Intel i5-3550 decision

[Lazar_99]

I decided to buy the intel core i5-3550 and AsRock Z77 Pro3 for my new gaming build. I didn't go for AMD because a lot of people told me that the phenom II X4 965 still won't be able to come close to the i5-3550's performance even if i OC it to 4.2ghz, after hearing this i gave up on AMD for this build. I know some of you are gonna say, "buy the 3570k" and my answer, no. There are a few reasons why. My main reason is because i am a cheapskate. I also won't be overclocking it due to hearing that its stock is better than max overclocked phenom II 965. The i5 has its turbo boost so it can overclock itself when needed.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

With all the hype that our unlocked "K" processors get people sometimes forget just how good the non-k processors are. I think you are going to find that the Intel® Core™ i5-3550 will be a very good processor for your needs and as long as you don't have some heat issues you should always see some performance boost from the turbo. Good luck on the new system.

 

[geekapproved]

Don't forget the non-K cpu's overclock quite well, 4ghz should be easy.

However, if you don't plan to overclock or use more than 1 video card, the H77 would probably be a better choice than the Z77 and cost less money.

 

[Lazar_99]

Don't forget the non-K cpu's overclock quite well, 4ghz should be easy.

However, if you don't plan to overclock or use more than 1 video card, the H77 would probably be a better choice than the Z77 and cost less money.

WTF? I thought the non K i5's can't overclock. The H77 chipset doesn't support overclocking, but it supports the use of intel HD onboard graphics. The Z77 supports both i think.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

WTF? I thought the non K i5's can't overclock.

They can, just not anywhere near as far as a K CPU can. It's because of "Limited" Unlocked. That allows you to OC the Turbo multipliers by 4 bins (400 Mhz) each. That's also why you can't really OC a SB or IB i3, though, since an i3 doesn't have Turbo.

 

[Lazar_99]

They can, just not anywhere near as far as a K CPU can. It's because of "Limited" Unlocked. That allows you to OC the Turbo multipliers by 4 bins (400 Mhz) each. That's also why you can't really OC a SB or IB i3, though, since an i3 doesn't have Turbo.

Ah ok, that one helped me a lot. So when the 3550 seems too slow then i can just OC it a bit but i know the 3550 will still be a powerful AMD killer in a few years. Shame about AMD, they think its all about how many cores a CPU has... They stated the FX 8120 is an intel killer but loses to a 2500k... 8 cores vs 4cores, AMD fail

 

[burgessanthony]

dont forget that the amount you can go on non-k i5's depends on the amount of cores active. so 1 core active = 4 bins max, 2 cores = 4 bins, 3 cores = 3 bins, 4 cores = 2 bins. I note that during games im at 2/3 cores and during normal use at 1 core, so you normally get max bin overclock, which is nice.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

dont forget that the amount you can go on non-k i5's depends on the amount of cores active. so 1 core active = 4 bins max, 2 cores = 4 bins, 3 cores = 3 bins, 4 cores = 2 bins. I note that during games im at 2/3 cores and during normal use at 1 core, so you normally get max bin overclock, which is nice.

That's actually not true (at least it isn't with a 2500).

Showing 2500 speeds, specifically.

All 4 cores active goes from 3.4 to 3.8.

 

[burgessanthony]

^ Fair enough, that highlights my lack of research into all the chips - I stand corrected sir! i was going off my 3450, so in the context of this thread the 3550 may behave similarly to the 3450, or hopefully for the OP, it may be possible to mamage +4 on all cores.

 

[Lazar_99]

^ Fair enough, that highlights my lack of research into all the chips - I stand corrected sir! i was going off my 3450, so in the context of this thread the 3550 may behave similarly to the 3450, or hopefully for the OP, it may be possible to mamage +4 on all cores.

But both are still better than almost any AMD processor

 

[Lazar_99]

Best answer selected by lazar_99.

 

[geekapproved]

WTF? I thought the non K i5's can't overclock. The H77 chipset doesn't support overclocking, but it supports the use of intel HD onboard graphics. The Z77 supports both i think.

As you can see Anandtech easily hit 4ghz on a i5-3470 without touching any voltage.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5871/intel-core-i5-3470-review-hd-2500-graphics-tested

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

As you can see Anandtech easily hit 4ghz on a i5-3470 without touching any voltage.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5871/intel-core-i5-3470-review-hd-2500-graphics-tested

They didn't change the voltage, but that doesn't mean that Auto didn't push it up higher than stock.

Although I didn't increase the default voltage settings for the 3470, at 3.8GHz (the max 4C overclock) the 3470 is selecting much higher voltages than it would have at its stock 3.4GHz turbo frequency

Regardless, it's a nice performer at the 3.8 max 4 core OC.

 

[geekapproved]

They didn't change the voltage, but that doesn't mean that Auto didn't push it up higher than stock.

Although I didn't increase the default voltage settings for the 3470, at 3.8GHz (the max 4C overclock) the 3470 is selecting much higher voltages than it would have at its stock 3.4GHz turbo frequency

Regardless, it's a nice performer at the 3.8 max 4 core OC.

That's weird, the cpu-z screenshot says 3.99ghz 4cores/4threads. Hmmm. Either way, it works.