Phenom II 945(B3) to i3 2120?

[xyzionz]

Okay, my specs are like below

AMD Phenom II 945@3.0GHz
Asus 785 Chipset Mobo
4GB DDR3
Integrated HD4200
Coolermaster Vortex Plus

What I mostly do is downloading, office works, emails and most important low power usage. And some video encoding and light gaming(Angry Birds, Chicken Invaders) as well.

Now i have a chance to sell my AMD processor and mobo, and buy an i3 2120 and a H61 mobo. Is it wise to change from an AMD quad to an Intel dual?
Also can i undervolt the i3 2120 if i'm using an Intel mobo instead of Asus or Gigabyte?
Can I re-use my cooler? I've check on the site it says it is compatible with 1155 and 1156, but I just wanted to make sure is 1155 size is the same with the 1156?

Thanks in advance.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

for the work you do, the phenom 945 would be faster.

 

[xyzionz]

I don't mind waiting a little bit longer in video encoding, cause i don't spend 50% of the time doing that, important thing is power usage, so from my knowledge i3 has lower consumption than the 945.

Just to double confirm before i make my choice.

 

[xyzionz]

That's for my HTPC bro, gaming and entertainment.
AMD is my office or work machine.
Should I change my office machine?
I got fed up on the HD4200, it can't even produce smooth frame rates for windows 7 aero with 128MB+128MB video memory....

Thanks for the replies.

 

[xyzionz]

What about power consumption?
Cause i can sell my AMD at 90% of my purchase price a year ago...

 

[xyzionz]

Both AMD Chips? I meant i3 2120 with Phenom 945.

 

[geekapproved]

You want to go from a quad core to a dual core with hyperthreading and have to buy a new mobo just to do it. LOL

That would be the absolute dumbest "upgrade" I have ever heard of.

 

[xyzionz]

Erm, I'm going to sell off the mobo and the processor at 90% of my purchasing price if the feature justifies the benefits.
I'm not looking for an upgrade actually, is something like switching my parts for better power consumption and stuffs.

 

[xyzionz]

I guess i'll need to find the killawatt thing, thank you for all your kind replies.

Appreciated.

 

[axipher]

Why are you so concerned about power consumption. 30 watts between the processors won;t be that noticeable even over an entire year of use because you never have the CPU under full load except when you're video encoding. And if the AMD finishes the video faster and goes back to idle power consumption, the Intel will continue to run at full power and it will probably balance out.

Power consumption would be pretty much the same in the end anyway. The only time you really need to worry about power consumption is if you have some graphic cards that require extra 6 or 8-pin connectors, a crazy amount of hard drives, or an overclocked i7 or X6.

 

[xyzionz]

Thanks for all the replies, I'll settle it once i'm back from HK.

Moderator, please close this thread.

 

[Wisecracker]

The Asus 785g should be a 'slam dunk' to sleep at 3-4w, and the PhII 945 will take a serious under-volt (most likely dropping power at-the-wall 30%+ at full load).