Multitasking (i vs Core 2) & Moderate Gaming
Last response: in CPUs
Hi everyone,
I've been doing lots of work on my laptop (Asus M50VM-A1 - stats) which involves a boatload of windows/processes (I have firefox,chrome w/ 20+ tabs, photoshop, trillian, winamp, ftp, folders, and backend processes that keep my cpu busy).
The laptop tends to heat up real hard (100C+ GPU) and the performance just isn't where I want it to be.
I've decided to get a desktop - cheaper - that can handle everything with much more ease and speed.
I've been looking online for deals and there are a boat load of, what seem to me, like amazing deals. Problem is, I'm not very good at comparing computer parts and knowing what exactly I need.
There are a lot of great deals for Core 2 (duo/quad) processor desktops. How much worse is it than the i3/i5/i7 for multitasking?
My current laptop has Vista with Core 2 Duo P8400 processor. It's not running terrible on Vista... how much smoother would it be on Windows 7?
What kind of video card should I get if I only game moderately (i.e run GTA IV smoothly) but mostly will be using it for videos? Is there a site you guys use to compare benchmark video cards? I am so lost when I try to compare them.
I guess my last question is... should I buy a prebuilt computer on sale (http://pastebin.ca/1908126 - $500 shipped) and buy additional parts to upgrade or build a computer from scratch? My budget is around $500-$600 for the computer and some additional funds for a nice monitor.
Thanks!
Oleg
I've been doing lots of work on my laptop (Asus M50VM-A1 - stats) which involves a boatload of windows/processes (I have firefox,chrome w/ 20+ tabs, photoshop, trillian, winamp, ftp, folders, and backend processes that keep my cpu busy).
The laptop tends to heat up real hard (100C+ GPU) and the performance just isn't where I want it to be.
I've decided to get a desktop - cheaper - that can handle everything with much more ease and speed.
I've been looking online for deals and there are a boat load of, what seem to me, like amazing deals. Problem is, I'm not very good at comparing computer parts and knowing what exactly I need.
There are a lot of great deals for Core 2 (duo/quad) processor desktops. How much worse is it than the i3/i5/i7 for multitasking?
My current laptop has Vista with Core 2 Duo P8400 processor. It's not running terrible on Vista... how much smoother would it be on Windows 7?
What kind of video card should I get if I only game moderately (i.e run GTA IV smoothly) but mostly will be using it for videos? Is there a site you guys use to compare benchmark video cards? I am so lost when I try to compare them.
I guess my last question is... should I buy a prebuilt computer on sale (http://pastebin.ca/1908126 - $500 shipped) and buy additional parts to upgrade or build a computer from scratch? My budget is around $500-$600 for the computer and some additional funds for a nice monitor.
Thanks!
Oleg
More about : multitasking core moderate gaming
Build from scratch.
-unlocked bios
-reduced overall cost
-the PSU will not be crap
I recommend a 5670 for you if gaming isn't too important but... My recommendation could change after you tell us your monitor resolution.
The 5670 performs better than the 4670 and 3870 but worse than the 4850. It uses very little power though.
I agree with the Athlon IIx3 idea above.
My current laptop has Vista with Core 2 Duo P8400 processor. It's not running terrible on Vista... how much smoother would it be on Windows 7?
If all service packs and updates are installed, then not really.
There are a lot of great deals for Core 2 (duo/quad) processor desktops. How much worse is it than the i3/i5/i7 for multitasking?
Depends on the specific models you are comparing. Check here:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2
So my recommendations:
-Athlon IIx3 CPU
-Radeon 5670 (preferably by XFX for their warranty)
-Case you think looks pretty. A top fan is always nice. I have an Antec 300
-Quality PSU from Antec, OCZ, corsair. 500W of any of them should be more than enough. You could get a 400W corsair.
-Motherboard: spend under $100 on one from Asus/Gigabyte or MSI. I like my 785G chipset, get an AM3 socketed one though with support for DDR3 memory
-RAM, you want 4GB. Get the cheapest from kingston, Gskill, corsair, patriot. or mushkin. Mushkin is my favourite. Faster more expensive ram makes little to no difference.
-unlocked bios
-reduced overall cost
-the PSU will not be crap
I recommend a 5670 for you if gaming isn't too important but... My recommendation could change after you tell us your monitor resolution.
The 5670 performs better than the 4670 and 3870 but worse than the 4850. It uses very little power though.
I agree with the Athlon IIx3 idea above.
My current laptop has Vista with Core 2 Duo P8400 processor. It's not running terrible on Vista... how much smoother would it be on Windows 7?
If all service packs and updates are installed, then not really.
There are a lot of great deals for Core 2 (duo/quad) processor desktops. How much worse is it than the i3/i5/i7 for multitasking?
Depends on the specific models you are comparing. Check here:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2
So my recommendations:
-Athlon IIx3 CPU
-Radeon 5670 (preferably by XFX for their warranty)
-Case you think looks pretty. A top fan is always nice. I have an Antec 300
-Quality PSU from Antec, OCZ, corsair. 500W of any of them should be more than enough. You could get a 400W corsair.
-Motherboard: spend under $100 on one from Asus/Gigabyte or MSI. I like my 785G chipset, get an AM3 socketed one though with support for DDR3 memory
-RAM, you want 4GB. Get the cheapest from kingston, Gskill, corsair, patriot. or mushkin. Mushkin is my favourite. Faster more expensive ram makes little to no difference.
Related ressources:
- ForumCore 2 Quad Vs Athlon II X4 for gaming and multitasking
- ForumMultitasking ..... Multi- core CPU or no?
- ForumWhich is better at multi-tasking ? i3 or phenom 4 core ?
- ForumIs the only advantage of a quad core over a dual core multitasking ?
- ForumAMD vs Intel: which is better for MULTI-TASKING ?
- ForumLaptop processor Intel 3rd Gen i3 or i5 for student multitasking ?
- ForumMedia & Multitasking $1,000 build
- ForumBest reasonable / budget build for multitasking
- ForumI7 for major multitasking vs Phenom II x 6 1090T
- ForumConroe loses to X 2 3800 in Multitasking Benchmarks?
- ForumAM 2 and Conroe Multitasking Benchmarks ?
- ForumAMD X 2 A Failure, Multitasking , Others
- ForumMultitasking vs . dual core vs . quad core
- ForumBest AMD CPU for multitasking ..?
- ForumPC under 500 USD with discrete GPU. For gaming, surfind web and multitasking .
- ForumAn under $1000 multi-tasking oriented workstation
- ForumWhere can I find a good mechanical keyboard?
- Forum[Solved] Is this good for gaming?
- Forum[Solved] Help dual core e5400 shows 1.7 GHz in bios
- Forum[Solved] AMD Black Edition Core Unlock Question
- More resources
!
