Xeon vs Phenom ii X6 vs i3

[giant ox]

Hello,

I was on geeks.com, and they have a sale going on. It ends today.

But i wasn't sure how to compare these 3 CPUs.

I want to get a computer that can at least play games on medium settings. I would also like the computer to have the ability to edit media.

Here are some of the computer's I've been looking at:

Xeon
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PRECISION-690-NOOS-4R&cat=SYS

http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=822

Phenom ii X6
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=DX4350-UR21P-FB-R

i3
http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=1215



Uhhh
I know this is a lot, I'm just not sure, which one to get.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Those are systems, not CPUs. Do you want to buy a system or a CPU? If you need a system for gaming the Graphics Processing Unit is most important,

 

[k1114]

Most of those are pretty old and overpriced. Don't fall for "sales" it is marketing tactic, and those prices are certainly not sale prices. None of them even have a discrete gpu meaning you cannot even play games on low.

If you are looking only for a prebuilt, tell us a budget and we can find you better deals.

 

[Deemo13]

Are you trying to game? If you are, there are much better deals out there.

 

[giant ox]

I think the price will go up after the sale ends.
Maybe they put on sales every other week. But at least it's a couple of bucks off the price.


I have an HD Radeon 5670. I bought it because the core 2 duo I'm using right now, only had on board graphics. It's able to play games like Street Fighter IV reasonably well. Though I should point out that my monitor isn't 1080p. It's max resolution is 1440 x 900.

I'm not really into playing the newest and most demanding of games on the PC.
Here's a list of games I would like to play in the future on a pre-built I actually own:

Max payne 3
Super street fighter 4 arcade edition
Street fighter x tekken
shank
Left 4 dead
amnesia: the dark descent
FEAR
Half-life 2
C&C: Red Alert 2

It's not that many, and the most taxing game there is max payne 3.




But if you guys are willing to find me better deals, that would be really greatly appreciated.

As you saw from the links to the systems I was looking at, they all stayed under $400

I guess if I were to have a budget, that would be it.


Thanks !

 

[giant ox]

I'v been scouring the net for better deals,

i've gone on tigerdirect, compusa, newegg, overstock, cyberpower, ibuypower

They all seem to price the computers that rival an i3 or i5 above 400.
I've seen some i3s though like the ones i posted above, a little under 400, also refurbished.

and there was a new i3 on newegg for 399.99, haha

 

[Deemo13]

Honestly, I would build one myself and re-use that 5670 since you are on a budget. You can pick nicer parts that way.

 

[giant ox]

thanks for replying,
the sale ends 3 AM eastern time in the U.S.

i found this:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=DX4860-UB33P-FB-R&cat=SYS

So as far as systems with the CPUs mentioned above (xeon dual/quad, phenom ii x6, and i3)

How does this i5 fare against them ?


I wish there was a comparison chart of all CPUs, haha, wait there is, they're called benchmarks.

But as a second opinion or an actual human being verifying information, would this intel core i5 be able to handle the games I mentioned, atleast at medium settings, and have the ability to edit media without a problem ?

maybe i'll also purchase a new PSU

 

[giant ox]

I don't think i can build an i5 that's under $400, so this refurbished i5 seems like a good deal

 

[k1114]

Tom's does have a cpu hierarchy chart. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html Although it doesn't list them all, it'll list models that are close. The i5 would be best the option for gaming vs the phenom x6 or i3. The xeon you listed is a core architecture (similar to a core 2 duo), much older and slower, 6 years old in fact.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kOKd No os I got it down to $350. Os puts it to $450. Otherwise the gateway that you linked is the cheapest I can find after shipping as long as there is no tax.

 

[giant ox]

Alright thanks guys,

there's some quad core xeons on the 2nd link,

but the i5 seems like the better choice out of all 4 CPUs.


Thanks again

 

[giant ox]

thanks for doing that "k1114"

Are the individual parts suppose to be better ?

I'm not really sure

Here they are in list form:

k1114's custom build
Intel Core i5-2300 2.8GHz Quad-Core Processor
ASRock H61M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
SeaSonic 350W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply


Gateway DX4860-UB33P
Intel Core i5-2320 3.0 GHz quad-core processor
couldn't find the Motherboard
8 GB DDR3 1333 MHz RAM
1 TB Serial ATA 3.0 Gbps hard drive
Mid tower chassis
300W ATX power supply

 

[k1114]

Building your own would mean new parts with whatever warranty each company has while the refurb is only 90 days. The mobo bios will be unlocked but it's not like you can change much anyways. I can easily change to a larger hdd. The fractal case has better better cooling, something you may need if you get a more powerful graphics card. The seasonic psu is better quality plus its 80+ plus which means better power efficiency. Performance wise, nothing really.

Changed ram. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kPye the kingston was 1.65v, although it is probably 1.5 at 1333.