i3-530 or Athlon X4 640

[hathetran]

hey guys,

im planning to build a computer within the next month or so. Would you recommend the i3 or the (soon to be released) athlon 640. I just read that the i3 is better for gaming but the 640 is better for everyday tasks. I'm torn between the two right now. Thanks.

 

[Eeqmcsq]

What apps or tasks do you plan to do with your computer?

 

[hathetran]

nothing crazy..jus web browser, torrent, movies, and some light-mid gaming (mainly sc2)

 

[RussianSensation]

Are you going to be overclocking? How long are you going to keep this system for?

I would probably go for the 640 since the performance will be fairly similar, but as an added bonus you get an upgrade path to Bulldozer.

i3 530 vs. 635: http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18448/6

another review here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2972/...-pentium-g6950-core-i5-650-660-670-reviewed/3

However, the i3 530 is also no slouch and it will have lower power consumption. Both are excellent processors really. I would tend to think the i3 will be faster in most common every day tasks but 640 will be faster in multi-threaded video/audio processing tasks. Also i3s should overclock beyond 4.0ghz.

 

[hathetran]

probably no overclocking..i would like to keep it at least 2 years

 

[RussianSensation]

If you have a Microcenter near you, I would suggest Core i7 860 / 930 for $200.

Otherwise, I'd go for the AM3 socket system. That way you can pop in a faster X6 processor or a Bulldozer down the line. Bank for the buck on a processor basis, AMD gives you more. However, the value proposition changes once you consider the total system cost:

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18448/17

 

[hathetran]

thanks for the help russian..i do have a microcenter near me and that i7 does look mighty tempting...do you think the i7's increase in performance justifies about double the price of the i3/640?

 

[Vesku]

Do you find yourself waiting on computer tasks to finish? If so then an i7 should be worth the extra cost. Otherwise an Athlon II X4 will be fine, and as stated you could drop in a 6 core chip when they get to a price point you like.

 

[cbn]

hey guys,

im planning to build a computer within the next month or so. Would you recommend the i3 or the (soon to be released) athlon 640. I just read that the i3 is better for gaming but the 640 is better for everyday tasks. I'm torn between the two right now. Thanks.

Last time I checked Core i3 with discrete video card was better in gaming than Athlon II x4 (even in quad threaded games).

However, these days AM3 boards like the 890GX are looking more attractive with USB 3.0/SATA III. On top of that they are supposed to be compatible with the 2011 Bulldozer.

 

[RussianSensation]

thanks for the help russian..i do have a microcenter near me and that i7 does look mighty tempting...do you think the i7's increase in performance justifies about double the price of the i3/640?

CPUs tend to last a lot longer nowdays compared to the past. A Core i7 860 for $200 or 1055T would last longer than the 640 in my opinion. Based on the overall system cost, you are looking at about $100 more extra for either of those. For 1055T system, you get $50 off some great Gigabyte motherboards too: http://www.microcenter.com/specials/...0427_AMDbundle

I am not sure what your budget is, but $800 system over $700 system is 14% more expensive. Core i7 860 or 1055T will be faster by more than 14% over the 640. That's why they represent better values when looking at the overall system cost. Average CPU performance:

http://www.behardware.com/articles/778-14/giant-roundup-146-intel-and-amd-processors.html

If you on a budget though, and $100 is a deal breaker, then I would put it towards a faster videocard instead. However, in the grand scheme of things $100 over 2-3 years you are going to keep your system is not a lot.

Don't forget, Blizzard games love extra CPU horsepower: http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/starcraft_ii_wings_of_liberty_beta_performance,6.html

 

[kevinqian]

thanks for the help russian..i do have a microcenter near me and that i7 does look mighty tempting...do you think the i7's increase in performance justifies about double the price of the i3/640?

Save that $100 bux and buy an SSD. You'll notice an instant improvement that no cpu upgrade will provide.

 

[Dadofamunky]

There's no point in buying anything less than a quad-core now. The i3 is the last thing I'd buy, regardless of price.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Definitely get the X4. Having a true quad core sure beats any faux quad like the i3. Overclocking might be a different story, but who really pushes their CPUs that far 24/7? Not me. Even with a modest overclock the X4 should be fast enough for a long time. Not to mention you will also be able to upgrade to a thuban or bulldozer CPU in the future. I will never go Intel again if I intend to upgrade later on. The socket just wont exist by that time!

AM3 is going to be around for a while.

 

[kevinqian]

are we so sure that Bulldozer or whatever the next AMD cpu are will support AM3?

 

[LoneNinja]

are we so sure that Bulldozer or whatever the next AMD cpu are will support AM3?

Roadmaps suggest Bulldozer will have an AM3+ socket, and rumor has been out for awhile it'll be compatible with AM3. I have yet to see anyone stat it as fact, or say it's been confirmed by AMD.

 

[hathetran]

i was pretty set on getting the 640 but this deal just popped up and is pretty tempting..it ends today though

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=521206&t=2022240

what do you guys think?

 

[cbn]

i was pretty set on getting the 640 but this deal just popped up and is pretty tempting..it ends today though

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=521206&t=2022240

what do you guys think?

Check the reviews on the mainboard-->http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128421

 

[BladeVenom]

Microcenter has also been offering the X4 630 and a A760G M2+ mATX Motherboard bundle for $99.99.

 

[hathetran]

Microcenter has also been offering the X4 630 and a A760G M2+ mATX Motherboard bundle for $99.99.

i just saw that too

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/...namitedata.com


man all these combos..i have no idea what to do..either save money and get the i3/630 combo or spend a little more to get the 640 but with the chance to upgrade to bulldozer later..decisions decisions

 

[richierich1212]

Seriously, a dual-core shouldn't even really be considered for new builds unless they are for HTPCs or grandma or something. Quad-core minimum, doesn't matter which brand.

 

[Terzo]

There's no point in buying anything less than a quad-core now. The i3 is the last thing I'd buy, regardless of price.

Seriously, a dual-core shouldn't even really be considered for new builds unless they are for HTPCs or grandma or something. Quad-core minimum, doesn't matter which brand.

I'm actually still not convinced I need a quad core. Most of the games I play are at least a few years old, and I don't do any folding, encoding, or similar activities. Given the choice between the i3-530 and athlon II x4 630 I'd probably go intel due to the lower power draw, though I'm not a fan of the H55 motherboards; I would rather have a 785. Though really I'm just waiting for Sandy Bridge and Llano; especially with that rumor about llano packing the equivalent of a 5570.

 

[hans007]

Seriously, a dual-core shouldn't even really be considered for new builds unless they are for HTPCs or grandma or something. Quad-core minimum, doesn't matter which brand.

i dont think this is necessarily true.

i've had a lot of cpus in my board and currently have an athlon ii x2 250.

for most games it makes no difference if you have quad or dual . sure some of the newer games, but even source engine and starcraft 2 it makes no difference.


i mainly use my computer for what the OP uses his for, outside of doing small bits of visual studio and eclipse programming work and a dual core is plenty for things that dont have any rendering, or mass number crunching.

plus dual cores use less electricity. granted quads are so cheap now you might a swell buy them, but i've tried a much faster quad in my box (a 955) and i honestly could not tell the difference in normal use. sold it to buy an ssd with the difference in money. thats the thing the OP should definitely think about getting.

 

[richierich1212]

Well do you have a kill-a-watt meter? My 1st 1055T system @ 3.6GHz only draws 125w idle, 260w full load.

 

[AsusGuy]

I understand that most games don't really need a quad core CPU at this point. However I can't see the justification in avoiding a quad core at this point. Really I think the i3 is not much of an option with the CPUs that AMD is offering at the same price point. If you want an upgrade path and good price/performance go AMD. That seems like the better choice to me given your post.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I had the same dilemma and ended up going with the i3-530. I figured my fairly light use would benefit more from higher clock speeds than more cores. Even with only 2 cores the i3-530 handles my multi tasking quite well.

The only thing is that it doesn't seem to handle well is humongous Photoshop files (I'm talking ~400mb). I'm guess it is the processor that limits me on this, although I do not dabble in Photoshop very often so it wasn't a huge problem for me.