i3 2100 build

[Zathras66]

A follow-up to my budget system request.
Replacing my e4500 core 2 Duo, 2.2ghz, to play Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 when it comes out.


Motherboard - MSI PH67S-C43 (B3)

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php...55-Intel-H67-SATA3-DDR3-A-GbE-ATX-Motherboard

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/PH67S-C43--B3-.html#?div=Detail


Intel Core i3 Processor i3-2100 3.1GHz 3MB LGA1155 CPU, Retail

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php...ocessor-i3-2100-3-1GHz-3MB-LGA1155-CPU-Retail


Kingston KVR1333D3N9/2G DDR3-1333 2GB CL9 Memory

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php...gston-KVR1333D3N9-2G-DDR3-1333-2GB-CL9-Memory


CPU benchmark in Bad Company 2:

http://techreport.com/articles.x/20188/7

Would prefer to get a quad core, but $250 is about the max I can spend, and I'm hoping this will give me room to significantly upgrade the processor in the future. I don't expect to run BF3 with all the bells and whistles, but I should get playable framerates with details turned down.

See any problems?

 

[Zathras66]

45 views and no issues? Good, I'll go with this then.

Thank you.

 

[DaveSimmons]

As long as you're planning to get two of those 2 GB sticks, one is not enough for gaming.

 

[tynopik]

have you tried overclocking your e4500?

also if you truly want just a temporary cpu, check out the Pentium G620

 

[Termie]

Just an FYI, I think you would have gotten a few more views if you'd put this in the CPU forum.

Overall, the 2100 is a very good gaming CPU, but I would consider cutting back on the motherboard to buy an i5-2400. Those extra cores are going to make all the difference in the world for BF3.

Take a look at this build by Tom's using the 2100: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diy-gaming-pc,2970.html. They love the 2100 overall for its power efficiency, but they do find some areas where the lack of cores makes a big difference. They use a motherboard that's $55 at Superbiiz: http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php...LGA1155-Intel-H61-DDR3-A-V-L-MATX-Motherboard, and they had no problems with it. Saving the money versus the $87 motherboard you chose would get you halfway to the $60 more expensive i5-2400, and a whole lot closer to happiness in BC2/BF3. The engine just needs quad cores.

Here's a comparison of the H61 to H67: http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=52807,52806. I think you do lose two PCIe lanes, but it probably doesn't matter with one mid-priced video card. What are you using for graphics, by the way?

 

[Zathras66]

Thanks for the responses. Thanks also for the heads-up on the CPU forum. I was more concerned about my choice of motherboard, but I guess the CPU forum has more traffic.

Yeah, I'm planning on 4 gigs, 2gig x 2. I was wanting to get a board with 4 DDR3 slots, as I figure over the lifetime of this build I'll want more than 4 gigs at some point.

The motherboard from SuperBiiz only has 2 DDR3 slots. Either I pony up $40 more now for extra RAM I think I'll want later, or I throw the RAM I get now into a parts box a year or so from now, and replace it with new, bigger sticks. Not ideal.

I'm running a GTS 250. It needs replacing, and I plan on doing that a couple months after the CPU/motherboard upgrade.

An extra $60 is a big jump. Maybe I'll get the motherboard and RAM first, and wait a month or 2 on the CPU. That's time I could be playing BC2 with better framerates, though.

I have not tried to overclock my E4500. All I have is the stock HS/fan. Is overclocking going to give me a noticeable FPS bump? In BC2, my low framerate is 12 FPS at it's worst.

 

[Termie]

Thanks for the responses. Thanks also for the heads-up on the CPU forum. I was more concerned about my choice of motherboard, but I guess the CPU forum has more traffic.

Yeah, I'm planning on 4 gigs, 2gig x 2. I was wanting to get a board with 4 DDR3 slots, as I figure over the lifetime of this build I'll want more than 4 gigs at some point.

The motherboard from SuperBiiz only has 2 DDR3 slots. Either I pony up $40 more now for extra RAM I think I'll want later, or I throw the RAM I get now into a parts box a year or so from now, and replace it with new, bigger sticks. Not ideal.

I'm running a GTS 250. It needs replacing, and I plan on doing that a couple months after the CPU/motherboard upgrade.

An extra $60 is a big jump. Maybe I'll get the motherboard and RAM first, and wait a month or 2 on the CPU. That's time I could be playing BC2 with better framerates, though.

I have not tried to overclock my E4500. All I have is the stock HS/fan. Is overclocking going to give me a noticeable FPS bump? In BC2, my low framerate is 12 FPS at it's worst.

Are you forcing DX9 mode in the config file? It's much easier on the graphics card than DX10, and using a GTS250, you'll default to DX10. When I ran BC2 on an 8800gt in DX9, I never had anywhere near 12fps mins, and I'm pretty sure that's entirely the fault of your CPU (I was on a quad). So definitely give overclocking a try. Again, go to the CPU forum for help on that.

Don't get only a few parts now if you can't use them...obviously, you're eager to get going on the build, but that just doesn't make sense. By the way, nowadays 2x4GB of ram is barely any more expensive than 2x2GB of ram, so even if you go with the cheaper H61 motherboard, you can just shoot straight to 8GB total.

I really feel pretty strongly that for BF3, a quad is going to make all the difference. So overclock for now, save up for that $60 jump to the i5-2400, and you'll be a happy camper when BF3 comes out on Oct. 25th.

 

[Zathras66]

Are you forcing DX9 mode in the config file? It's much easier on the graphics card than DX10, and using a GTS250, you'll default to DX10. When I ran BC2 on an 8800gt in DX9, I never had anywhere near 12fps mins, and I'm pretty sure that's entirely the fault of your CPU (I was on a quad). So definitely give overclocking a try. Again, go to the CPU forum for help on that.

Don't get only a few parts now if you can't use them...obviously, you're eager to get going on the build, but that just doesn't make sense. By the way, nowadays 2x4GB of ram is barely any more expensive than 2x2GB of ram, so even if you go with the cheaper H61 motherboard, you can just shoot straight to 8GB total.

I really feel pretty strongly that for BF3, a quad is going to make all the difference. So overclock for now, save up for that $60 jump to the i5-2400, and you'll be a happy camper when BF3 comes out on Oct. 25th.

I did force DX 9 in the config file. That was a good suggestion, though. I've played with BC2 settings to get the best framerate I can. Most of the time, it's in the 30's, but when there are explosions and smoke and a lot of ppl on the server, it can bog down for a few seconds in the 12 FPS range.

I'll look at overclocking some, though I have my doubts that anything I can do with a stock cooler will give me the 10 or so extra FPS I'll need at the low end. Might as well try though.

I'll see if I can swing the quad core. I checked the prices of 4 gig sticks, it should be an extra $20 to give me 8 gigs, not too bad to future-proof the build, and let me use a cheaper motherboard - though it DOES knock the price savings of getting the cheaper board down to $10, which kind of negates the purpose. I'll take a good look at that cheaper motherboard anyway.

 

[Termie]

...

I'll see if I can swing the quad core. I checked the prices of 4 gig sticks, it should be an extra $20 to give me 8 gigs, not too bad to future-proof the build, and let me use a cheaper motherboard - though it DOES knock the price savings of getting the cheaper board down to $10, which kind of negates the purpose. I'll take a good look at that cheaper motherboard anyway.

Ha, ha, but you'd have the 8GB you wanted, so I don't really think it defeats the purpose at all. You get a $55 board, saving $30, use $20 of that to upgrade to 8GB, and now you have a board with 8GB for $10 less than a board with 4GB that you want to upgrade to 8GB later. Tada, magic!

I know what you really mean is sticking to your current budget, but that's why I think you should just wait until you have enough money for everything.

i5-2400: $180
8GB of ram: $60
H61 motherboard: $55

Total: ~$300
Result: Way more BF3 happiness than spending ~$250 on the i3/4GB system you proposed.