Whats better than i3

[Hever]

Planning to buy a new rig - but in some dilemma.

Want to know whats better than an i3 in its price range only. i3 - 2120 or 2125 ?

As i3 is really only 2 cores, with hyperthreading, which isnt really as good as physical 4 cores still.

So wont the other quads from amd, be better than i3.

I want to use only for general use and surfing - no gaming at all mainly.

So please tell me the options that are better than i3 - in its price range.


Some i guess -

a) 960T - which is a quad core but can be unlocked to 6 cores too by quite high chance

b) Or are AMD phenom II X4 black editions really good - i found that latest FX of amd were not as good as the phenoms. So are the phenoms which are quad cores unlike i3, better than i3

c) If any more too , or other options whic can be unlocked to more cores or more potential, within same range of i3, kindly mention.


Please again note - i will use this pc for general use only and no gaming.

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

AMD 1100T BE (6 core), but not cheap and hard to find...

All the best Brett

 

[davec80]

Planning to buy a new rig - but in some dilemma.

Want to know whats better than an i3 in its price range only. i3 - 2120 or 2125 ?

As i3 is really only 2 cores, with hyperthreading, which isnt really as good as physical 4 cores still.

So wont the other quads from amd, be better than i3.

I want to use only for general use and surfing - no gaming at all mainly.

So please tell me the options that are better than i3 - in its price range.


Some i guess -

a) 960T - which is a quad core but can be unlocked to 6 cores too by quite high chance

b) Or are AMD phenom II X4 black editions really good - i found that latest FX of amd were not as good as the phenoms. So are the phenoms which are quad cores unlike i3, better than i3

c) If any more too , or other options whic can be unlocked to more cores or more potential, within same range of i3, kindly mention.


Please again note - i will use this pc for general use only and no gaming.

In the price range of a 2120 or 2125? You've got several options:

Same performance, less money:
Athlon II X4 645
Athlon II X4 641

Better performance, same cost:
FX-8120
A8-3870
FX-6100
FX-6200

I don't know where you got the impression that the FX processors aren't good. You can buy better, but you'd have to spend more money. Of all the processors above, the A8-3870 is by far the best value in the price range of the 2120 or 2125. Plus, you wouldn't have to buy a video card, necessarily...if you went with the A8 APU.

Just built a file server and a workstation, both with AMD FM1 processors. Loving the performance...

 

[songorocosongo]

I would say this one:
$109 AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
a week ago there was a promo code for a $15 discount

But you dont need anything better than an i3 imo. And the i3's have better power consumption.

 

[Hazle]

i'd reckon even an $80-90 Sandy bridge Pentium G8** would do you good if all you want to do is surf the web and maybe do some paper work, listen to music and watch videos, seeing as how they're basically i3's sans HT, which i doubt you'll need. take it from a guy with an E-350 processor for a general use/HTPC, which is a lot slower; you're not gonna need a lot, as long as you keep away from any bloatware.

 

[mocchan]

i'd reckon even an $80-90 Sandy bridge Pentium G8** would do you good if all you want to do is surf the web and maybe do some paper work, listen to music and watch videos, seeing as how they're basically i3's sans HT, which i doubt you'll need. take it from a guy with an E-350 processor for a general use/HTPC, which is a lot slower; you're not gonna need a lot, as long as you keep away from any bloatware.

^ This.

Sandy Bridge Pentiums will do just fine for you, OP. The integrated HD graphics would do fine for you as well if you don't plan on doing any casual gaming.

Just throw in a small SSD into your mix, and you'll have the blast of your life with your little machine.

 

[songorocosongo]

i'd reckon even an $80-90 Sandy bridge Pentium G8** would do you good if all you want to do is surf the web and maybe do some paper work, listen to music and watch videos, seeing as how they're basically i3's sans HT, which i doubt you'll need. take it from a guy with an E-350 processor for a general use/HTPC, which is a lot slower; you're not gonna need a lot, as long as you keep away from any bloatware.

I would still go with the i3. It may last a little longer

 

[mocchan]

I would still go with the i3. It may last a little longer

This is true, but if compromising HyperThreading gives you the chance of buying an SSD, I think it would be a fair trade off.

But even if OP can't buy an SSD, I think it's still a great value getting the Pentium G8xx>i3.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/404?vs=289

 

[jaguarskx]

For general use dual core CPUs are fine for your needs. A quad core isn't going to my surfing any more enjoyable.

 

[lazyboy947]

A8 3870k apu wins with no gpu, $110 on newegg beats the 80-90$ sandy bridge pentiums. why buy a dual core or athlon quad for $20 less than a good phenom II x4 or quad core A8? and for non gaming a Fx 4100-4170 would b perfect or even a phenom II x6 1045t on tigerdirect for $130. Also a i3 would be fine if ur just web browsing and no gaming, unless its the hyperthreading u dont like. i5 2320 wouldnt b bad, but then might as well get an FX 8 core lol.

 

[Hever]

Thanks for ur advice. However, i cant compare some good choices over anadtech cpu compare charts because many good cpus are missing from the list.

1) Is there any other and good site for comparing cpus instead of searching google for forums and reviews - a simple good compare site - i cant find one. and cpubenchmark.net is not reliable many say.


2) Also, i compared i3 2100 with 3850 on anandtech ( these 2 were available though, which are not the same i wanted to compare) - and i3 really beats 3850 - so how is 3870k much more preferred than i3 ?

though 3870k wud be better than 3850 but i3 2120 too is better than 2100.


3) And 960T can be unlocked to 6 cores from its 4 - isn't it a good option - or is it not that good compared to others mentioned here, even at 6 cores ?


4) Also tell me in the case that OCing a cpu to 1/3 rd more of its capability for the cost of buying a expensive mobo + cooler + psu - is it any worthy - really if it takes the cost too high ?

 

[mocchan]

Thanks for ur advice. However, i cant compare some good choices over anadtech cpu compare charts because many good cpus are missing from the list.

1) Is there any other and good site for comparing cpus instead of searching google for forums and reviews - a simple good compare site - i cant find one. and cpubenchmark.net is not reliable many say.


2) Also, i compared i3 2100 with 3850 on anandtech ( these 2 were available though, which are not the same i wanted to compare) - and i3 really beats 3850 - so how is 3870k much more preferred than i3 ?

though 3870k wud be better than 3850 but i3 2120 too is better than 2100.


3) And 960T can be unlocked to 6 cores from its 4 - isn't it a good option - or is it not that good compared to others mentioned here, even at 6 cores ?


4) Also tell me in the case that OCing a cpu to 1/3 rd more of its capability for the cost of buying a expensive mobo + cooler + psu - is it any worthy - really if it takes the cost too high ?

1) I don't know of any off the top of my head, but you get a rough idea of how CPU's stack up. You can compare looking at similar models - aka lower frequencies on almost identical models, which should give you a rough idea of how those CPU's perform.

2) The 3870k is preferred more over the i3 21xx CPU's because of it's powerful graphics core. For anything CPU intensive, the i3 just right down smacks the 3870k.

3) the 960T is still a great value, however, this would require you to get a dedicated graphics card, which adds even more cost, or get a Motherboard with graphics built in (880G chipset from AMD)

4) Overclocking to me, is worth every penny. I get to squeeze out more performance from my chip for free, why not?

However, since you said this computer will be for surfing and no gaming, I would recommend either the 3870k (for it's onboard graphics) or the i3 2120 (still has decent onboard graphics, but very snappy CPU) OR the Pentium G8xx Series of chips.

 

[popatim]

The A8's are a decent buy because they include decent graphics, which you'll want with HTML5 when it comes out, and are quad core. You dont really need quad core or 6 cores for that matter... I'm typng this on my hex core 1055T and 5 cores are sitting there doing nothing. yes its better if you can use them but for anything but working with video, photoshop, or virtualization type stuff you would never use those extra cores.

By all means get a 960T and unlock it if you want but for what you propose to be using your pc for, you will rarely even wake those extra cores up.

 

[amuffin]

Do you plan on getting a dedicated GPU?

 

[davec80]

Thanks for ur advice. However, i cant compare some good choices over anadtech cpu compare charts because many good cpus are missing from the list.

1) Is there any other and good site for comparing cpus instead of searching google for forums and reviews - a simple good compare site - i cant find one. and cpubenchmark.net is not reliable many say.


2) Also, i compared i3 2100 with 3850 on anandtech ( these 2 were available though, which are not the same i wanted to compare) - and i3 really beats 3850 - so how is 3870k much more preferred than i3 ?

though 3870k wud be better than 3850 but i3 2120 too is better than 2100.


3) And 960T can be unlocked to 6 cores from its 4 - isn't it a good option - or is it not that good compared to others mentioned here, even at 6 cores ?


4) Also tell me in the case that OCing a cpu to 1/3 rd more of its capability for the cost of buying a expensive mobo + cooler + psu - is it any worthy - really if it takes the cost too high ?

1)
http://paulisageek.com/compare/cpu/
(no association with paul, and the chart isn't perfect...but it's pretty good)

2) I'd be very suspicious of any source (even anandtech) claiming that an i3 2100 is clearly superior to the A8 3850. Are you sure you read that right?

3) Windows 8 might be different (if you even CARE about windows 8, that is). However, all (ALL) releases of Windows up to and including Windows 7 are not fully SMP-aware.
Bottom line, if you are running windows...only the first two cores of your processor are used. In fact, the FIRST core is heavily used, the SECOND core is lightly used and higher numbered cores are always idle...
(so therefore no advantage to be gained by unlocking a quad-core to a 6-core)

4) Over-clocking is never a good idea (though many will disagree with me on that). At best, it shortens the MTBF of your processor and motherboard. At BEST.
If you need a better argument against overclocking, here it is:
For what you plan to use your system for, you will notice ZERO performance increase, even if you managed to reach an insane level of overclock.

Your best deal for a processor for your specific system would be an A6 or A8 APU, and matching motherboard, but no graphics card.

 

[Hever]

4) Overclocking to me, is worth every penny. I get to squeeze out more performance from my chip for free, why not?

I know OC is good - however - i am concerned about the additional cost i will have to pay - for just 1/4 th increase of performance - SO ITS NOT GOING TO BE FREE -
Cost of cooler + buying an unlockable cpu + Better psu and most importantly a much costly PREMIUM MOBO.

Can u tell me of a very fine or good mobo for say, core i5 which gives a good OC - but not expensive ?

I think mobos for amd quads like 3870k would be quite cheaper though.

The A8's are a decent buy because they include decent graphics, which you'll want with HTML5 when it comes out, and are quad core.

I have nvidia GT 430 at the moment, and bought it as i dont game really. Would it still be suggested to buy the amd A8 APU. And should i fit the nvidia GT 430 as well in the A8 APU whole rig ?

2) I'd be very suspicious of any source (even anandtech) claiming that an i3 2100 is clearly superior to the A8 3850. Are you sure you read that right?

Here - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=399

4) Over-clocking is never a good idea (though many will disagree with me on that). At best, it shortens the MTBF of your processor and motherboard. At BEST.
If you need a better argument against overclocking, here it is:
For what you plan to use your system for, you will notice ZERO performance increase, even if you managed to reach an insane level of overclock.

REALLY. Do only gamers gain from OCing, not general users ?

Your best deal for a processor for your specific system would be an A6 or A8 APU, and matching motherboard, but no graphics card.

What would be a good mobo for the A8. Any not very costly 2-3 choices ?


...


And LASTLY, should i wait a bit more for trinity or A10 ? and then consider buying ?

 

[mocchan]

Well now you've gotten me thinking, what else will you use this computer besides 'general use'?

Overclocking can help people who do not game. For example, I got myself an i7 because I wanted to speed up some video editing :lol: OCing made the already fast i7, even faster.

The ASRock Extreme4 Z77 Motherboard is around $140 and is one heck of a nice overclocking board for its price

But as I've said in my previous posts, whatever option you get, it may be best to try and integrate an SSD into your rig. It'll make your day to day use feel so much smoother, even if you don't have the fastest CPU in the world.

 

[popatim]

You didnt say you already had a GPU and a gt430 is only slightly slower that the built in A8 gpu so theres no point in even spending that much cash.

So I recommend the G860 or the Phenom II 965BE (only because you seem determined to get more than you need).

Realistically I thing the athlon II x3 455 for $70 or the G620/630 ($64/68) would be fine for general pc use.

 

[nforce4max]

I would consider a Quad core down the road in case your needs were to ever increase or programs over the next two or three years were to become more bloated.

An i3 is as good as it gets for dual cores but their years are coming to an end but for just web surfing you will get away with that at least for three or four.

 

[lazyboy947]

Whats the point of getting a dual core if its only $20-40 less from a A8 3870k, or 965BE. Tigerdirect has an OEM Phenom II X4 955 BE (no heatsink fan) for $75. Price to cores he doesnt need might as well pay the extra and get cores he doesnt need lol.

 

[Hever]

2) The 3870k is preferred more over the i3 21xx CPU's because of it's powerful graphics core. For anything CPU intensive, the i3 just right down smacks the 3870k.

2) I'd be very suspicious of any source (even anandtech) claiming that an i3 2100 is clearly superior to the A8 3850. Are you sure you read that right?

Does the 2 core i3 really smack the 3870k, if i have a alright gpu already ( i have Nvidia GT 430)

However, since you said this computer will be for surfing and no gaming, I would recommend either the 3870k (for it's onboard graphics) or the i3 2120 (still has decent onboard graphics, but very snappy CPU) OR the Pentium G8xx Series of chips.

Still how can anyone say that the 2-core i3 is a better deal and snappier than 4-core A8 ? Leaving the gpu part of the A8. That i think is not better than the nvidia Gt 430 that i have.

When hyperthreading should not be as good as 4 actual cores of the amd.

 

[amuffin]

Not exactly, sandybridge cores are much faster than the llano cores in this case.

 

[mocchan]

How efficient/fast the cores are > number of cores.

What muffin said pretty much sums it up :lol:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/399?vs=289

The A8-3850 is a slower version of the 3870k, otherwise they're almost identical.

The i3-2100 is identical to the i3-2120, it's just a little slower. This bench is VERY good representation of the 3870k vs i3-2120

 

[lazyboy947]

Without gaming and having the GT 430, daily use i dont think u'd really notice a difference from the A8 or i3.

The A8s gpu is similar to the 430 gt and if it was an amd gpu it'd run hybrid crossfire. but if u have a decent gpu an A8 is kinda pointless. the 430 Gt in benchmark is better than the a8 3870k radeon 6550d by like 30.

Since the a8 integrated gpu would disable with the nvidia gpu the i3 dual core with HT or a Phenom II X4 955/965 is ur next choice.

HT is utilized better than amd bulldozer module cores, and heard that intel is faster per core even at lower speeds. Harder for me to explain y a dual core HT is better than 4 physical cores because im not to big on intel and their hyper threading either.

i3 2120 is $125 newegg - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077

PII X4 965 is $110 newegg - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

PII X4 965 OEM is $90 Tigerdirect - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2372719&CatId=4433

PPII X4 955 OEM is $75 Tigerdirect - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2375447&CatId=4433

If ur questioning hyper threading and since prices and performance is similar go with what u think is best, since gaming isnt important, regular usage either choice u'll be happy.

 

[Hever]

Since the a8 integrated gpu would disable with the nvidia gpu the i3 dual core with HT or a Phenom II X4 955/965 is ur next choice.

PII X4 965 is $110 newegg - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

PII X4 965 OEM is $90 Tigerdirect - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2372719&CatId=4433

PPII X4 955 OEM is $75 Tigerdirect - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2375447&CatId=4433

Is there a nice way that i can not let the A8 disable the nvidia gt430 gpu, or maybe even way to use both combined ? Dont know on this.

And whats the difference between a CPU that is oem and one that is normal ? Know about OS but OEM-CPUS ???

And though i3 wud be better than an amd quad, still would like to get to really know if there's ANY I MEAN, amd quad or 6-core thats equiv. or better than the i3 but falls under not being too much costly.