• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Going from I7-3770K to Pentium G3420. Will I notice any decrease in web browsing?

T

tracerit

Senior member
Earlier this year I bought quite a few performance parts to play Battlefield 4. However after a few months I've gotten bored of gaming and would like to downgrade my build to something suited for my work and general browsing.

I'll be going from this current build:
I7-3770K stock
16GB RAM
MSI GTX 780 3GB
Crucial M4 256GB SSD


to:
Pentium G3420 stock
8GB RAM
MSI 750 Ti 2GB
Crucial M4 256GB SSD


My usage will now be strictly just web browsing (I usually open up +10 tabs in Chrome), Excel, youtube, h264 movies. I do not plan on playing any games at all anymore. I actually would prefer not to even get a discrete GPU but I have a 27" Korean 1440p @ 96hz monitor that needs it and the 750 Ti is the cheapest confirmed card to run that monitor. My concern is am I downgrading the CPU too much and will there be any noticeable decrease in web browsing performance?
 
No, I'd say not, unless you're running multiple instances of Flash or something, or anything else in the background.

Why the hell are you downgrading though?

Is it because you drift off from work and start to game? Is that why? Why not just stick with the 3770k and downgrade the GPU?
 
Last edited:
I'm downgrading just because I realized I won't be playing anymore games. Will be working more too, so I figured I should part out. I anticipate having some money leftover after downgrading too. Maybe time to get that gym membership haha

I never considered an AMD APU. I'll check to see if it'll work with those Korean 1440p monitors. Also would it be more energy efficient than the Pentium/750 Ti combo on idle? I plan on leaving the computer on 24/7.
 
tracerit said:
I'm downgrading just because I realized I won't be playing anymore games. Will be working more too, so I figured I should part out. I anticipate having some money leftover after downgrading too. Maybe time to get that gym membership haha

I never considered an AMD APU. I'll check to see if it'll work with those Korean 1440p monitors. Also would it be more energy efficient than the Pentium/750 Ti combo on idle? I plan on leaving the computer on 24/7.
Click to expand...

So you plan to sell those parts? Aww, could I have them?

You could also go for a regular 750 instead of a Ti, too.

How much do you expect to make from them?

EDIT:

Wait a minute, are you sure that CPU is compatible with your board (Z77)? I think you'll need to go with an Ivy Bridge Pentium here...
 
Last edited:
Pentium G3***'s are Haswell (skt 1150). You have an Ivy Bridge (skt 1155). Since it makes zero sense to change motherboard to downgrade, try looking at the G2130's or i3-3220, etc, for a compatible CPU. You could get an AMD but again - there's no point changing motherboard for a downgrade. There should really no difference at all in performance just from web browsing (browsers use memory more than CPU), especially if you already have an SSD (reading lots of 4kb browser cache files off a mechanical HDD is what really makes browser's feel slow). Hell, you could even speed it up by using 1GB RAM for a RAMDisk (still +10x faster than an SSD) just for a browser cache and using Flashblock / click-to-play flash settings. :biggrin:

Edit : As for GFX, even a 750Ti would be overkill. You could easily get away with an R7 240 / GT 740 card with the same 1440p resolution support.
 
Last edited:
don't do it. low end cpus aren't the best for unoptimized pos that most of internet uses known as flash player.

in the long run it is not worth it
 
Not that Intel doesn't appreciate the extra money, but why not just go into your bios, disable HT, and disable 2 of the physical cores.

Wham bam thank you ma'am, now you have a pentium. With TurboBoost. And unlocked multiplier.

If you really want to buy a new CPU, you'll also need a new MoBo, at least if you want a Haswell pentium. The G3420 is Haswell Socket 1150 and your current motherboard is probably socket 1155 (but compatible with Sandy Bridge, socket 1156).

Also if you're not gaming, 750 Ti over 750 is probably wasted money.
 
Almost anything would work for browsing, had a Core 2 Duo e8200 back in 2012 and outside of BF3 and a couple games this chip still had plenty to offer. Couple years have passed but willing to bet its equally as useful today as back then.
 
Should consider the soon to be released unlocked Pentium. Can OC it if the stock settings are not quite enough for you.

Another possibility is a FM2+ AMD APU system, for your monitor you just need to check specs to ensure it offers dual link DVI like this motherboard: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4716#sp

" Support for 2560x1600 resolution requires both a monitor and cable that support Dual Link DVI."
 
Last edited:
im lost in why your trying to downgrade.

the i7-3770k is one hell of a processor with a TDP if 77W.

The pentium you are trying to downgrade doesnt even have that much of an advantage in power draw, if you look at raw numbers.

Are you trying to recover some lost money you have spent?
Because if you factor the resell price on your processor and the buy price on the new one, its not much.
Are you trying to get down from the LGA2011 chipset on to a LGA1150?

If your thinking of shrinking your system to an ITX, i can see your decision, however if ur not shrinking size of the PC, i think its going to be more of a hassle then benifit at the final result.
 
Last edited:
Why would you spend more money for something lesser than what you have when you already have a computer that will do what you need for many years to come?!
 
Seems to me the OP wants to avoid the temptation of gaming now that he's looking at a heavier workload. Rather than just sell his video card he can sell off the whole system and downgrade, pocketing the difference. If this is the case he should consider just swapping video cards if he can't resell his current hardware for a decent percentage of retail.
 
Vesku said:
Seems to me the OP wants to avoid the temptation of gaming now that he's looking at a heavier workload. Rather than just sell his video card he can sell off the whole system and downgrade, pocketing the difference. If this is the case he should consider just swapping video cards if he can't resell his current hardware for a decent percentage of retail.
Click to expand...

i think the op said he cant downgrade video cards due to the 1440p he's running.

i assume its because he requires a DVI-D port or a DP.

tracerit said:
I actually would prefer not to even get a discrete GPU but I have a 27" Korean 1440p @ 96hz monitor that needs it and the 750 Ti is the cheapest confirmed card to run that monitor.
Click to expand...
 
Anything between a Celeron G1840 and a 4690k is a waste of money at this time.

Do not downgrade your RAM if working is important to you.

RAM is important to run the thoroughly bloated and badly designed programs like web browsers and productivity apps with limited swapping.

An SSD is a waste of money and should be the first thing to go if you are going this "save money just cuz i can" route.

Here's the build you should use if you are serious.

Haswell Celeron G1840: 42 USD
B81 board: 44 USD
16GB ram:
750 Ti:
Any sata hard drive you have laying around with enough capacity for your needs:

Sell your stupidly expensive case and replace it with an Antec GX500 as well.

You could also just skip the case and screw your motherboard straight to the motherboard box as well, saving even more money.
 
Last edited:
Don't do it. I went from a G1620 with 4GB RAM and a 120GB Samsung Pro SSD to a 4770 non K with 16GB RAM and a 1TB EVO SSD. You can notice the difference and its not marginal. If you want a slow tablet buy a slow tablet.
 
Yeah I was considering going to an ITX build and to remove the temptation to game (which only lasts one session though lol). I don't mind reinstalling everything because right now I have some weird desktop lag when I right click it'll take about 10-15 seconds to show up.

I'm checking my RAM usage and it never goes over 6GB, that's even with having 1GB as a RAMDisk for my Chrome cache. I'll take a stick out to see if I notice anything then go from there.

I'd rather go with the new Haswell Pentium instead of the AMD APU so I can have opportunity to upgrade to a better CPU if I feel I may need it.
 
I think someone gave the best suggestion to disable two of your cores and just downgrade your video card. The GPU is the only part of your rig that needs attention.
 
tracerit said:
Earlier this year I bought quite a few performance parts to play Battlefield 4. However after a few months I've gotten bored of gaming and would like to downgrade my build to something suited for my work and general browsing.

I'll be going from this current build:
I7-3770K stock
16GB RAM
MSI GTX 780 3GB
Crucial M4 256GB SSD


to:
Pentium G3420 stock
8GB RAM
MSI 750 Ti 2GB
Crucial M4 256GB SSD


My usage will now be strictly just web browsing (I usually open up +10 tabs in Chrome), Excel, youtube, h264 movies. I do not plan on playing any games at all anymore. I actually would prefer not to even get a discrete GPU but I have a 27" Korean 1440p @ 96hz monitor that needs it and the 750 Ti is the cheapest confirmed card to run that monitor. My concern is am I downgrading the CPU too much and will there be any noticeable decrease in web browsing performance?
Click to expand...

I don't understand your reasoning for wanting to do this, but I think your best bet is something like the A10-6800K. That obviates you from needing a discrete video card and the cost that goes with it.

I did a quick build on newegg for CPU/Mobo/2400Mhz DDR3 :

GIGABYTE GA-F2A55M-S1 FM2+ AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

$43.99

AMD A10-6800K Richland 4.1GHz (4.4GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 100W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - Black Edition AMD Radeon HD 8670D
$119.99


$163.98
+tax etc

This is assuming you use half your current RAM.

If you aren't playing games or doing intense multitasking - you probably won't notice the difference.

I personally would not go for a dual core processor in anything bigger than a laptop or tablet.

The A10-6800K can do 1440p.
 
Just to throw in that a cheapo AMD 5450 video card works just fine on 1440P Korean monitors for everything except heavy games. I use one myself in conjunction with a AMD 6970 because the 6970 only has "one" damn dual link DVI output port and I use two 27" 1440P monitors. So I basically game on one monitor connected to the 6970, but everything else works just fine at 2560x1440 on the lowly $30 5450 card. The bonus of the 5450 is that it's passively cooled (no fan to make noise or wear out).

AMD motherboards seem to support dual-link DVI outputs, but "none" of the Intel motherboards with a DVI port are dual-link capable that I know of.

Seems to me if you want to make your rig less game-worthy, just swap the video card and leave the rest of the stuff alone.. Why make things complicated?
 
You will notice the lack of thread count. Even when web browsing there will be brief moments where more than 2 threads are loading the cpu. But it wont be that big a deal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top