So I will get my computer in a few days and the computer is already ordered, but I am a little worried about CPU I am getting. I was planning on i5 2500 (non k, not overclocking, so why get it...) or i5 2400, but the computer will be i3 2100, because these guys who will sell it to me said that in gaming the difference won't be even be noticed. I was searching for some information and I didn't really find what I need to know. So the question is - will it make a huge difference between i3 2100 and i5 2500 or 2400 CPUs in average gaming? I don't want to overclock. I will be using GTX 460. I do understand that i5 is more future proof due to four cores and things like that, but I just need this computer for 3-4 years. Will it make a huge difference in performance?
Is i3 2100 enough for gaming?
- Thread starter Fetairy
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Slickrick214
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- Dec 28, 2011
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Most games today still only use 2 cores in games so for most games the I3 would be fine. The only time you might see a performance drop is if are playing a game that begins to max out the dual core. In that case having the two extra cores could help. The I3 is fine and you can always get an I5 Ivy Bridges (but you have to have a Z68 board to be backwards compatible)
Slickrick214
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I wouldnt expect that much of a drop. Usually the prices stay the same and as they become harder to get since they aren't being made anymore the price will go up.
megamanx00
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An i-5 2400 will be better, but by how much depends on the game. Some games make better use of 4 cores than others. Games with older engins barely make use of two cores where as some newer games really benefit from four full cores. You can see a comparison here.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/363?vs=289
Notice that for Crysis Warhead the results are nearly identical, but with the better threaded Far Cry 2 there is a pretty decent gap. If your doing any encoding then it's much better to have four cores. Since you want to keep it for a while go with an i-5 2400. It should keep you happy for a few years.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/363?vs=289
Notice that for Crysis Warhead the results are nearly identical, but with the better threaded Far Cry 2 there is a pretty decent gap. If your doing any encoding then it's much better to have four cores. Since you want to keep it for a while go with an i-5 2400. It should keep you happy for a few years.
your fine with an i3 and gtx 460. here is a bench i ran with i3 2120 and an overclock the p*ss out of gtx550ti in BFBC 2 with the settings cranked up to torture my rig. didn't go past 45% except to load the game.
nforce4max
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It's true that most games now only use 1-2 cores, that could change in the next 3-4 years though.
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