Disc07's NES PC Build: Part 1.1b (The CPU)

Today's installment of my build will cover the heart of the system, the Intel Core i5 Processor. This piece of hardware has defined this generation's gaming processors. It is a perfect mix of speed and integrated graphics. The new i7 models have just been released, so there were plenty of deals going around for last year's i5 models. After reading through piles of reviews of the i5, I decided on going with what I found to be the cheapest model, the i5-3550 with an LGA 1155 socket. I could either grab this model from Newegg with the addition of a free t-shirt, or go with a cheaper price at $189.99 (with rebate) at Circuit City. I chose the latter in hopes that the $20 savings will help me along with the build in the long run.

Pretty pretty box! 

This processor is part of the new line of Quad-Core Ivy Bridge CPU's that have just been released along with the brand new i7 models. It boasts a 3.3GHz speed and a 3.7GHz Turboclocked speed only sucking 77watts of power form the PSU. Included is a fancy, almost "low-profile," heatsink with a 90mm fan. There has been some discussion of the amount of heat put out from this model, so I might have to take some extra precaution when it comes to organizing the airflow in my case, but hopefully all will work out in the end.

Just the stock 90mm fan and heatsink should do with my build. We'll see how it goes.

If I were playing anything less than Diablo III on this build, I would definitely vouch for going without an additional video card (eg: just playing emulators/roms/last gen games etc.), but just for kicks I will be covering all of my bases and getting a video card later down the line (as long as space is an option in my build). 

I would love to go and do some benchmarking on this CPU/GPU, but it is the first part of build that I have received, hence I have nothing to compare it to, or even to start the PC up with. Therefore, I will keep these articles nice and short until I do a full system diagnostic once all of the parts are in and together in the end. 

So far the build is as follows: 

• Intel i5 3550 ($189.99)

Heads up: Friday's installment will be featuring the memory used for the build, the Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB DDR3 Memory Kit. 

Until then, Disc07 Out.