Core i3 2120 or amd fx series for game build?

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780
hey i have been looking at a new cpu for my rig. i have the phenom x4 9950 right now and would like a full upgrade. i looked at the core i3 2120 cpu from intel and the amd fx 4100 or the 1 right above that one. which is better? i do gaming alot and im not an enthusiast but i like to have high settings with 50-60 fps constant. i looked at some benchmarks for these cpus and it looked like the intel was better. but what does anyone else have to say about this? anyone had experience with these cpus?
 

Keanu Reeves

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
99
0
10,660
The i3 is going to be faster all-around--multi-tasking, gaming etc. etc. The only games you may run into a bit of a snag with are games that take advantage of quad-core chips (ie Battlefield 3), but those cases are few and far between.
 

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780


hey thanks for the snappy reply!

so the i3 is better? i figured so. what kinds of fps should i be expecting from either chip with 4 gigs ram and an hd6850
 

Keanu Reeves

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
99
0
10,660
It all depends on the resolution, the in-game settings, and a few other factors, but it's definitely an upgrade from what you had. Games nowadays are more GPU-heavy than CPU-heavy.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/21?vs=289

Here are benches comparing your old chip with the i3, and keep in mind that the i3 in the bench is the 2100 which is clocked a tad lower than yours. You should see a bit more performance even over those marks--2 maybe 3 fps.

Also, no problem about the quick reply. Happy to help.
 

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780


i wish they could do bf3 bnchmarks lol. but it does look a good bit faster
 

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780


now what about the phenom series? i know theyre fantastic. like the phenom ii x4 975. but again which is better? the i3 or the phenom. the fx is just a joke to me
 

Keanu Reeves

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
99
0
10,660
I wish they had BF3 in their benches too. haha. I've been looking to upgrade my CPU as well. I have a Phenom II x4 980BE, and I can tell you that my CPU runs the game just fine--and the i3 actually beats the 980 in most gaming benches I've seen.


Just to put your mind at ease though, here's a video of BF3 running on an i3--and the GPU you have will actually be more powerful than what this dude is running. You'll be fine. It won't be maxed, but you can definitely play it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=872QHqk23TQ
 

ohyouknow

Distinguished
Nov 18, 2011
957
0
19,160
If gaming at resolutions of 1080p the GPU is far far more important and cpu bottleneck becomes negligible. i3 is a good processor but having a quad core helps out if you play games online with tons of other people i.e. BF3 or player hubs in MMO's. I'd probably go PII 965 but either would be a really good buy. Good Luck

FWIW my friend let me purchase his athlon x4 quad core for cheap to upgrade my old HP athlon x2 duo core. After swapping it out it was a noticeable 10 FPS+ with a lot less lag than before when I used to play SWTOR. They were pretty much the same clock speeds so it really was a duo core vs a quad.
 

Keanu Reeves

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
99
0
10,660


If it's just going to be for gaming, basic internet surfing, and microsoft word etc. etc., I'd get the i3. If you plan on doing any video encoding or anything of that nature, the extra two cores of the 980 will come in handy.
 

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780


well my main focus is bf3. plus i want to be somewhat future proof
 

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780


just gaming nd basic stuff. o and i record and produce my own music. but its nothing insane in terms of editing and effects. i mean i have alot but nothing like pros would. someone said the quad core is better for bf3 online though. how much better could it be? sorry im asking so many wuestions. i just want to get the best out of my money ( who doesnt i guess lol)
 

sepulvedajoseph94

Honorable
Jun 14, 2012
38
0
10,530
well i3 isnt future proof thats for sure . but it does play most games pretty well . i my self have an i3 2100 and its run pretty good on diablo 3 and mw3 pretty smooth along with me having to web browse on the internet at the same time
 

Keanu Reeves

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
99
0
10,660
I can tell you from personal experience that a good GPU and a 980 will run BF3 just fine. I have not personally played the game on an i3 machine, but I haven't heard of anyone running into issues.
 


I'm gonna be "that guy" for a second, so hold on, lol. There's really no such thing as future proofing when it comes to computer hardware. The closest thing to that in gaming is a 2500K/3570K.

With that said, my vote is for the i3 or a PII X4 965 or above, if you have to stay within a budget.
 

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780


pretty smooth as in constant 60 fps?
 


+1 Agreed all around.
 

Keanu Reeves

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
99
0
10,660
I tell you what would be even better is a Phenom II 965, like everybody else was saying, and an SSD. Since I added an SSD to my machine, my load times are cut in half, and it may be my mind playing tricks on me, but the gameplay seems a bit smoother too.
 

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780


dont care too muc about load times lol. but i am still torn between the 965 and the i3. theyre both great from what i hear
 

Keanu Reeves

Honorable
Jun 11, 2012
99
0
10,660


I do but probably only because I'm ridiculously impatient. haha. You say you do some music editing now, and even if now it's on a small scale you may need more advanced software later on. At that point, the 965 would benefit you more.
 

schecterplayer

Distinguished
Jan 26, 2012
274
0
18,780


ok so i think ill go with the 965. thanks for the help everyone!

now my next question lol. whats the best motherboard for the 965. prefferably a 120 dollar cap