How choose i5 processor?

[zazazi]

Hello, I wonder if you would please help me.
I'm in the process of building my pc...Here are my requirements:
1) Will NOT be used for games...NOT a game PC.
2) For net surfing, torrent download and basic office work
3) Plex server installed on the PC and use media from the PC to stream movies to my TV and android, IOS devices...3 to 4 times/week
4) ALWAYS need to transcode subtitles.
5) Only one device for streaming at any given time.

I have two questions about my choice of PCU:
1) Do I need an i5 or an i3 Haswell for the above tasks.
2) In either case, the range in any given category is quite big...what is the ACTUAL and Practical difference in performance between the bottom and the top of the range? Is it worth the extra money?

I very much appreciate your help.

 

[Alpha3031]

I suggest just buying the Intel Pentium G3220 and a GPU. Newegg sells them for ~60USD.

 

[The Protagonist]

i3 uses 2 cores, i5 - 4, which means i5 is superior to i3 in multitasking, gaming. According to your needs, there's not much reasons to overpay. You''ll probably wouldn't notice any difference, because in single-core performance they're about the same (depends on specific model). Do some research on software you're going to use, if you still have doubts. These threads might help:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/243332-28-programs-cores-quad-core-chip
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/332839-28-programs-games-cores

 

[leeb2013]

I'd get an I3, they have hyperthreading anyway (4 threads) and offer great performance for the price.

 

[zazazi]

Thanks guys for the input. Perhaps an i3 is a safe bet considering the subtitle transcoding?
There are a range of processors in the i3 family....Would any one do the job?

 

[Alpha3031]

I'd get an I3, they have hyperthreading anyway (4 threads) and offer great performance for the price.

For half the price though, you can get the 20th anniversary Pentium. he should check if his programs are optimized for 4+ threads because the Pentium can match the single thread of an i7

 

[Zircoben]

I'd get an I3, they have hyperthreading anyway (4 threads) and offer great performance for the price.

For half the price though, you can get the 20th anniversary Pentium. he should check if his programs are optimized for 4+ threads because the Pentium can match the single thread of an i7

Good idea!

For your use cases, a Pentium would do just fine. Even a Pentium from 5 years ago would be able to do this. A Pentium G3320 is a good value, but if you can afford it, the Pentium G3258, the Anniversary Edition, is a cool purchase that will perform better.

If you want to be ready for bigger loads, and want to futureproof yourself a bit more, get an i3. Any i3 would be good, I would recommend the i3-4150 because it runs cooler than the 4130.

Hope that helps!

 

[zazazi]

I'd get an I3, they have hyperthreading anyway (4 threads) and offer great performance for the price.

For half the price though, you can get the 20th anniversary Pentium. he should check if his programs are optimized for 4+ threads because the Pentium can match the single thread of an i7

Good idea!

For your use cases, a Pentium would do just fine. Even a Pentium from 5 years ago would be able to do this. A Pentium G3320 is a good value, but if you can afford it, the Pentium G3258, the Anniversary Edition, is a cool purchase that will perform better.

If you want to be ready for bigger loads, and want to futureproof yourself a bit more, get an i3. Any i3 would be good, I would recommend the i3-4150 because it runs cooler than the 4130.

Hope that helps!

Thanks again guys...will go for the i3 just to be on the safe side.