Core i3-4170 vs Core i5-4570

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The Core i3-4170 and the Core i5-4570 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The Core i3-4170 has 2 cores and 4 threads, and the Core i5-4570 has 4 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the Core i5-4570 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.7 GHz and 3.6 GHz.

Platform, power and price

Both chips use the LGA1150 socket, so they fit the same motherboards. You can swap one for the other without changing the board.

Rated power is 54 W for the first and 84 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the Core i3-4170 cost $122 and the Core i5-4570 $192, which gives 14.8 and 9.4 points of gaming performance per $100. Today's prices will differ.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the Core i3-4170 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 1070 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core i5-4570 reaches the GeForce GTX 1070. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the Core i3-4170 if you want the faster gaming chip. Choose the Core i5-4570 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.