Q9550 vs core i3-2100

[JamesMay]

Hey there, so looking to upgrade my E5200 processor its getting somehow limited in most games. what do you people think should I upgrade it to? the Q9550 or get my self a core i3 2100 + H67 board+ Cheap DDR3 RAM? im not an overclocker guru and I'd like to spend no more then 200$ on this upgrade.

Thanks folks.

 

[Vette73]

Cheap would be a $99 kit from microcenter.

I would save up a little more than halfass it if the $99 microceter deal is no good for you.

 

[podspi]

Cheap would be a $99 kit from microcenter.

I would save up a little more than halfass it if the $99 microceter deal is no good for you.

Which deal? I seem to remember a Core i3 kit for $99 in MC, but it sold out...

 

[Vette73]

^

I'm talking about the AMD Quad kits.

The i3 is decent but not enough to warrant the upgrade IMO.
For less than $175 you can get a Quad AMD, 870 motherboard, and 4gb of ram AR from Microcenter.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Get the following from Newegg:

- ASRock M3A770DE ($60) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...6&Tpk=m3a770de

- Corsair DDR3-1600 ($50) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-260-_-Product

- AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE ($120) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-808-_-Product

Should be a great upgrade

 

[JamesMay]

Iwould like to stick with intel, Ididn't own an AMD system sincs the 1st AthlonXP's, Microcenter is like 15 min with car. I've checked anandtech bench and its seems that the core i3 2100 is trading blows with the Q9550 so it would be a fair boost from my E5200. the only dilemma is Old 775 fast Quad or New 1155 "fast" Dual Core.

 

[classy]

Get the new stuff. Should get you a couple of steps of speed growth possibly.

 

[Kenmitch]

I guess if you go for the i3-2100 you'd have the option to upgrade the cpu later on to a true quad core if you find the need for more speed

 

[kowalabearhugs]

I guess if you go for the i3-2100 you'd have the option to upgrade the cpu later on to a true quad core if you find the need for more speed

I'd agree with this. On single/dual threaded apps the Intel will beat the AMD. Here's a i3-2100 + Mobo combo w/ a single 4gb ram stick, so you can just purchase a single stick to upgrade.

BIOSTAR H67MU3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard + Intel Core i3-2100 = 194.98

Patriot Signature 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (1.5v) = 35.99

Total 230.97

 

[Zap]

a single 4gb ram stick, so you can just purchase a single stick to upgrade.

I'd recommend a 2x2GB kit because IMO it is more likely that games take advantage of quad cores (thus being next upgrade) than 8GB RAM.

 

[kowalabearhugs]

I'd recommend a 2x2GB kit because IMO it is more likely that games take advantage of quad cores (thus being next upgrade) than 8GB RAM.

True about the next upgrade, but all the 2x2 kits on newegg are more expensive than a single 4gb dimm and a future ram upgrade wouldn't require anything more than purchasing another dimm.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you're going to get a 2100, wait for the 2120K unlocked version. Then get a Z68-chipset mobo.

 

[JamesMay]

If you're going to get a 2100, wait for the 2120K unlocked version. Then get a Z68-chipset mobo.

Thats an Unlocked Dual Core? when will it be released? would I get that cpu+z68 for 200$?

I'd agree with this. On single/dual threaded apps the Intel will beat the AMD. Here's a i3-2100 + Mobo combo w/ a single 4gb ram stick, so you can just purchase a single stick to upgrade.

BIOSTAR H67MU3 LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard + Intel Core i3-2100 = 194.98

Patriot Signature 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (1.5v) = 35.99

Total 230.97

Thats a sweet Deal! but VirtualLarry just started another problem for me, should I wait for that 2120k?

 

[Zap]

True about the next upgrade, but all the 2x2 kits on newegg are more expensive than a single 4gb dimm and a future ram upgrade wouldn't require anything more than purchasing another dimm.

Right, but then he would have lowered performance the entire time until he upgrades. I'd imagine that would be worth a few bucks. Plus, dual channel kits are more likely to be on sale or with a rebate at any given time just because there's so many of them out there.

Thats an Unlocked Dual Core? when will it be released? would I get that cpu+z68 for 200$?

Magic 8 Ball says... Outlook not so good.

Z68 is a higher end chipset (H61/H67 lower) so pricing would likely be over $100. There is no Core i3 that is under $100 (outside of Micro Center deals). Ergo, you won't be able to get the combo for $200. I'm guessing closer to $300. Might be worth it, however, since once overclocked you can probably get some crazy performance.

 

[kowalabearhugs]

Right, but then he would have lowered performance the entire time until he upgrades. I'd imagine that would be worth a few bucks. Plus, dual channel kits are more likely to be on sale or with a rebate at any given time just because there's so many of them out there.

With DDR-2, the performance gap between single and dual channel was between 0% - 4%. I thought the higher spreads were mostly found in benchmarks as opposed to real life situations. Has that changed with DDR-3 and newer architectures?

Just digging for knowledge. :thumbsup:

 

[tweakboy]

Iwould like to stick with intel, Ididn't own an AMD system sincs the 1st AthlonXP's, Microcenter is like 15 min with car. I've checked anandtech bench and its seems that the core i3 2100 is trading blows with the Q9550 so it would be a fair boost from my E5200. the only dilemma is Old 775 fast Quad or New 1155 "fast" Dual Core.

Nicely said.

 

[tweakboy]

To your question .... which are overclocked, or what is the overclock or is it stock on the Q9

 

[Zap]

With DDR-2, the performance gap between single and dual channel was between 0% - 4%. I thought the higher spreads were mostly found benchmarks as opposed to real life situations. Has that changed with DDR-3 and newer architectures?

Good question. Undoubtedly performance goes up with dual channel. The question is... how much?

I don't have the answer for this, and a quick search didn't find any benchmarks comparing the two.

I'm going to be traveling the next few weeks, but when I get back maybe I'll do some comparisons, if benchmarks can't be found by then.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What GPU are you running OP?

 

[JamesMay]

What GPU are you running OP?

GTX 460 1GB, 1920x1080.

So iguess my best bet is a microcenter deal

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Either get a P67 or Z68 board
Would you be willing to go into your bios and change a number from 33 to 40? It's that simple to overclock on Sandybridge.

 

[richierich1212]

Sure the i3-2100 will trade blows with the Q9550, but that's at stock speeds. You can't overclock the i3-2100.

 

[Zap]

Sure the i3-2100 will trade blows with the Q9550, but that's at stock speeds. You can't overclock the i3-2100.

It will, however, use a lot less power than the Q9550, plus put out less heat. A tradeoff.

A 2120K, if/when/how much it shows up at, should take care of any performance concerns while keeping the low power/heat.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-077-_-Product

i3 2120 at New Egg

so maybe 20$ more

 

[JamesMay]

Sure the i3-2100 will trade blows with the Q9550, but that's at stock speeds. You can't overclock the i3-2100.

Thing is that idont overclock, and power/heat do matter for me, so thats why iwas looking at them @ stock speeds.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-077-_-Product

i3 2120 at New Egg

so maybe 20$ more

Whats the diffrence between the 2100 vs 2120?