Core I3 7100 to replace Core I7 920?

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bigpman

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Hi guys and gals!

I have an aging system that I would like to upgrade. The main reason for this upgrade is to gain native SATA III and USB 3 support, as my processor is still fast enough for my needs just want faster access to my data.

I am not a gamer, but I am a power user. Normal programs that run on my PC daily are:

Visual Studio
SQL management studio
Photoshop or Premier Elements
Outlook
12 or more browser tabs
a few other misc programs, not CPU intensive (not that all of the ones above are anyways)

Current system is:

Core I7 920 (running stock speed)
P6T SE
12GB 1333mhz ram
GTX 770
Corsair Neutron 256GB
Hitachi 500GB 7200rpm
TOPOWER 900W PSU
Hyper 212 EVO
Phanteks P400S tempered glass

I honestly do not run into major issues with the speed of the 920, but would really like to have the ability to access my SSD faster and also access USB 3 externals at USB 3 speeds. I would also like a MoBo with an RGB header and better fan headers for control from the OS.

I was thinking of pairing it with a GIGABYTE GA-H270-Gaming 3, to get the fan and RGB control

So, question is. Would the Core I3 7100 be a good choice to replace the aging 920 and get into Kaby Lake? Benchmarks seem that it is a faster processor, but my only concern is the lower core/thread count.

Let me know your thoughts whether this is a good idea and if not, what would be a better route?

Thanks for reading!
 
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Ecky
The $60 Pentium G4560 is practically identical to the i3 7100. It's clocked a hair lower, and lacks AVX instructions, but is otherwise the same CPU. I expect in nearly all cases it will be an improvement over your i7. You'll get significantly lower noise / power consumption. However, it might be a cheaper option to simply get PCie cards with SATA and USB ports, and would not require you to wipe your hard drive and possibly purchase a new copy of Windows too.
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Ecky

Ecky

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The $60 Pentium G4560 is practically identical to the i3 7100. It's clocked a hair lower, and lacks AVX instructions, but is otherwise the same CPU. I expect in nearly all cases it will be an improvement over your i7. You'll get significantly lower noise / power consumption. However, it might be a cheaper option to simply get PCie cards with SATA and USB ports, and would not require you to wipe your hard drive and possibly purchase a new copy of Windows too.
 
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bigpman

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Thanks Ecky. I thought about the card route, but the biggest issue I see is reliability of such cards. The cheap ones tend to drop drives or not give full sata 3 performance, where the better ones are over $100. With $100 investment, I would rather do a ~$300 investment to get to a new architecture.

I like the idea of the g series, thanks for the suggestion there. It would still get me to Kaby Lake and provide option to upgrade later to an i5 or i7.

Copy of Windows is not an issue, I already have a Windows 10 license:)
 
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tomgang

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I have some sujestion for at cheap upgrade if you want to stay on X58/ I7 920.

For Sata 3/USB 3.0 you cut try and se if you cut find this little pcie adaptor i used it with an SSD to boot from and worked just fine. I used it before i replaced my first gen X58 mobo to a second gen that have USB 3.0 and sata 3 onboard.

https://www.asus.com/dk/Motherboard-Accessory/U3S6/

other option is to find a Samsung 950 PRO M.2 NVMe SSD and a PCIe m.2 adaptor. This M.2 SSD has a OPT-rom build in also called legacy mode that make i possible for old motherboards to see it so you can install windows and boot from. i am doing it my self so can confirm it working.

If more power is wanted there are always to classic way and overclock your CPU. there is a good boost to gain from that or you cut find a xeon/i7 6 core CPU to replace your I7 920. I dit it not so long a go.

I made these upgrades and i am very satisfied with it now. This is how my system runs now.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/062017/M.2_Toms.jpg

A few becnhmark for comparison on I7 920 and my new I7 980X. they are bofh overclokket so you can se what its possible for these old chips.

I7 920
http://peecee.dk/uploads/062017/3dmark_firestrike_rekord_1.jpg

http://peecee.dk/uploads/062017/CinebenchR154,3Ghz.jpg

I7 980X
http://peecee.dk/uploads/062017/Cinebench_R15_4.25_GHz.jpg

http://peecee.dk/uploads/062017/3Dmark_Fire_Strike_4.25_GHz.jpg

That some sujestion for a an upgrade. 6 core xeon can be foudn on ebay for dead cheap by the way.

 
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bigpman

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Based on all the readings on the PCI-E cards, for SATA, I just don't feel comfortable with this route. The U3S6, from Asus, is not supported on the P6T SE board ether and spending $100 or more, on a decent raid card, on this aging system just doesn't add up.

So, after reading up on the g4560, I think this is my best course of action. Between the g4560, a new Mobo and some 2400mhz RAM, I can come out under $260, which will work fine for my budget. Maybe I can even do a little better, if I continue to check pricing and wait for sales. Not in a huge rush, been sporting this setup now for over 6 years anyways. Pretty decent ROI, I think.

I can also sell my P6T SE, 12GB of DDR3 and the 920 for a few bucks on eBay to recoup some of the money I spend on the new stuff or include the 770 and put all that money (plus a little more) into a 1050 or 1060.

The G4560 will also give me a good upgrade path, in a year or so, to get an i5 or i7 and keep the longevity of the PC going.

Thanks to everyone for helping out!
 
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tomgang

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that asus PCIe is aupported on your mother board. take a look down at "Compatible Models".

https://www.asus.com/dk/Motherboard-Accessory/U3S6/specifications/
 
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bigpman

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Sorry, tomgang. I was reading the overview page that you sent me first, https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboard-Accessory/U3S6/overview/, and never clicked off the page because of the compatibility list on this page only has:

Compatible Models
Maximus III Formula
P7P55D Deluxe
P7P55D EVO
P7P55D PRO
P7P55D
P7P55D LE
P7P55 LX

Looks like finding one of these bad boys would be an issue, however.. I'll spend some time looking around to see if I can find one. I guess going with a card, designed by Asus to work with my board, would be the simplest/cheapest option, as long as I can find it. It would solve the SATA and USB requirement I have for sure.

Although, I have also been looking at how much used P6T SE boards go for. I believe that, with the 920 and the 12GB of RAM, I should be able to get around $150-200 for the set. This would greatly reduce the out of pocket costs for a new CPU/MoBo/RAM combo....maybe even allow me to consider a jump to an i5. Biggest issue is the gamble. I would have to buy the i5/MoBo/RAM and then put the old set on sale and hope that it sells for the right price.

Decisions, decisions...
 
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