Is the I3 a worth while upgrade?

[LoneNinja]

Trying to help a friend upgrade on a budget. Here is his current system.

Athlon II X4 630 @ 2.8Ghz
Gigabyte AM2+ 760G chipset (don't know exact model, but I know it is limited to 95W processors)
3GB DDR2 800mhz 1X2Gb + 1X1Gb
Radeon 6850
Antec EarthWatts 380W PSU
Case unknown, but it fits a regular ATX board and has decent airflow.
His monitor is 1600x900

I don't know his exact budget, but he is trying to do this as cheap as possible, and I know an I5 is out of his price range. The only thing he does on his computer that stresses the processor is gaming, other tasks are basic internet and video watching. There won't be any overclocking, so that isn't a concern here.

He intends to upgrade to a DDR3 motherboard either way, should he just get an AM3+ board and later purchase an FX cpu, or should he make the switch to socket 1155 and get the I3 now. I think he should switch to socket 1155 and get the I3, but I'm open to opinions on that. Will the I3 make a noticeable difference @ 1600x900 using a 6870?

I know very little about the different Intel chipsets right now. Can I get some motherboard recommendations? The motherboard only needs 2 ram slots and a single PCIe slot, USB3 would be nice but isn't needed either.

This will be purchased at either newegg.com or Microcenter, so feel free to provide links to either store.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

i3-2100 + basic budget mobo at Microcenter right now is $105 + tax. He can get $100 from his current CPU/mobo/RAM, so after $20 for 4GB of DDR3, the upgrade's net cost will be a Jackson.

 

[dpk33]

If he's going with Intel, then an i3 is a decent step up front the Athlon II. The Athlon II is definitely holding the 6870 back quite a bit.

Here's a comparison of his cpu vs an i3 2100:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/105?vs=289

For a motherboard, just get any simple H61 or H67, since overclocking and integrated graphics don't matter.

Alternatively, he can also put a Phenom II quad into his motherboard, if I'm not mistaken, for a decent upgrade with lower cost.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

i would go with just popping in a x4 and wait for ivy bridge

 

[fastamdman]

If you are looking to upgrade you have a few options.

Option 1, wait until IB comes out.
Option 2, buy a used 2500k setup or parts.
Option 3, buy a new 2500k setup.

No matter what option you go with you will be happy, if you deviate from the above you will not be happy unless you choose to go with a 2600k instead of a 2500k which still might not lead to happiness because money doesn't = happiness.

 

[Kenmitch]

Here you can compare his current to the 2100. If he goes with the 2100 maybe just don't go too cheap on the MB. He can always upgrade to quad later if needs.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Prod....54.55.60.61.62.63.64.57.56.50.49.48.47.52.51

Oops didn't see the post a couple above mine....Was posting from my phone at the time

 

[AtaliaA1]

If you are looking to upgrade you have a few options.

Option 1, wait until IB comes out.
Option 2, buy a used 2500k setup or parts.
Option 3, buy a new 2500k setup.

No matter what option you go with you will be happy, if you deviate from the above you will not be happy unless you choose to go with a 2600k instead of a 2500k which still might not lead to happiness because money doesn't = happiness.

Did you even read the first post? I mean I'm just saying, you know.

 

[fastamdman]

I read "blah blah blah i don't know his budget"

I can build 2500k setups REALLY cheap with used parts and they are getting cheaper and cheaper all the time.

 

[RU482]

wow, he's running that (HD6870 & Athlon X4) on a 380W PSU?
Does he game or do anything to push the GPU hard? curious

 

[fastamdman]

Antec earthwatt psu's are pretty nice actually

I wouldn't be surprised if it held up just fine.

 

[GoStumpy]

380w can handle a 6870 just fine, but we wouldn't recommend it for a new build merely because its best to keep a PSU under ~75% load at all times...

Short answer, Yes. Yes, the i3 will be an upgrade. It is pretty perfectly paired to a 6870, in my opinion, since my 6850 is 99% through BF3 while the CPU is being taxxed 80-90+%. That IMHO is a pretty good pairing.

If we were talking about a 6950/6970, or GTX570+, then yes, a 2500k is necessary... however I think a 2500k is overkill for a 6850/6870.

i3-2100 is a great processor, and he won't be disappointed with it.

-edit-

As far as motherboard recommendations go, do not get a `H` series board! Even if you don`t plan to overclock now, if in the future he wants to upgrade the CPU, a 2500K is an obvious choice, and with a 2500k you WILL want a P or Z series motherboard.

In short, get a P67 or Z68 motherboard with an i3-2100, and he will be very happy with the upgrade!

 

[fastamdman]

I would go with z68 so you have the option to go with IB later on down the line. I don't believe all p67 boards will be IB compatible but I am not 100% sure.

Always buy newer instead of older when it comes to PC's. It makes no sense to spend the same money on older technology.

 

[LoneNinja]

I made an error in my first post, it's a 6850 not 6870. Power draw isn't as high, cpu bottleneck probably not as great, but still.

As I mentioned his board won't support the 125W Phenom II processors, he isn't into overclocking either so not a huge performance gain there. He really wants to upgrade his ram to 8Gb DDR3 which is the main reason for a new board, and I suggested he look at a new processor as well. He already has someone who will buy his old board and 3Gb ram, it's just a matter of selling the Athlon II X4 with it or not.

Thanks for the feed back so far.

 

[fastamdman]

Reassure him that most people don't need 8gb and or won't use 8gb of ram. 4GB's is what the majority of gamers / people need IMO.

Also more ram isn't going to gain him anything speed wise, fps wise, etc. He needs to setup to a cpu with some real power

 

[GoStumpy]

^ Don't be too sure! 8GB is an advantage over 4GB. 6GB is just as good, but with the price of 8GB kits there's no point going for 6GB.

8GB > 4GB... But that's not the point of this thread (4GB can cause stuttering in BF3, 8GB solves this... So yes, 4GB can be a limitation in gaming)

6850 and i3-2100 is a nearly perfect pairing...

So I think at the end of the day, a Z68 board (capable of a variety of upgrades later) and an i3-2100 are the best budget choice.

 

[fastamdman]

What I don't understand is why can someone afford a i3-2100 new based at 124.99 *neweggs price* but they can't afford a MUCH better processor aka 2500k at 150-180$ used?

I see no logic in purchasing a i3-2100 for 125 when you can pick up a 2500k new for 200 bucks and used for less then that obviously.

Save a little bit more and get a much much better processor.

 

[IAteYourMother]

What I don't understand is why can someone afford a i3-2100 new based at 124.99 *neweggs price* but they can't afford a MUCH better processor aka 2500k at 150-180$ used?

I see no logic in purchasing a i3-2100 for 125 when you can pick up a 2500k new for 200 bucks and used for less then that obviously.

Save a little bit more and get a much much better processor.

its an 80 dollar difference, it matters... and the i3 can more than hold its own in a lot of applications.

 

[fastamdman]

It's NOT an 80 dollar difference, especially when paired with combos and or if you buy used. I bet you can find a used one for 25 bucks more and I know you can for about 40 bucks more lol.

If you are going to spend that much on a fail processor, why not spend just a tiny bit more on a good one?

It doesn't make sense to me. I have never seen the appeal of doing something half a$$ed.

Budgets I can understand. So buy used to meet the budget, or save more and extend the budget. Wasting cash on a 2100 isn't a good call currently IMO. Spend an extra 25-50 bucks and get it used, or spend an extra 80 and get it new.

The 2500k especially since it's overclockable will CRUSH CRUSH a 2100

 

[LoneNinja]

My research indicates IB to be compatible with H61, H67, P67, and Z68. So I'm thinking if I go with Gigabyte I can rely on them to have the needed BIOS update for IB, they were always good about BIOS updates for AMD.

I fully agree the I5 is the better processor, no doubt would it crush an I3 when overclocked...but not my money or decision. He has no intention of overclocking, so getting a K edition processor, more expensive motherboard, and cpu cooler would be pointless. Going to microcenter where the I3 2100 is $99 and they have $50 off of motherboards, picking up an H61 board than since it'll be next to free. This is the same thing we did when he got the Athlon II X4 in 2010. Not sure what he's getting for the old cpu/mobo/ram but this will be a very cheap upgrade for him.

 

[paperwastage]

My research indicates IB to be compatible with H61, H67, P67, and Z68. So I'm thinking if I go with Gigabyte I can rely on them to have the needed BIOS update for IB, they were always good about BIOS updates for AMD.

I fully agree the I5 is the better processor, no doubt would it crush an I3 when overclocked...but not my money or decision. He has no intention of overclocking, so getting a K edition processor, more expensive motherboard, and cpu cooler would be pointless. Going to microcenter where the I3 2100 is $99 and they have $50 off of motherboards, picking up an H61 board than since it'll be next to free. This is the same thing we did when he got the Athlon II X4 in 2010. Not sure what he's getting for the old cpu/mobo/ram but this will be a very cheap upgrade for him.

IB-compatible info is not set in stone, as you can see from your research....I wouldn't hold my breath on it....

microcenter only does $50 off mobos when you buy i5 or i7(lately, they've been switching which version has the $ off)... not the i3

last year from launch til june(?), they had an i3 + mobo for $120... haven't seen it though since august

It's NOT an 80 dollar difference, especially when paired with combos and or if you buy used. I bet you can find a used one for 25 bucks more and I know you can for about 40 bucks more lol.

If you are going to spend that much on a fail processor, why not spend just a tiny bit more on a good one?

It doesn't make sense to me. I have never seen the appeal of doing something half a$$ed.

Budgets I can understand. So buy used to meet the budget, or save more and extend the budget. Wasting cash on a 2100 isn't a good call currently IMO. Spend an extra 25-50 bucks and get it used, or spend an extra 80 and get it new.

The 2500k especially since it's overclockable will CRUSH CRUSH a 2100

if the person wants new (just because you never know whether the i5 chip has been through 1.6V stress testing)...

^ Don't be too sure! 8GB is an advantage over 4GB. 6GB is just as good, but with the price of 8GB kits there's no point going for 6GB.

8GB > 4GB... But that's not the point of this thread (4GB can cause stuttering in BF3, 8GB solves this... So yes, 4GB can be a limitation in gaming)

basically, you can find 2x4GB DDR3 deals for ~$30... no reason to go down to 4GB when it's so cheap, unless you plan on running only 32 bit OS

 

[IAteYourMother]

It's NOT an 80 dollar difference, especially when paired with combos and or if you buy used. I bet you can find a used one for 25 bucks more and I know you can for about 40 bucks more lol.

If you are going to spend that much on a fail processor, why not spend just a tiny bit more on a good one?

It doesn't make sense to me. I have never seen the appeal of doing something half a$$ed.

Budgets I can understand. So buy used to meet the budget, or save more and extend the budget. Wasting cash on a 2100 isn't a good call currently IMO. Spend an extra 25-50 bucks and get it used, or spend an extra 80 and get it new.

The 2500k especially since it's overclockable will CRUSH CRUSH a 2100

The i3 is only 100 bucks, it's not very expensive at all. Unless the applications you're using will use all 4 cores, I don't think it's that big a deal if you're on a tight budget.

 

[LoneNinja]

IB-compatible info is not set in stone, as you can see from your research....I wouldn't hold my breath on it....

microcenter only does $50 off mobos when you buy i5 or i7(lately, they've been switching which version has the $ off)... not the i3

last year from launch til june(?), they had an i3 + mobo for $120... haven't seen it though since august

Tomshardware reported on some slides released by computerbase Nov 22.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Intel-Ivy-Bridge-LGA-1155-CPU-maho-bay,14012.html
I also found a few articles about Asus and either Biostar or Asrock claiming Ivy Bridge works with a BIOS update from the October-November time frame. Either way my friend won't be buying Ivy Bridge when it releases, probably won't get a new cpu for another 18months.

As to the $50 off deal, their flyer only lists the I7 2600K for it, but when I put the I3 and a motherboard in my shopping cart $50 gets removed from the motherboard price. I tried it with 4 different boards and same thing happened. There's actually a Gigabyte board that with that combo is free after rebate, hope it's a legit deal and not a glitch in their system.

 

[fastamdman]

If you are going the 2100 route I would advise you to AT LEAST try and talk him into a cheaper end z68 board. Going with the h61 is really really a bad idea no matter what.

 

[dpk33]

If you are going the 2100 route I would advise you to AT LEAST try and talk him into a cheaper end z68 board. Going with the h61 is really really a bad idea no matter what.

Is there anything that the z68 offers over the h61 that he actually needs? From what I can see, it's mainly SSD caching and overclocking (doesn't apply to i3).

Anyways, yes the i5 will crush the i3, and if you can find a used i5 for around $130 give or take, that would be an amazing deal. You can pair that up with a cheap z68 or p67 and overclock it to 4 ghz, even on a stock cooler. Even then, the Hyper 212+ can get you higher overclocks at only $20.

If you want cheap as possible, the i3/H61 board will be your best bet.

 

[paperwastage]

Tomshardware reported on some slides released by computerbase Nov 22.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Intel-Ivy-Bridge-LGA-1155-CPU-maho-bay,14012.html
I also found a few articles about Asus and either Biostar or Asrock claiming Ivy Bridge works with a BIOS update from the October-November time frame. Either way my friend won't be buying Ivy Bridge when it releases, probably won't get a new cpu for another 18months.

and when IB comes out, it might turn out that some boards wont have the BIOS/UEFI update from manufacturer, or lacking one small part that means it isnt IB compatible... just dont push your friend onto this idea

As to the $50 off deal, their flyer only lists the I7 2600K for it, but when I put the I3 and a motherboard in my shopping cart $50 gets removed from the motherboard price. I tried it with 4 different boards and same thing happened. There's actually a Gigabyte board that with that combo is free after rebate, hope it's a legit deal and not a glitch in their system.

hmm... works for me too on their website... go order it and pick it up...

should have gotten this i3 combo instead of the i5 + mobo combo during black friday for my previous build... oh well

Is there anything that the z68 offers over the h61 that he actually needs? From what I can see, it's mainly SSD caching and overclocking (doesn't apply to i3).

quicksync that might not be enabled on really-really-cheap H61 boards?

EDIT: the $10 after rebate/coupon GA-H61M-DS2 says Quicksync enabled on http://www.gigabyte.pt/products/page/mb/ga-h61m-ds2rev_10/overview/