I3-2100 vs FX-4100 vs A8-3870K budget office build?

[azeng97]

Hey So I'm building a budget office PC for my parents, with a budget of around $400 AUD/USD, and I'm wondering which of the following will be the best value. The machine will be mainly used for business applications, web-surfing, watching films, NO gaming at all. I will be using integrated graphics where possible, but a decently performing machine is still desirable. Overclocking is an option, providing it will be stable. I am not worried about future-proofing/upgradeability at this stage.
The choices are:

Intel Core i3-2100 integrated HD 2000 graphics (they dont stock 2105 here in aus) $120 + ASRock Z68 Pro3-M $110

AMD x4 A8-3870K integrated HD6550 graphics $145 + ASRock A75 Pro4 $95 + $? on cooling if overclocked?

AMD FX-4100 $123 + HD 6450 $33 + ASRock 970 Extreme 3 $99 + $? on cooling if overclocked?

Phenom IIs are out of stock already.
Also I may consider the i5 2320 $190 with the same Z68 mobo if it is really worth the extra $. It's not that I must get an ASRock, its just they seem to have the best value here.

Please comment on which of the above you think is the best option. Any constructive advice/feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[amuffin]

i3

 

[azeng97]

i3

Any reasons for that?

 

[amuffin]

uses less power, outperforms both cpus

 

[azeng97]

uses less power, outperforms both cpus

I don't really mind power consumption, and it outperforms both CPUs at stock clocks, however for some reason the benchmarks are much higher for the other 2. My question is: will and overclocked A8 or FX4100 outperform the i3 2100?

 

[esrever]

The A8 will give you better graphical performance and generally will be no different than the i3 in terms of noticeable cpu performance. In gpu accelerated environments it will be a lot better, web browsing on flash, java and html5 will enable this. Also for HD movies the hd 2000 sometimes have slight problems on different encodings.

don't bother with the FX as you'd need a gpu to go with it and its not really faster than the A8. The i3 isn't worth it unless you can get the HD 3000 and even then I'd still want the A8 chip's better graphical performance over the cpu performance. the A8 with the 4 cores at 3ghz you won't be able to tell the difference in general applications compare to the other 2 options but if you were to open a HD movie and try to browse graphically heavy webpages it could be noticeably slower. If you were to try any games it would run hands down better on the A8 as well.

 

[rage33]

Yes, for your needs the A8-3570k is your best option, and if your looking for a good cooler the cooler master hyper 212+ is excellent and cheap compared to most others $29.99 USD

 

[azeng97]

I'm looking at the comparison in this review: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/A8-3870K-vs-Core-i3-2105-CPU-Review/1470
and it seems that the performance for the i3-2100 is much better in areas that I need except for gaming and 3D rendering (neither of which I would need). However this is at stock clocks, and I'm not sure what changes would occur if the A8 is overclocked. What are your opinions on this?

 

[esrever]

the difference would be unnoticeable if you were to actually be using it.
Get the i3 if you want, either will do for what you need. just remember what I wrote about the hd 2000.

 

[grumbledook]

If you decide to go for the i3, a cheap dedicated gpu would be fine for movies and shouldn't cost you more than about 30 bucks (geforce 210 or a hd5450 for example)

 

[azeng97]

A8-3870K + Cheap cooler for overclock = $160
i3 2100 + HD 6450 = $153

Opinions?

 

[esrever]

you should also get a cooler for the i3 just cause how crappy stock fans are.

 

[amuffin]

Apu's have no upgrade room.

 

[esrever]

he doesn't want upgradability

 

[sarinaide]

Of the three on raw cpu power the I3 2XXX chips are much stronger than the A8 and FX 4XXX chips, though it is the less feature rich chip.

i3 2100 - Pros: Fastest of the processors listed, efficient, runs cool and is cheap. Cons: No overclocking, HD 2000 is dog for gaming (I think its the 2125 that comes with HD3000, still not great but is better) with the right board you can use Intels SRT and LucidLogix to make certain apps quicker.

FX 4100 - Pros: Cheap, average CPU performance at highly threaded apps, can overclock Cons: Poor single threading performance, hot, badly marketed as a quad when it isn't one.

A8-3870K - Pros: Uses intels K suffix (joking) integrated CPU + GPU, game the best of the chips without a discrete card, makes Hybrid Xfire cheap as you only need a low level card to activate hybrid crossfire. Cons: Aging Cpu technology, slow computational performance. Dead end systems, when you buy it, there is no upgrade path.

If you are asking me on only these CPU's I would without a shadow of doubt go with;

i3 2100, If you really want to you can get a i5 2400 to cap it off.
Solid H61 motherboard - so cheap re selling them later for anything is not really a major drain on your finances nor a major loss
Solid DDR 1333 (8GB kit) - Performance DDR3 1333 is quick enough you will hardly notice a difference to 1600, RAM also keeps value well so you can resell nicely.
Solid PSU - Antec Earthwatts 430W is so cheap.
Better GPU - HD 6790's are selling at $100 range.

looking around the $500 mark.

 

[sarinaide]

I don't really mind power consumption, and it outperforms both CPUs at stock clocks, however for some reason the benchmarks are much higher for the other 2. My question is: will and overclocked A8 or FX4100 outperform the i3 2100?

Simple, if you clock the FX 4100 highly it will match or beat the i3 at the single thread level, on highly multithreaded apps the fx is marginally better already, but both are not designed for highly threaded applications.

The A8 is just not a good chip for CPU power, on CPU potential alone the i3 pretty much schools it. Simply put Intels CPU technology is comfortably ahead of AMD, take the fact that the 8150 is ranked and not beating the Nahelem processors of 2008/9 is indications of just where AMD is, soon to be 2-3 generations behind. Sure the AMDs have some victories in high threading apps but they are very marginal so as to negate the arguement.


FX 4100 is in the do not consider catagory along with the FX 6100, the A8's are interesting for multimedia platforms but weak for a gamer, particularly once you require a GPU that negates the Hybrid Xfire feature. I also don't recommend you buy Phenom2's as it is very old technology now.

 

[grumbledook]

I3 is old technology too, and notice it said budget build and no gaming... don't see why people are so deadset to turn everything into a intel vs amd fanboy war here.
OP, I'm sure either of these will do fine for just some business applications and movies for years, personally I'd recommend the i3 with that 6450.

 

[sarinaide]

I don't know who you are refering to, but I don't see any fanboism here, I did give specs around the $500+ mark, considering a budget was not stipulated that seems very budgety to me.

I did state that the A8 is good for Multimedia and HT but not a purpose built gaming option, thats not far out is it? And yes SB is getting old but surely not as old as Phenoms unless I missed something.

FX vs i3 its like taking a Chev Lumina SS, sure its impressive can be tuned up and may look and sound impressive, but it is not the BMW M3, that said the i3 is generally better bar high threading, in which case neither chip is. Anyhoo fanboy arguements whatever. Let me lie to you to address the fanboism arguement, get the FX 4100 and a decent motherboard which will cost another $140 or so and a decent GPU that is needed to stop that thing from crying.

Just about every Tom, Dick and Harry that know infinately more than anyone here has catagorically written off the FX, they have stated that the APU's are great HT systems, and blown intels whistle while complaining about the fact that Intel sandbag consumers. If you say intel is better even if true, you are a team blue fanboy, if you justify team red you are a AMD fanboy, what about if you are like me and you don't give a toss about what color it is and just want the best for the allocated budget.

 

[esrever]

the A8 is faster than the FX in cpu power, it is within 5% of phenoms which are just slightly faster than the A8 clocked at the same frequency. The FX can probably reach 4.4 ghz OC and is the most powerful cpu once you OC but power consumption and heat could be a problem. The A8 can OC to 3.6 easily and higher with a bit of tweaking, it will start to be more powerful than the i3 at these frequencies.

Just read some review of llano and see, they are great little chips for everyday needs and have gpu power to back them up while needed. The chip is also 100 watts which is gpu + cpu so it has lower power draw than the i3 or the FX if you decide to add a gpu in there.

this is a good one, the i3 2100 is pretty much like the i5 661 in the review in terms of performance, with about 5% more performance.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-a8-3870k-review/1

 

[azeng97]

I don't know who you are refering to, but I don't see any fanboism here, I did give specs around the $500+ mark, considering a budget was not stipulated that seems very budgety to me.

I did state that the A8 is good for Multimedia and HT but not a purpose built gaming option, thats not far out is it? And yes SB is getting old but surely not as old as Phenoms unless I missed something.

FX vs i3 its like taking a Chev Lumina SS, sure its impressive can be tuned up and may look and sound impressive, but it is not the BMW M3, that said the i3 is generally better bar high threading, in which case neither chip is. Anyhoo fanboy arguements whatever. Let me lie to you to address the fanboism arguement, get the FX 4100 and a decent motherboard which will cost another $140 or so and a decent GPU that is needed to stop that thing from crying.

Just about every Tom, Dick and Harry that know infinately more than anyone here has catagorically written off the FX, they have stated that the APU's are great HT systems, and blown intels whistle while complaining about the fact that Intel sandbag consumers. If you say intel is better even if true, you are a team blue fanboy, if you justify team red you are a AMD fanboy, what about if you are like me and you don't give a toss about what color it is and just want the best for the allocated budget.

lol ok thanks for input, although I did specify a budget of $400, since this is a home office machine, not gaming rig. If I had a budget of $500, things would change a lot, and I would be looking at i5s, rather than investing in a VGA that won't be used.

 

[azeng97]

the A8 is faster than the FX in cpu power, it is within 5% of phenoms which are just slightly faster than the A8 clocked at the same frequency. The FX can probably reach 4.4 ghz OC and is the most powerful cpu once you OC but power consumption and heat could be a problem. The A8 can OC to 3.6 easily and higher with a bit of tweaking, it will start to be more powerful than the i3 at these frequencies.

Just read some review of llano and see, they are great little chips for everyday needs and have gpu power to back them up while needed. The chip is also 100 watts which is gpu + cpu so it has lower power draw than the i3 or the FX if you decide to add a gpu in there.

this is a good one, the i3 2100 is pretty much like the i5 661 in the review in terms of performance, with about 5% more performance.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-a8-3870k-review/1

The FX4100 is pretty much out of the question here, as with the cooling and VGA costs added, I would pretty much be able to get an i5, and that would definitely be up a rank in terms of performance.

 

[sarinaide]

the A8 is faster than the FX in cpu power, it is within 5% of phenoms which are just slightly faster than the A8 clocked at the same frequency. The FX can probably reach 4.4 ghz OC and is the most powerful cpu once you OC but power consumption and heat could be a problem. The A8 can OC to 3.6 easily and higher with a bit of tweaking, it will start to be more powerful than the i3 at these frequencies.

Just read some review of llano and see, they are great little chips for everyday needs and have gpu power to back them up while needed. The chip is also 100 watts which is gpu + cpu so it has lower power draw than the i3 or the FX if you decide to add a gpu in there.

this is a good one, the i3 2100 is pretty much like the i5 661 in the review in terms of performance, with about 5% more performance.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-a8-3870k-review/1

I consider these arguements fallacy though, you are taking a stock chip against highly overclocked chips to only get marginal or equal gains. The fact that Overclocking is not something that should mandatorily be done considering the effect it has on a the system. I do agree with what you have said though.

 

[esrever]

well, you can get a build arround any of the cpus for $400 or less if you cut them down. A cheap motherboard for any of the system can be had for about $60 and really, you won't need the extra features of the more expensive motherboard with a build like this.

I'd get a new cpu fan for any system just because it makes the machine run cooler and often quieter. Stock fans barely stand up to the tasks they are given.

as for the i5, I don't think you would need it. sure it gives more performance but for something like this, it will just go to waste. The difference of an i5 and a i3 and any of these systems are unnoticeable in the thing you described. Even an old c2d can do all that with no lag what so ever, just need good ram and ok gpu for the movies.

 

[sarinaide]

CPU - $120
MOBO - $60
RAM - $25

Ultra cheap, but enough.

The intel boards are good for cheap and have great connectivity and features for that price.

 

[azeng97]

Well i'm looking at this:

CPU: $120 or $145
Mobo: $90-100
RAM: $20
adds up to $380 around.