i3 6100 good enough for RX 480?

[escrow4]

How do you feel about a "desktop / browser" box? My debate is, I just ordered an ASRock Deskmini STX box, that takes M.2 as well as two 2.5" drives, and it takes SO-DIMMs and desktop 1151 CPUs.

I already have my G4400 CPUs, and one i3-6100 in a mini-ITX, that I don't really want to remove out of that one.

Debating on the CPU to use. The cheaper the better. Though, since there's no option from a GPU, I'm wondering if I should also invest in another i3-6100, for its HD 530 iGPU.

I wouldn't use anything less than an i5 if not an i7. I've scrapped all my laptops now bar a Win 10 netbook that is irritatingly hard to sell and now only use a desktop or a tablet/smartphone. The desktop is the centre and I rotate between 64GB microSD cards as required. I won't be buying a laptop anymore. Cheap ones are junk and expensive ones with SSDs, bleh, may as well build a PC for cheaper.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I wouldn't use anything less than an i5 if not an i7. I've scrapped all my laptops now bar a Win 10 netbook that is irritatingly hard to sell and now only use a desktop or a tablet/smartphone. The desktop is the centre and I rotate between 64GB microSD cards as required. I won't be buying a laptop anymore. Cheap ones are junk and expensive ones with SSDs, bleh, may as well build a PC for cheaper.

So... you DO understand "budget constraints". The very same reason why you don't want to pay for a decent-speed laptop, is also why I hesitate to pay for an i5/i7 desktop machine. Especially for a "browser box", hooked up to only a 1080P screen.

Plus, Kaby Lake is coming. If I'm going to invest "for the long haul", for a browser box using the iGPU, I'm going to want HDMI 2.0 support and HEVC Main10 and VP9 10-bit support.

At least, that's how I see it. I can certainly manage to "slum along" with a G4400 for now.

Thanks for your feedback.

Part of the problem too, is the ASRock Deskmini 110W ("W" meaning includes 802.11ac wireless) was only $140 + $4 ship, and the 2x8GB DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM GSKill RAM was like $68, and a (new) i5-6500 is like an additional $205. Twice the price. (When I already have the G4400 CPU, and a 128GB SM951 PCE-E M.2 SSD.)

 

[TeknoBug]

I wouldn't use anything less than an i5 if not an i7. I've scrapped all my laptops now bar a Win 10 netbook that is irritatingly hard to sell and now only use a desktop or a tablet/smartphone. The desktop is the centre and I rotate between 64GB microSD cards as required. I won't be buying a laptop anymore. Cheap ones are junk and expensive ones with SSDs, bleh, may as well build a PC for cheaper.

Nothing wrong with the i3, the i3 6100 is surprisingly good (very similar performance to my i5 3550). The i3 gets the job done for cost effective systems.

 

[jacktesterson]

Nothing wrong with the i3, the i3 6100 is surprisingly good (very similar performance to my i5 3550). The i3 gets the job done for cost effective systems.

I agree. I believe it's the best chip on the Market for the majority of the people out there. Most here are not the majority.

 

[jacktesterson]

Those benchmarks are not representative of reality.

To see a true representation of i3 6100 vs. i5 6600K you need to capture continuous gameplay and look at the dips on the i3. i3 6100 gets hammered hard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSU0UWFCa1Y

Also, the OP mentioned he wants to buy the system and not upgrade it for several years. The i3 6100 is already a bottleneck right off the bat which means in 2-3 years when it comes time to buy a new GPU, the i3 6100 will have to be replaced. If budget is an issue, it's even possible to buy the i5 6400/6500 and pair it with an Asrock Z170 board because Asrock still allows BLKC overclocking on Skylake.

i5-6400@4.6 vs i7-6700@4.7 in 11 games (980 Ti)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQVy9rYg1xw

MicroCenter has the ASRock Z170M Pro4S for $75 only. The board even has an Ultra M.2 32GB/sec slot and Intel I219V.

If budget is an issue, it's better to go with an i5 6400/6500 and a $75 Asrock Z170 board than an i3 6100 and some $100-120 board. The OP messed up right off the bat by ordering the H170 board. He should have gone with a cheaper Asrock Z170 and the cheapest i5.

I say if he's been happy with a G1820 he will be thrilled with a i3-6100. The i7 is the ultimate long haul CPU purchase however.