Intel Core i3 or i5?

[HyperMac5]

Hello,
I have finalized all my parts and was about to order them, but then I saw at Microcenter.com that the i5 was only $50 more than the i3 I intended to buy. ($170 http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor vs. $120 http://www.microcenter.com/product/398006/Core_i3_3225_33GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor#tab-specs)

My main needs for the Hackintosh:
1. Video editing for YouTube
2. School work (word, powerpoint, etc)
3. Minor gaming occasionally (GTA 4 and NBA 2k)
4. Dual booting into windows for games
5. Surfing the web and checking email
6. I may turn it in to an HTPC because the motherboard has dual HDMI

My Parts List (just in case anyone wants to see):
Case- http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=711...cture=BitFenix
PSU- http://www.microcenter.com/product/399979/Builder_Series_CX430_430_Watt_ATX_12V_Power_Supply
Motherboard- http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-1155-Intel-Motherboard-GA-H77N-WIFI/dp/B009JDTWVC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1352591450&sr=1-1&keywords=Gigabyte+LGA+1155+DDR3+1600+Intel+H77 but read further as this might change!
RAM- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00569K7LM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tonymacx86com-20
Hard Drive- http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Travelstar-320GB-Internal-0A78743/dp/B004728Q12/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1352763893&sr=1-10&keywords=320gb+hard+drive
SSD- http://www.amazon.com/Wintec-2-5-Inch-SATA3-Series-SATA-III/dp/B007NG2FAC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
CPU- i3 vs i5?
By the way, I am trying to keep the cost down so if you find any parts cheaper that will help. Also I will use this when I can afford it http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149230!

Changes I will have to make if I get the i5:
1. Get the Z77 mini itx board to enable overclocking
2. Get a third party CPU cooler because of over clocking

Thanks for reading this! Your help will really be appreciated. I think it might be better to get the i5 but it will stretch my budget. Is it worth it?
-HyperMac5

 

[DarfWeder]

Get the i5 mate, it's amazing. It can run cool ad quiet or you can unleash it

You won't regret it.

 

[HyperMac5]

Get the i5 mate, it's amazing. It can run cool ad quiet or you can unleash it

You won't regret it.

It's an extra $50 for the CPU and then another $50 for upgrading the h77 to a z77 and then getting a cpu cooler. Is it really worth another $100?

 

[DBP]

If you're budget-constrained you could stay with the H77N motherboard and skip on the overclocking. You'd already be getting a boost going from the i3-3225 to the i5-3570K, and just because it's got a "K" doesn't mean you have to overclock it. Advantages of the i5-3570K:

• 4 actual cores instead of 2 cores with hyperthreading
• 3.4-3.8 GHz (TurboBoost) vs 3.3 GHz
• 6 MB cache instead of 3 MB
• PCIe 3.0 instead of 2.0 (will this matter?)
• AES-NI encryption instructions: FileVault encryption of disks will involve no CPU load

Looking at the Geekbench results the numbers go from the 7-thousands for the 3225 to 9-to-11-thousands for the 3570.
Maybe that's worth the $50 to you?

 

[HyperMac5]

Thanks,
I might actually go with the i5! It's going to be one of my Christmas gifts. The reason I was thinking of getting the i5 was because yesterday when I was creating a YouTube intro for the channel I will be starting, the fans on my Late 2011 i5 2.4ghz MacBook Pro got extremely loud. I was thinking, "the i3 is not going to cut it"- is that a correct statement? Also if I was getting the i5 it would make sense to pay the extra $15 for a z77? My only problem is the fan could cost a lot and money piles up.
-HyperMac5

 

[Einsteiniac]

Thanks,
I might actually go with the i5! It's going to be one of my Christmas gifts. The reason I was thinking of getting the i5 was because yesterday when I was creating a YouTube intro for the channel I will be starting, the fans on my Late 2011 i5 2.4ghz MacBook Pro got extremely loud. I was thinking, "the i3 is not going to cut it"- is that a correct statement? Also if I was getting the i5 it would make sense to pay the extra $15 for a z77? My only problem is the fan could cost a lot and money piles up.
-HyperMac5

I would get the i5 and the Z77 board. It sounds like that setup sets you back $65. Then as money permits buy the heat sink you want and OC to your hearts desire. I will say though Ivy Bridge gets hot real fast with over clocks. I have only felt ok with my 3570k going to 4.06ghz. That is with a corsair H80. Sure at full load for about an hour I am still about 25-30 degrees from TJ but thats as high as I feel I want to risk. Long story short that takes my geekbench from low 11000 to about 12.2 range. Stock to 4.06ghz that is.

 

[HyperMac5]

I would get the i5 and the Z77 board. It sounds like that setup sets you back $65. Then as money permits buy the heat sink you want and OC to your hearts desire. I will say though Ivy Bridge gets hot real fast with over clocks. I have only felt ok with my 3570k going to 4.06ghz. That is with a corsair H80. Sure at full load for about an hour I am still about 25-30 degrees from TJ but thats as high as I feel I want to risk. Long story short that takes my geekbench from low 11000 to about 12.2 range. Stock to 4.06ghz that is.

You're saying to get the CPU cooler when I can afford it? After I get away from the stock heatsink that comes with the CPU should I overclock or can I overclock at 4.06ghz and then higher once I get a good heatsink? Also is overclocking necessary if I'm just doing what I listed below?
Thanks for the info,
HyperMac5

 

[DBP]

My answers to that would be Yes, No, and No. Non-stock coolers and overclocking would go together, and you can add them later.

 

[HyperMac5]

My answers to that would be Yes, No, and No. Non-stock coolers and overclocking would go together, and you can add them later.

I think that's what I'm going to do. For the extra $50 plus the $15 for the z77 over the h77, it seems like a no brainer because it opens up the option to overclock in the future!
Thanks for the help

 

[Macblack4]

That's a good price on the i5 3570K at Microcenter. While you're at Microcenter, you should check out their sales flyer. If you buy the i5 at Microcenter, they will cut $40 off the price of a new motherboard if you buy it at the same time.
[h=1][/h]