This performance will not involve playing GTA 5.
This performance will not involve playing GTA 5.
You should consider an i3 for GTA V. Take a moment. PCPartPicker list with price details by seller. CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core (£86.07 at Ebuyer). Motherboard: MSI H81M-E35 Micro ATX LGA1150 (£41.77 at Scan.co.uk). RAM: Patriot Signature 8GB DDR3-1600 (£40.64 at Ebuyer). Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM HDD (£29.99 at Aria PC). Graphics: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE (£148.10 at Amazon UK). Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower (£41.78 at More Computers). Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified (£39.00 at Scan.co.uk). Combined cost is £427.35. All prices include shipping, taxes, and available discounts. Created by PCPartPicker on June 8, 2015 at 12:36 BST+0100
I removed the cooler, saved money on the motherboard, and upgraded to an i3—it's still really solid.
I built it using an i3 4160, ASRock Z97M Pro 4 board and XFZ R7870. It delivers around 70fps at medium settings in 1080p. My previous setup (Gigabyte H81M-S2H) slowed things down by about 30fps—cause unknown. Testing it elsewhere with identical CPU and RAM confirmed the same issue. The game performance is consistent whether I'm on my current rig or another machine. You'll be fine.
3 gigabytes is sufficient, yet GTA is quite demanding on the CPU, so consider saving for an i5 such as the 4460.
This model works perfectly in GTA V, according to someone who owns it and plays the game.
I’d skip the i3 and opt for the Pentium g3258, then upgrade to the ASRock z97 anniversary. It’s a budget-friendly Z97 motherboard that lets you push the Pentium up to 3.8, 4.0 or even 4.2 GHz with a simple adjustment. I believe the 4.2 boost should work with the stock cooler too, despite the lack of hyperthreading. Even without it, the higher clock speeds will still help in games. Plus, it’s a more affordable option overall.
This model costs $30 more but offers a stronger CPU option. You can choose the i3 now or upgrade later to a Pentium and then an i5/i7. It also significantly improves GPU performance—moving from 270 to 280 frames will greatly benefit GTA, especially with the 3GB frame buffer. On GTA I, I typically ran at 3.2 GB, which is nearly full, so adding another GB will make a big difference now and for upcoming titles. The PSU I replaced only saves $1, so you can keep the CX 600 if you prefer. Personally, I own the 600B and have no issues with it—it runs very quietly. Hope you enjoy building your PC and playing GTA! Edit: I also added a dual-channel RAM kit, which will be faster than a single stick. Also, this price was just a few dollars more than what you originally considered.