need to upgrade from core2 e7500, i3 amd a8 or ??

[ajs_fla]

Looking to build a new system and have several options turning in my head. Current system is Intel e7500 stock cooling not o/c with a radeon 5450 1gb ddr3 card 4 gb ram (ddr2) 500 gb drive on a gigabyte board. I want to build something that is higher up the power chain but I am not a gamer. I use this for work which is ms office and a LOT of big searches on the web for autos plus having a couple of streaming video windows open from auto auctions. The e7500 handles this and has utilization between 30 to 85 % (most of the time utilization is towards the lower end). I have a fast internet connection (FIOS at 20 mbps) and I like my searches to pop open quick, it's just me but I have built ssytems for a long time and always try to build something that is above average.

Here are the options: would like to stay between 200 to 300 for mobo and chip. I know i need new ram also but that is about the same price for all options i am looking at.
1 AMD a8-3850 and a mobo that is less than 100.00
2 Intel core i3-2105 (want intel 3000 if I opt for this system) mobo ??? h61, 67, or z
3 Intel core i5-???? (quad core but the extra watts not sure) mobo ??? h61, 67, or z

I would love to go with no video card just to keep power down somewhat. It is Florida and summers get warm even with ac if you have a bun warmer of a pc.

I feel a quad will help keep the pc useful for a longer time and I know that hyper thread helps but is not the same a 2 extra cores. I also think the intel cpu may stay technologically longer than the A8 just because of their sheer horsepower but the A8 has a better package balance with the new apu( cpu/gpu).

Clear my brain for me please...... Thanks in advance

 

[Gigantopithecus]

I like my searches to pop open quick

You talking about launching the browsers quickly or rendering a web page quickly? If it's the former, you need an SSD, not a new CPU. If it's the latter, the higher IPC of the i3 will be more beneficial than the four cores and better GPU of the A8.

 

[paperwastage]

try using chrome or Firefox with noscript

I use opera which allows dynamic loading of plugins (eg YouTube/flash items appear unloaded as a gray arrow until I click on it). I have 30-50 tabs from my previous history that loads without problem on my c2d t8300 or a 4yr old Pentium 4. opening new searches or large sites have no lag

 

[xbanzai89]

If you have no use for the extra GPU power as you mentioned the APU probably is not the best choice. The A8 is a quad core, but in certain tasks your current CPU will likely tie it often. That i3 probably will make you notice more of a difference in what you are doing in my opinion. Though like others have said an SSD maybe what you are looking for. For what you are describing along with your current setup it sounds like you really do not need to upgrade the CPU/GPU and get the SSD instead.

 

[ajs_fla]

I use chrome as much as much as i can the streaming video site for the auctions requires IE only (using IE 9 which helped a bunch).

More of a page rendering on the searches. My partner had to have a new system so he bought a off teh shelf Dell from Staples with a i3-550 about a month ago and saw a huge difference. So now I need to have something better.

Thanks for the help was thinking of a ssd for the programs and using the hdd for storage.

 

[HexiumVII]

I usually have 4 different browsers open with at least a dozen tabs open (sometimes for fun, others for web dev). I just got new Core2Duo 3.2GHz systems for really cheap thinking they would be enough. They are not. My i7 920 stock is so much faster. So do yourself a favor and get a quad core i5 or something. I just got a great deal on the forums for another i7-920, 3.0 mobo and 8gb ram for $350. Was going to get Sandybridge, but I bet the i7s are all so close, its worth saving almost 50%.

 

[Concillian]

I'd try an SSD before building a new system. I doubt your CPU is severely limiting you.

 

[toyota]

You talking about launching the browsers quickly or rendering a web page quickly? If it's the former, you need an SSD, not a new CPU. If it's the latter, the higher IPC of the i3 will be more beneficial than the four cores and better GPU of the A8.

the cpu must play a huge role in launching the browser though. I used an E-350 desktop setup and was laughably slow and lagged the whole pc to launch Chrome with even just 6-7 tabs. going to an Athlon 2 X2 was much faster but still lagged a bit. using the 2500k there is no pc lag when launching Crome with tons of tabs and the mouse can move perfectly fine unlike on those other cpus. and all 3 comps had 7200 rpm hard drives.

 

[jaydee]

I wouldn't worry about the power draw of the HD5450. It draws some, but not enough IMO to necessitate an integrated video solution.

When are you looking to build? What is your budget? This is probably better suited for General Hardware than CPU's/Overclocking in that you'll get better feedback.

 

[fuzzymath10]

An E7500 is still quite fast. Do you use Vista or Win7? Hardware decoding and rendering should be supported with your video card with the right drivers.

You should be worried if flash video pegs your CPU at 100%, but if it isn't then I suspect an SSD will help most.

Even a huge slow browser (FF) on my laptop with an old Core 2 Duo T8300 with crappy GMA X3100 graphics works great as long as the storage is not a spinning disk. (It even hardware renders since the IGP is DX10)

 

[sm625]

You can monitor how many threads you are spawning. If what you're doing is spawning dozens of threads then you might want an i3 with hyperthreading, or a 6 core bulldozer. I have noticed there are certain times when my browser is definitely faster on my quadcore than on my dual core. But most of the time the SSD makes the bigger difference.

 

[VirtualLarry]

the cpu must play a huge role in launching the browser though. I used an E-350 desktop setup and was laughably slow and lagged the whole pc to launch Chrome with even just 6-7 tabs. going to an Athlon 2 X2 was much faster but still lagged a bit. using the 2500k there is no pc lag when launching Crome with tons of tabs and the mouse can move perfectly fine unlike on those other cpus. and all 3 comps had 7200 rpm hard drives.

Wierd. I can start WaterFox (64-bit firefox 5.0), with something like six tabs open, and on a Comcast 16/2 connection, it loads them pretty fast. Not too sluggish for me. On my E-350 Zacate system. Note that none of those tabs have YouTube videos on them though.

Never really had any mouse lag either.

Edit: This on a 7200RPM 1TB Desktop HD.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Weird.

Yes, odd. My X120e (E-350 APU) launches FF5 as quickly as my i3-2100 - instantaneously. They're both on G2 Intel SSDs.

 

[toyota]

do not know what to tell you becuase it was pretty slow. my E8500 and this 2500k do not do that at all but with the E-350 it was several seconds of lag on intial browser startup. it would take quite a while for the tabs to open up but maybe it was a Chrome issue with the weaker cpus.

 

[Phynaz]

you might want an i3 with hyperthreading, or a 6 core bulldozer.

You're recommending a CPU which isn't going to be available for months yet.

 

[ajs_fla]

Thanks for the help... Like i mentioned in a reply my partner got a i3-550 Dell and could see a large improvement which doesn't include a ssd but just more cpu power and intel graphics. I really like the concept of the A8 3850 just wish the cpu was stronger. I know I could change out the chip down the road but all the years I have built systems thinking I would do that I always post pone it until it is time for a board cpu ram change out.