AMD Phenom II X4 965 Vs Intel i3 3220

[ryan8989]

Which one is better for gaming without overclocking?

AMD Phenom II x4 965 3.40Ghz
or
Intel i3 3220 3.30Ghz

I found 2 rigs i want to buy but is there a massive difference and which one would be better for gaming?

i3 only has 2 True cores but 4 Threads whereas the 965 has 4 True Cores hopefully someone can put me on the right path. many thanks

 

[marshal11]

the 3220 would do better gaming. 2 faster cores is better than 4 slower cores when it comes to gaming. then hyperthreading helps a bit whether the game you are playing supports it or not. 2 physical cores would be processing the game workload while the hyperthreads will be dedicated to background tasks. and, if you are playing games like BF3 that do support hyperthreading, it's even better.

 

[clutchc]

I have built mid/budget rigs with both. The Phenom II BE is best for O/Cing, for sure. It has an unlocked multiplier. As far as better frame rates with comparable graphic cards... the i3-3220 will have an edge due to its greater IPS (throughput). Games today are not well threaded beyond the need for 2 or three cores, and hyper threading seems to do a good job with multiple threads in gaming.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

In highly threaded apps, the 4 real cores of the Phenom II will edge out the i3, though.

 

[Brett928S2]

the 3220 would do better gaming. 2 faster cores is better than 4 slower cores when it comes to gaming. then hyperthreading helps a bit whether the game you are playing supports it or not. 2 physical cores would be processing the game workload while the hyperthreads will be dedicated to background tasks. and, if you are playing games like BF3 that do support hyperthreading, it's even better.

Hi

That last bit about BF3 you got wrong...BF3 will use as many cores as it can find, 4,6,8 ...

So for the OP .... for BF3 you want the 965... ideally with a little overclocking...

All the best Brett

 

[ryan8989]

so would you recommend the i3 instead of the 965 or the other way around? cause these are the 2 computers im looking at

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/G4-VB-AMD-965-FAST-DESKTOP-PC-COMPUTER-500GB-4GB-MEM-ONBOARD-HDMI-GRAPHICS-/261115144216?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item3ccbace818

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apollo-3-3Ghz-Intel-Core-I3-3220-500gb-4gb-DDR3-1600mhz-HD-Gaming-PC-Computer-/150951094762?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item232562e9ea

 

[ryan8989]

i am adding a XFX HD 6870 to one of these computers but if any of you could recommend me a decent psu (Altho im on a tight budget) it says it comes with a branded 500w PSU but im waiting for a reply from the seller to see if it comes with 2x PCI-E 6Pin plugs

 

[clutchc]

Based solely on gaming, and solely on those two PCs, I would choose the one with the i3. But the quality of the included PSU will make a difference as to whether or not it can run the HD 6870. That card requires 151 watts and 12.6 amps from the +12V rail. As well as 2 x 6 pin connectors. Low quality 500W PSUs won't have 2. Either way, the i3 will demand less power from the PSU than the Phenom II

 

[ryan8989]

thanks for the help clutch, i don't tend to overclock much since im not very confident trying it because i can't buy computer parts myself and if i bust my pc im screwed haha so overclocking isn't something i can do atm but overall would you say the i3 will be more beneficial to me since all i use my computer for is gaming/browsing the net and music

 

[clutchc]

I wasn't even considering O/Cing since the i3 isn't a likely candidate for that. Yes, in my opinion, the i3 PC would be the best choice. Besides, it's board probably has newer components.

 

[ryan8989]

thanks i know the i5-2500k is best for the gaming area at the moment as i've been told by many in previous threads but it's a shame im budgeted at my price but it's better than my current specs

Specs:
Triple Core 8400 2.10Ghz
4GB DDR2 667Mhz
Wiru 700W (not sure if this is even 700w cause it's not a very familiar brand)
AMD HD 5450 (Was HD 6870 but was being bottlenecked and slow of medium settings for games)

 

[Brett928S2]

so would you recommend the i3 instead of the 965 or the other way around? cause these are the 2 computers im looking at

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/G4-VB-AMD-965-FAST-DESKTOP-PC-COMPUTER-500GB-4GB-MEM-ONBOARD-HDMI-GRAPHICS-/261115144216?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item3ccbace818

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apollo-3-3Ghz-Intel-Core-I3-3220-500gb-4gb-DDR3-1600mhz-HD-Gaming-PC-Computer-/150951094762?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item232562e9ea

Hi

Please tell me you are kidding ?

NEITHER of those will be any good for gaming....they BOTH have INTEGRATED GRAPHICS..... and you need a GRAPHICS CARD....which alone would cost more than either of those machines...

All the best Brett

 

[clutchc]

That i3 and HD 6870 will game excellent at 1920x1080 and lower. You'll be able to use max/near max settings in most games and still get good frame rates.

 

[ryan8989]

my monitor doesn't even support 1920x1080 haha it's only a 17" flatron L1710B from LG i play games at 1280x1024 and i got about 20frames on ultra and sometimes that on medium settings for world of warcraft

 

[clutchc]

my monitor doesn't even support 1920x1080 haha it's only a 17" flatron L1710B from LG i play games at 1280x1024 and i got about 20frames on ultra and sometimes that on medium settings for world of warcraft

Well, if you're planning on adding that HD 6870, you are ready for a monitor upgrade any time you can swing it...
But gaming with integrated video is a waste of time and patience.

 

[ryan8989]

Yea thanks clutch you've been a great help im gonna go for the i3 which i'll buy tomorrow only thing i might need help is finding a Decent but cheap PSU to go with the HD 6870 you got anywhere i can look for a decent PSU? cause as i said im budgeted but if you could point me in the right direction but very helpful and many thanks for your help so far much appreciated

 

[bretmh]

When it comes to comparing CPU's of this quality. I would pick AMD over Intel anyday. More bang for the buck.

 

[clutchc]

The one that comes with it might be fine. You maybe can contact the seller and ask what make/model it actually is. If you still want to buy a replacement and keep price down, (and are in the US) I would recommend Newegg's in-house brand; Rosewill. They are inexpensive yet of good quality. Most, anyway. I have used the 530W - 650W HIVE and Green series models in several budget gaming builds without a failure. Most with pretty high wattage cards and processors.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657%2050002177%20600014021&IsNodeId=1&name=501W%20-%20600W

 

[ryan8989]

unfortunately i live in the UK not sure this would make a difference

 

[ryan8989]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

would this do? it's an XFX one which would go well with my card since it's xfx too, translating it into GBP comes to about £45-46

 

[clutchc]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

would this do? it's an XFX one which would go well with my card since it's xfx too, translating it into GBP comes to about £45-46

That's a nice PSU. It would be perfect for your IB i3-3220 and HD 6870. But I'd still do the "ask a question" option at the bottom fo the page and check with the seller of the PC to see what make/model PSU it comes with. You may be spending money you don't have to.

I presume you have a UK source for that PSU? Example:
http://www.ebuyer.com/413805-xfx-proseries-550w-power-supply-unit-core-edition-p1-550s-xxb9
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-xfx-pro-series-core-edition-p1-550s-ukb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-atx-v2

 

[ryan8989]

thanks for that you've been a great help clutch

 

[Solid_Snake3]

See this, you can trust these guys, they are expert benchmarkers: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=677 (the Phenom beats the i3 in almost every single test, so if you're on a budget, then go with the Phenom. If you can throw in another $100, then you can buy an i5 3570k, which destroys both processor in every test. Please no hate, no fanboyism here, I love Intel and AMD both for alternating reasons)

 

[clutchc]

See this, you can trust these guys, they are expert benchmarkers: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=677 (the Phenom beats the i3 in almost every single test, so if you're on a budget, then go with the Phenom. If you can throw in another $100, then you can buy an i5 3570k, which destroys both processor in every test. Please no hate, no fanboyism here, I love Intel and AMD both for alternating reasons)

The OP specified "better for gaming". None of those benches are games. We already stated that the true quad core may be a better choice for heavily threaded apps.

 

[mohit9206]

965 vs i3 is a really tough call !!! it comes down to brand preference coz they are neck and neck in games !! however since i3 consumes much less power so i3 gets a point there.however 965 has 4 true cores so 965 gets a point there.
i3 cannot be oc'd while 965 can be . but since you wont be oc'ing it doesnt make a difference.
so its tied. it comes down to brand loyalty

 

[ryan8989]

To be honest i don't even know what brand i prefer although i suppose it sways to intel because before the computer i had now, i had an E3300 2.50Ghz with a GTS 250 4GB DDR2 and it seemed to rip through everything in through it's way, back then when Black Ops 1 was out and PCSX2 Emulator (final fantasy 10) etc but with the one i have at the moment it's an AMD Phenom Triple Core 8400 2.10Ghz and it's quite rubbish but then again saying that this computer im running is a bag of something so i can't brand labels on AMD knowing that they have good processors like Intel ;P