Gaming: high i3 or low i5

[MartinNixon0422]

vote for i5,
remember you can also do some oc with i5, i7 but not i3
work better with games

[Refious]

Games are running on more and more cores, and the Core i3 only has 2 cores whereas the i5 has double that. Spend a bit extra and go with the Core i5, it will last you longer in the end and you wouldn't be disappointed.

[neelpan]

i5's extra core will give a little more advantage over here.

[irksomediagram]

The i5 4440 is very for the price.

[Bonebreaker777]

I went with the i5 4570 and a MSI Z87M-G43, and also managed to add a GTX 750ti and still be in my budget. Quite pleased with it, does 1080@60 on most things with high detail.

Slap some OC on the 750Ti and you will see a nice +10% extra for free.

[Skierbruce]

Most definitely the i5. More cores will be worth it

[glomper99]

Save a bit more and get a higher i5. £30 or so now can save the hassle and extra cost of an upgrade further down the line, as well as being a much better CPU.

[SkullyJR]

The haswell i3 is really good for gaming but if you can afford an i5, go for it.

[Unstable Sloth]

i think 2 is good for now but 4 will be needed in 2 - 3 years as the 360 and ps3 start to be dropped from multi platform releases and games become optimised for more core usage.

[shaithis]

Depends on what your running and what gfx card your going to pair it with......

[arsenalfan]

You need at least an i5 to play most of the recent games with good settings and fps but it also depends on what GPU you are using. If you are not set on Intel then you could consider the AMD 6 core of 8 core CPU.

[mynameissi]

Depends on what your running and what gfx card your going to pair it with......

Indeed.
It was my belief a large proportion of the running of games was done by the gfx card. So you could get away with a shabby processor so long as you pair it with a very good gfx card.
I could be wrong.

[gingerBen]

Indeed.
It was my belief a large proportion of the running of games was done by the gfx card. So you could get away with a shabby processor so long as you pair it with a very good gfx card.
I could be wrong.

Depends on the game, some are more CPU bound than others.

[Wordsmither]

Games are beginning to utilise hyperthreading.

I understand the topic is in regards to a i3/i5 choice but you might want to consider an i7 for improved futureproofing.

[Norbert1333]

100% go for the i5

[scaryjim]

100% go for the i5

Given the OP asked for this advice 2 and a half years ago, I suspect they've already made their decision. I trust this isn't indicative of you posting randomly in old threads in the hope of reaching 20 posts for free Scan shipping, as I don't think the above comment really counts as useful and constructive....?