CPU vs GPU in new pre-built system?

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stevebaueraccting

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Mar 14, 2013
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Hi everyone. Thanks in advance for your help. I have two options; one an Intel i7 with a 2GB video card, and the other is an Intel i5 with a 3GB card. Which one of these will play videos from Netflix better (my wife's only concern with this new pc)?

Here's all of the info:

Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as I get help; includes today if it works!

Budget Range: 700 - 900

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Business Use (cloud computing), netflix and youtube videos, picture editing, multi-application use with Windows 8

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: N/A

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: TigerDirect

Location: Milwaukee, WI

Parts Preferences: I'm thinking I'd like to stick with an Intel processor, but all else is up in the air.

Overclocking: Almost definitely not; I doubt I'll have time to play games or anything, and I believe the videos will play fine on either system. But is one better than the other?

SLI or Crossfire: No idea what either of these are...

Your Monitor Resolution: No idea, but it's sharp when we watch HD stuff now.

Additional Comments: I would like to find a computer that does one thing for sure. When we start Netflix (we don't have cable - cheaper!), the little yellow light indicating that the drive is working starts going crazy. For the first thirty seconds or so, the video keeps jumping back and forth between too slow and too fast. Add to that the fact that programs take forever to open. This is a new PC that is super-low end (only $350) that we will be taking back to the store this weekend. We want to spend the additional cash to have one that lets us be stress-free in terms of wait-time and such. Hope to have narrowed it down correctly to the following two computers. In your opinion, within my price range, which of these two will be best for my video use and picture editing? Maybe, MAYBE, games in the future? Or would both of these be bad compared to something else you might suggest?

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: See above comment.



Basically, I'm down to these two computers:

ASUS Intel i7 3770, 16G DDR3, 2GB GeForce GT 620M

ASUS Intel i5 3350P, 16G DDR3, 3GB GeForce GT 640M

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: I want to build something myself, but we just had baby #3. Life is a little...hectic. Throw on top of that the fact that we are trying to move back to Nashville in three months, plus being in the middle of audit season...no time. I'll just spend the extra cash this time, but I do plan on building a computer next time around. Looking forward to it!
 
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mikerockett

mikerockett

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Jan 16, 2012
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This is a PC for your budget, it will demolish any of the tasks you want it to do.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $893.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-14 12:55 EDT-0400)

I will be back to price one that's cheaper and can handle your requirements.
 
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thermopyle

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Mar 11, 2013
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There will be absolutely no difference between the two in how Netflix plays. The problem you're having with your current computer is probably not related to CPU or GPU at all, but rather to something else. I'd check the amount of RAM it has as a first step, and compare it versus the amount of memory you have in use from all the background programs that probably came on the system. Any new computer, even at minimum specs, should be able to play Netflix flawlessly from a hardware standpoint.
 
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mikerockett

mikerockett

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Something like this will be plenty for business use and film watching.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A75IA-E53 Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($87.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B HTPC Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 400W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.97 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $493.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-14 12:57 EDT-0400)
 
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larrym

larrym

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Oct 29, 2012
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Any of those will play netflix, what you may be limited too is your internet bandwidth/connection. If your connection is crap, so will be your netflix experience no matter how fast your PC is.
 
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barto

barto

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It's not always about the space as much as it is the power of the cards. For example, you can have a VW bug with a V12 in it. Doubt it will go 200mph. You can also have a big SUV with a 4 cylinder in it. Doubt it will haul a family of 8. The 640GTM is more powerful than the 620GTM. I know these are prebuilt PCs, but you won't need 16 GB of ram. I would pick the i5. The main difference between i7 and i5 os hyperthreading. You won't need it for streaming videos.

You could build your own.
 
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stevebaueraccting

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Mar 14, 2013
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I was wondering it might the memory on the new PC. It has only 4GB, if I remember correctly...

We continually get warnings from the Norton Antivirus that came with the computer that says "Warning: High CPU/memory use by Google Chrome/Netflix/etc." Then, when you pull up the Windows 8 task manager, they have it setup with a new format that shows which processes are using which percentage of the CPU's power. Chrome is often at 99%. It's crazy.

I'm on my work pc at the moment, and this thing is just lovely. Trying to get something that runs a lot smoother, like this one, without costing more than $1,000.
 
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stevebaueraccting

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Mar 14, 2013
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I went to a site online that tested down/upload speeds, and it gave me a download speed of 15Mbps. Thought that was three times higher than Netflix needed to play in HD. Perhaps that was last year though, what with all the improvements in speed we've seen the last few years. Anyway, this problem only happens with Netflix, not with any other video player on CBS, Hulu, Fox, etc. And it always fixes itself within the 30-second mark. It's not buffering, as the audio plays the whole time. It's just...jumpy.
 
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larrym

larrym

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If you are using cable, your speeds will vary depending on how many people are using the bandwidth on your segment at any given time. Also, depending on if you're using wifi or straight connection, your router may be slowing you down. but, 15 mbs is way more than enough.

 
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kennai

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Better idea, go with either of these systems:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JEYT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JEYT/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JEYT/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill R218-P-BK-450W ATX Mid Tower Case w/450W Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $455.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-14 13:10 EDT-0400)
Intel:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JEYt
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JEYt/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JEYt/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($122.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($67.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.03 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill R218-P-BK-450W ATX Mid Tower Case w/450W Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $478.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-14 13:10 EDT-0400)
 
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