I3-2100 vs. i7 2600s

[bak0n]

Sandy Bridge 1155: I currently have the 2100 that runs at 3.1ghz. Would there be any benefit to the extra 20% core clock (turbo 3.8ghz i7) and cores to lose the L2 cache for gaming?

65 Watt TDP, non-overclocked is a must, so don't suggest anything else that does not fit that criteria please.

 

[bak0n]

A little extra info: The only research I've been able to find on the two is that the CPU mark score is much higher than the i3. However that doesn't necessarily translate into higher frame rates as the 2600s should perform around the 2500k levels, or less.

I know I'll be GPU bottle necked but this is a BTX case with an ITX M/B. Meaning I have 1 PCI-E slot with no extra spacing for anything larger than a single slot GPU (currently 5670, soon to be 7750 once power color releases their single slot solution).

 

[seumas_beathan]

A little extra info: The only research I've been able to find on the two is that the CPU mark score is much higher than the i3. However that doesn't necessarily translate into higher frame rates as the 2600s should perform around the 2500k levels, or less.

I know I'll be GPU bottle necked but this is a BTX case with an ITX M/B. Meaning I have 1 PCI-E slot with no extra spacing for anything larger than a single slot GPU (currently 5670, soon to be 7750 once power color releases their single slot solution).

The stuff in bold is a good thing not a bad thing. If you want better fps go for it if you dont need better fps dont

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Things that make a difference in gaming.

1. Video card
2. Clock speed/IPC
3. Cores (up to 4)
4. RAM
5. Hard Drive performance

Well you get the idea. The simple answer is yes there is a little performance boost by going with the Intel® Core™ i7-2600S but only when the Turbo Boost is active or you are doing something heavily multi-threaded. The L2 cache on the 2nd generation Intel Core processors is set at 256KB for each core. So you wouldnt lose performance from that change. The big question is even with Turbo Boost active are you going to see enough of a performance gain to make up for the 300MHz faster clock speed that the Intel Core i3-2100 has normally? I would have to say yes but that the performance change may not be with the cost difference.


Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[nforce4max]

Just get the 7750 for now.

 

[Raidur]

IvyBridge in a couple months will be extremely efficient if you're looking for low power models.

Core i5-3750T will be good power usage / price / performance ratios.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Intel-Ivy-Bridge-CPU-LGA1155,14325.html

 

[bak0n]

Ivy bridge would require buying another MB (one thing I hate about Intel), so I'll stay with the GPU upgrade and sit on the chip for a bit. I prefer to max out what my MB can handle rather than do an entirely new system build each time I want a CPU bump.

Seems the best course of action is to sit back and wait on the CPU till I feel it more a necessity than a want. Thanks for the input.

 

[bak0n]

Best answer selected by bak0n.