics card

wee eddie

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Posted January 29, 2013 at 9:34PM

This is, at the present, a Cost/Benefit computation, rather than an immediate Purchase choice, so is fairly generalized.

Should I chose an i3 or i5 Processor with a Graphics Card, or an i7 Processor without? I believe that the 'K' variant, of each Processor, has the better 'stand alone' Graphics capabilities, is this correct?

All teamed up with a decent sized SSD

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X7-250

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Posted January 29, 2013 at 9:50PM

the K model relates to an unlocked multiplier, allowing you to overclock the turbo mode of the CPU easily.

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wee eddie

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Posted January 29, 2013 at 10:51PM

x7-250 - I was aware of that, but I think that I read somewhere that the K variation also had superior graphics handling capabilities.

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X7-250

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Posted January 29, 2013 at 11:16PM

you may be right after looking at a few CPUs the K models appear to have upgraded graphics (eg HD2000 vs HD3000 with K), although there are exceptions with newer ivybridge models, so i'm not convinced it can be used as an indicator across the range.

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wee eddie

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Posted January 30, 2013 at 12:10AM

If I am to be logical about things, an i3 with a Mid-Range Graphics Card will adequately cover my current requirements.

However I am hoping to created a Keyboard & Mouse based Core for my Home Computing set-up, which will stand me in good stead for the next 5 years, or so.

While I expect to have a Tablet within the year, I do not think that I wish to spend all my On-line time with a tiny Tablet sized screen and I don't think that a vertically mounted 24" Touch Screen, at arms length, is a practical proposition for more than a few minutes at a time.

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lotvic

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Posted January 30, 2013 at 12:33AM

wee eddie, that's exactly the conclusion I have come to :) so will be watching your choice with interest, if and when you decide to purchase same and post on pca. I'm looking to replace my ageing Dell (2006)

I have a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and although fun for pics and stuff, for me it in no way replaces a desktop with keyboard and mouse and certainly is not much cop for browsing web. Apart from the smaller screen - touch browsing is not fun when I'm all the time trying not to touch the multitude of links when I all I want to do is scroll up or down a page.

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X7-250

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Posted January 30, 2013 at 12:57AM

an i3 may well cover your current requirements, but for 5 years down the road the i5 has to be a better option and it's generally thought of as the best performance for price (2500K/3570K)

depends on your budget, £500 would build an i3 setup, £600 for i5, both builds with SSD, HDD, £100 range Gfx, Case, PSU and Windows, as a rough guide.

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wee eddie

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Posted January 30, 2013 at 7:58AM

I'm getting towards an i7K Processor, with no Graphics Card (could add one in a few years), a 500GB SSD and an External USB3 Hard Drive for Movies etc.

Current External Hard Drives in USB2 Enclosures - Just buy a couple of USB3 Enclosures.

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Chronos the 2nd

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Posted January 30, 2013 at 8:14AM

It really depends on what you use your PC for. I have an HTPC which has a G840 CPU and will more than handle video at 1080, it fact I have recently remove a GPU from this PC to use on a mobo I was having problems with and have been most impressed with the graphics on a Dell U2411 monitor and a 32" LED TV so much so I will not be replacing the discrete GPU any time soon.OK it will never play games at a decent framerate but I have my i5 2500K and GTX670 PC for that.

So again I say what CPU you buy does depend completely on what the main use of your PC is.

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Ian in Northampton

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Posted January 30, 2013 at 8:57AM

Like Chronos says: for anything other than moderate-to-hardcore gaming, the inbuilt graphics on the latest generation of processors is generally more than enough for general purpose computing.

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