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Choosing between Core i3-530 and Core i5-650 + OC Mobo

M

MountainKing

Senior member
Hi guys. I've done my homework and these are about the only 2 CPUS that I can afford owing to either price/availability. So please dont mention other options like 651,i5-750 etc ;-)

1) The difference in price on those 2 chips is $60. Is it worth investing more on the i5 for hyperthreading or the performance gains is negligible?

2) I need a decent priced mobo to be able to OC the i3/i5 chip. Any suggestions?
Here are some budget boards...
ASUS P7H55-M
BIOSTAR H55 HD
MSI H55M-P31
Im looking for budget GIGABYTE boards if possible...in the $100-150ish price range if possible that can OC fairly (nothing great)

Ill be purchasing those items probably tomorrow 😛 Your fast help/advice is needed please!
 
Well how long do you plan to keep this PC? if you want it to last longer, i feel that you should get the i5.
 
You got your facts mixed up a bit. Both the i3 and the i5 have hyperthreading, the difference between them is mainly the fact that the i3 lacks a turbo, which is not going to matter a whole lot if you're overclocking anyway.

As such I'd definetely go for the i3. The extra price for the i5 simply is not worth it.

Also the i3-530 exists in two different steppings, C2 and K0, which have different overclocking potential, so if you can it's worth finding out which one you're buying.
 
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Hah. Geez good thing I posted. Was all wrong about the hyperthreading stuff! Definetely the i3-530 makes sense now 😛 How about motherboard choices?
 
So you are limiting people's suggestions to just 2 CPUs. Why not just give a budget for motherboard+CPU combined and ask for the best deal? It may be possible to find something better out for you if we knew your usage/requirements.
 
betasub said:
So you are limiting people's suggestions to just 2 CPUs. Why not just give a budget for motherboard+CPU combined and ask for the best deal? It may be possible to find something better out for you if we knew your usage/requirements.
Click to expand...

Im also asking for cheap mobo recommendations...
Currently, where I live, only these core chips are available. i7-950, i7-930, i5-860, i5-750, i5-650 and i3-530.
So my choices are really limited there. However, for the same price as a CORE i3-530, I can get the following CPUS.
C2D E7500
Phenom II X2 555
Phenom II X4 940.

Thats about it. I really do need a mobo though. So, if you think those chips would beat a core i3, I'll be happy to change 🙂
 
I guess you have a limited choice of motherboards too?
Location and available vendors might get you advice from someone local.
 
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