Which Cpu for low res gaming?

[bononos]

Earlier in another thread, I made a silly mistake by counting app benchmarks (from AT bench) which had a higher score as a win (those benches were lower is better) for BD. BD is consistently better than its predecessor in non-game apps.

An i3 2100 is a great CPU for things that don't use more than 2 cores. However, most all new games these days make full use of 4 and even 6 cores (BF3, Witcher 2, Crysis 2, etc). The other thing the Phenom II has going for it is over clocking. They are unlocked and easily hit 4GHz (well, current chips do).

However, with an i3 box, you can always upgrade later to a quad like the 2500k/2600k and then blow the doors off a Phenom II. Same goes for the low end Pentium. Get it now, upgrade it later.

Actually the 2100 is great for games even those new ones which you mentioned which are multithreaded for many cores. Check out AT bench for 2100 vs BD the results may be shocking. I don't know if the AT bench use a 280 or something similar for the gaming benches to highlight cpu differences but still..
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=289

Except for BF3, most or all of the new multithreaded games like Witcher2, Crysis warhead, Dragon Age benches favour Intel SB. Even 2 core SBs do very well.

 

[antisocialmunky]

Fusion Llanos are quite good. They have rather low power draw and can play a lot of games quite well. They are also compact and not a complete pain to put together in a SFF package.

 

[Bman123]

Llano is playable but probably not enjoyable without a video card

 

[antisocialmunky]

Well, you can play SCII on Ultra with standard 1280x1024 resolutions. MW and FO3 work quite well too.

 

[Bman123]

Well, you can play SCII on Ultra with standard 1280x1024 resolutions. MW and FO3 work quite well too.

Can you post up a link that shows that

 

[antisocialmunky]

SC2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nO1Fu9Fd3Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8RUTrlpEHg
MW:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-a8-3850-llano,2975-13.html
Crysis 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yluVO4NJGfU&feature=related
BF2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb5Yn6HKILU&feature=related
SM:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUZvjvJqmDo&feature=related
New Vegas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnptoiawcmI&feature=related

Mostly on A6, Higher end A8 has better gfx. My friend plays SCII on ultra with some shader settings turned down slightly on her A6 15 inch laptop.

 

[Pijoto]

For low res gaming (720p and around 30-40 FPS is what I aim for), the Phenom II X4 955 3.2ghz can be had at Newegg for $105 until 10/24 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103808

I'm really tempted to pick it up to replace my Athlon II X2 250, but I really need a new graphics card first, and I've been waiting forever for the Radeon 7000HD series to release already *sigh*

 

[formulav8]

I like the Intel® Core™ i3-2105 as it will give you the Intel HD 3000 Graphics and a H67 or Z68 board and should allow you to upgrade in the future if you want.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

Huh? You know Intels gfx is pretty much well, yucky. Why would you recommend that for gaming? :\


Just get a high-clocked dual core if you really have a low budget and look for a used 5700 series in the forums. They are around $70 or so right now. I actually have a 5750 and it does quite well.

 

[Bman123]

It's not so much as my budget is low It's the cheaper the build the faster I can get it all together. Seems like the best place to save money is on the CPU and mobo.

 

[Bman123]

For low res gaming (720p and around 30-40 FPS is what I aim for), the Phenom II X4 955 3.2ghz can be had at Newegg for $105 until 10/24 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103808

I'm really tempted to pick it up to replace my Athlon II X2 250, but I really need a new graphics card first, and I've been waiting forever for the Radeon 7000HD series to release already *sigh*

I have a local microcenter and the x4 960 with mobo is $117 or a x2 560 be with mobo is $87. It's cheaper for me to go Amd now and in the long run actually, cuz if u get a g620 im still gonna drop $120 on CPU and mobo then another $179 for a 2500 k later.

 

[Stuka87]

I have a local microcenter and the x4 960 with mobo is $117 or a x2 560 be with mobo is $87. It's cheaper for me to go Amd now and in the long run actually, cuz if u get a g620 im still gonna drop $120 on CPU and mobo then another $179 for a 2500 k later.

Don't go with the x2 560. I had a 550BE, and even over clocked it doesnt hold a candle to the 965 I have now. $117 is a good price if the board is good enough to allow you to over clock some.

 

[formulav8]

I agree, if you could afford it get an Ph2 x4 that has L3 cache.

 

[Pijoto]

I have a local microcenter and the x4 960 with mobo is $117 or a x2 560 be with mobo is $87. It's cheaper for me to go Amd now and in the long run actually, cuz if u get a g620 im still gonna drop $120 on CPU and mobo then another $179 for a 2500 k later.

I always hear people mentioning great deals on Microcenter, but I haven't bothered to look up the store until now...there's one only 7 miles away from my home, and they're selling a Phenom II x4 840 for $60 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0371961

Granted, not the best for gaming, but this is a topic on low-res gaming anyhow, and it could be overclocked a bit. Arghh....so tempted to splurge, must wait on the Radeon 7000 series first *grumbles*

 

[Bman123]

I have no clue what free mobo is gonna be good enough. I figured since It's a be chip all you do is change the voltage and multiplier right?

 

[Bman123]

Sorry if I'm wrong, I've only overclocked s775 before and i know the mobo was important to change the fsb as the cheap ones didn't hit high fsb. I thought Amd was different with the be chips

 

[Stuka87]

Sorry if I'm wrong, I've only overclocked s775 before and i know the mobo was important to change the fsb as the cheap ones didn't hit high fsb. I thought Amd was different with the be chips

Well yeah, with a BE chip you just need to be able to adjust the multiplier to bump the clock speed. And typically you end up adjusting the core voltage, the CPU-NB, and sometimes the CPU-NB voltage.

The thing to look for is what the board is rated for in terms of CPU wattage, and how it supplies that power. Some boards are better than others in this regard. Being able to provide good clean power under heavy load is important. As its easy to hit well over 150W with an over clocked x4.