Can a i3-2100 HTPC take advantage of Z68

[DesiPower]

...or is H67 good enough. Irrespective what I am planning to do with the HTPC, will Z68 provide ANY advantage? After all I am not going to use external video card, so no use of Virtu. No SSD so no caching advantage. its a i3-2100 so no major overclocking advantage (I am not planning to overclock anyways).
IGP overclock might be better/possible with Z68, that's the only advantage I can see... that and a newer chipset... am I missing something?

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Do you think you'll ever upgrade the i3-2100 to an i5-2500K or i7-2600K?

 

[DesiPower]

That,s a good question/thought, Although I do not have any plans of doing that, but it doesn't hurt to keep that option open...

One of the primary reason I asked this question is because of the mother's make. I am not comfortable buying anything besides ASUS or Intel and both are very expensive. With my budget I will have to go with ASRock or Gigabyte. If I stick with H67 then I can save some $$ and stick with a (IMHO) more reliable board.

 

[dma0991]

The only reason why I think that this is a good idea is if you're actually using the Core i3 2100 as a temporary CPU till Ivy Bridge comes out. Other than that there is no real advantage of pairing up them together.

ASRock seems to be making some pretty good boards lately so it is not a bad choice compared to Asus. The best option would be to get a cheaper H67 board if it is really meant to be a HTPC or semi gaming HTPC.

 

[AkumaX]

The only reason why I think that this is a good idea is if you're actually using the Core i3 2100 as a temporary CPU till Ivy Bridge comes out. Other than that there is no real advantage of pairing up them together.

Wait, Ivy Bridge will be compatible w/ Z68/P67/etc..? SWEET!

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Wait, Ivy Bridge will be compatible w/ Z68/P67/etc..? SWEET!

Last I read Ivy Bridge will be socket 1155 but will not be compatible with existing Cougar Point chipsets. Could be wrong, though, and of course unless Intel has officially announced that Ivy Bridge will be compatible with existing chipsets/motherboards, you're gambling.

 

[dma0991]

Wait, Ivy Bridge will be compatible w/ Z68/P67/etc..? SWEET!

Don't QFT me on that statement though as Intel has not made an official announcement that IB will work on 6 series chipset motherboards. Logically I don't see why Cougar Point can't support an IB CPU considering both SB and IB share the same LGA1155.

If Intel really wants to screw their customers they would make Panther Point specifically for IB processors only. I doubt that would happen as many Intel users would be unhappy about such restrictions. Even if Intel does decide to screw anyways I'm sure there will be many Intel users willing to pay considering that the transition from LGA1156 to LGA1155 makes no sense.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The Intel® Core™ i3-2100 is a very nice processor for a HTPC and will work well on the Z68 boards. If the Z68 board that you select has support for the IGP (Intergraded Graphics on Processor) and you add in a dedicated video card then you will be able to take advantage of the LucidLogix Virtu software that comes with it. If you are looking for a thin form factor HTPC you might take a look at the Intel Core i3-2100T. The Intel Core i3-2100T is a low power processor (only 35 watts) and a low profile HSF (heatsink/fan). Also the Intel Core i3-2100 and i3-2100T will have no problem running the Intel SRT (Smart Response Technology).
Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[infoiltrator]

newegg posted an I3 2105 with HD 3000 Video listed

 

[DesiPower]

Wow amazing... I saw 2105 which is I guess $15 more but didn't realize that its 3000. Hey thanks a ton for the info! I am going for it. I was delayed by a few days from ordering coz of some issues with my preferred account and I have already discovered 2 other useful things while staying inside my budget