Core i3 vs athlon ii x4 upgrade

[hurricane25]

Hey Guys,

Planning to upgrade my aging Athlon64 based sys... RIP baby!

Will use the rig for browsing, dev work (will run an app / web server / eclipse) and casual gaming. Thinking between Core i3 vs Athlon ii X4.

Points to ponder:
1. i3 consumes lesser power, runs cooler
2. i3 much better overclocker (wil easily go to 3.4GHz on stock HS!!)
3. Most sw products in the next few years, though multithreaded, would see only small % diff due to 4 cores (vs 2). Think i3 offers a decent compromise, 2 physical cores, plus HT for a small boost for apps supporting higher num of threads.

Courtesy: Excellent Review @ *techreport.com/articles.x/18448

Though a long time AMD fan, these points are making me lean towards i3. Do provide solids args in support/favor of a i3 rig.

Also suggest a suitable sys (budget around 15.. willing to stretch to 20k if u can convince me its worth) for [cabinet + smps + mobo + proc + gfx card(< 5k) + 4gb ram + 500gb hdd].

Thanks Guys!

 

[coderunknown]

Hey Guys,

Planning to upgrade my aging Athlon64 based sys... RIP baby!

Will use the rig for browsing, dev work (will run an app / web server / eclipse) and casual gaming. Thinking between Core i3 vs Athlon ii X4.

Points to ponder:
1. i3 consumes lesser power, runs cooler
2. i3 much better overclocker (wil easily go to 3.4GHz on stock HS!!)
3. Most sw products in the next few years, though multithreaded, would see only small % diff due to 4 cores (vs 2). Think i3 offers a decent compromise, 2 physical cores, plus HT for a small boost for apps supporting higher num of threads.

Courtesy: Excellent Review @ *techreport.com/articles.x/18448

Though a long time AMD fan, these points are making me lean towards i3. Do provide solids args in support/favor of a i3 rig.

Also suggest a suitable sys (budget around 15 to 20k) for [cabinet + smps + mobo + proc + gfx card(around 5k) + 4gb ram + 500gb hdd].

Thanks Guys!

20k too less for i3. frankly. i3 530 ---> 5.6k
cheapest HDD, Biostar ---> 4.9k.

total: 10.5k. now 4Gb DDR3 ---> 5.4-5.8k
500Gb HDD ---> 2.2k
Elite 310 + FSP Saga II 400W ---> 3.5k

you already went past 21k without touching graphics card. & with Intel's graphics, gaming will be a distant dream.

with AMD, get these:

Athlon II X3 435: 4k
Biostar TA785G3 HD: 4.1k or Gigabyte 740G based motherboard at 2.6k
4Gb DDR3 Value ram: 5.6k
500Gb HDD: 2.1k
FSP Saga II 400W: 2.1k
Elite 310 or similar: 1.5k

total: 19.4k or 17.9k (considering the giggy).

so game using the onboard HD4200 or stick up a HD4650 @ 3k or less to game at high settings.

 

[ajai5777]

Hey Guys,

Planning to upgrade my aging Athlon64 based sys... RIP baby!

Will use the rig for browsing, dev work (will run an app / web server / eclipse) and casual gaming. Thinking between Core i3 vs Athlon ii X4.

Points to ponder:
1. i3 consumes lesser power, runs cooler
2. i3 much better overclocker (wil easily go to 3.4GHz on stock HS!!)
3. Most sw products in the next few years, though multithreaded, would see only small % diff due to 4 cores (vs 2). Think i3 offers a decent compromise, 2 physical cores, plus HT for a small boost for apps supporting higher num of threads.

Courtesy: Excellent Review @ *techreport.com/articles.x/18448

Though a long time AMD fan, these points are making me lean towards i3. Do provide solids args in support/favor of a i3 rig.

Also suggest a suitable sys (budget around 15.. willing to stretch to 20k if u can convince me its worth) for [cabinet + smps + mobo + proc + gfx card(< 5k) + 4gb ram + 500gb hdd].

Thanks Guys!

Athlon II X4 630 is anyday better than i3 530.After all it has got 4 physical cores.So its better for future.Also it can touch 3.4Ghz in Stock.Even I am running it in 3.3Ghz in stock.Most CPU hungry programs have affinity for more cores and we will get the full advantage of 4 cores in those applications like converting ,encoding etc.Only games are not developed for 4 cores (but it will happen soon) anyway I am getting decent performance in games.

In short, Athlon II X4 630 got much more processing capability.Have a look at the CPUmark by the passmark softwares.
CPU Mark

Note the CPU Mark given for both the proccys

Athlon II X4 630 @ 2.8 Ghz = 3364

Intel Core i3 530 @ 2.93 Ghz = 2701

config is

Athlon II X4 630 @ 4.6k
Biostar TA785G3 HD @ 4.1k
Transcend 2GB DDR3 1333 @ 2.6k ( If you severely need 4GB go for it @ 5.2k)
WD caviar Blue 500GB @ 2k
Gigabyte APFC 460W @ 2.2k
Zebronics bijli with out SMPS @ .9k
Saphire HD 4650 512 MB @ 3k

Total 19.4k with 2GB ram. 22k with 4GB ram.
I would suggest you to go for 2GB now and add 2GB later.
If you really need 4GB skip Graphic card now and game in IGP HD 4200.
Its pretty decent.

 

[Cool Buddy]

I would suggest going for 2 GB RAM (Single module) now and an HD 4670 @4k with ajai's config. RAM will become cheaper within a year & you would be able to get a 2 GB one for 1.5k 1 year from now (I hope, considering similar falls in DDR2 prices 2 years back). So you can add another module then.
HD 4670 is will need just 1k over 4650 but performance difference will be considerable. You will be able to run games at decent settings.

 

[ajai5777]

I would suggest going for 2 GB RAM (Single module) now and an HD 4670 @4k with ajai's config. RAM will become cheaper within a year & you would be able to get a 2 GB one for 1.5k 1 year from now (I hope, considering similar falls in DDR2 prices 2 years back). So you can add another module then.
HD 4670 is will need just 1k over 4650 but performance difference will be considerable. You will be able to run games at decent settings.

He told he's a casual gamer thats why I suggested 4650.But HD 4670 is a gaming card @4k VFM. He can play most games in quality settings.

 

[Cool Buddy]

yeah, 4650 is ok for casual gaming, but since 4670 is much better VFM, I suggested it.

 

[hurricane25]

@ajai5777
The athlon ii x4 config looks gr8, and i think 2 gb ram + HD 4670 seems a gr8 choice.

but i need more convincing as to whether athlon x4 scores over i3 in scenarios other than encoding (which I hardly use). Wouldn't superior architecture of i3 & more L3 cache overscore the athlon II x4? Could u show me some reviews which use app performance rather than synthetic tests like CPUMark??

Also, in most of the reviews, i3 seems to have the edge in gaming and real-time apps. Also, we r going to reach a barrier pretty soon in the threading vs performance gains. Thr is a limit to how much u can parallelize task execution (multi-threading) in app..

Guys,

Though, i3 proc is just 1k above athlon ii x4, y are the lga1156 mobo's so frigging expensive??

Forgot to mention, I am running a 22" sony lcd tv as my primary monitor, so need a decent card which can support games @ 1366 by 768 res. Do confirm if HD 4670 can handle it...

 

[vickybat]

The i3 530 is a fantastic proccy and can be overclocked to 4ghz in stock. Its a delight for gamers and worth the extra 1k premium over the x4 630. In some games it even beats the x4 965.

Since it supports hyperthreading,4 cores (2 physical & 2 logical would be available) would be available and will take care of multitasking and threaded apps.
Refer this link & make your decision. Still in gaming point of view the i3 wins handsdown & in encoding apps its a close call between itself & the x4 630.

Opt for h55 chipsets as these are cheaper than p55 & h57.

 

[coderunknown]

@ajai5777
The athlon ii x4 config looks gr8, and i think 2 gb ram + HD 4670 seems a gr8 choice.

but i need more convincing as to whether athlon x4 scores over i3 in scenarios other than encoding (which I hardly use). Wouldn't superior architecture of i3 & more L3 cache overscore the athlon II x4? Could u show me some reviews which use app performance rather than synthetic tests like CPUMark??

Also, in most of the reviews, i3 seems to have the edge in gaming and real-time apps. Also, we r going to reach a barrier pretty soon in the threading vs performance gains. Thr is a limit to how much u can parallelize task execution (multi-threading) in app..

i3 is basically a dual core. i3 yields real life results in favor of it only once you OC it. without OC, X4 better than i3. moreover i3 can't be OC on stock HSF. X4 can. see ajai's signature.

Guys,

Though, i3 proc is just 1k above athlon ii x4, y are the lga1156 mobo's so frigging expensive??

in 1 line cause "Apple expensive than Orange".

Forgot to mention, I am running a 22" sony lcd tv as my primary monitor, so need a decent card which can support games @ 1366 by 768 res. Do confirm if HD 4670 can handle it...

all depends on which games you play. Crysis, yes, but low setting. everything set to low.

 

[vickybat]

Guys at Anandtech have overcloced the i3 530 to 4ghz using stock HSF WITHOUT any stability issues.Check the above link i had given.

 

[Cool Buddy]

It's better not to over clock that much on stock HSF. OC for testing purpose is different, in normal conditions it will be running for hours at those speeds. so stick to a moderate 10-15% OC. it also depends on the motherboard. Otherwise get a better CPU cooler (fan) also get a cabinet with atleast one inflow & one outflow fan & a very good PSU if you plan to OC.
One thing more, if people at anandtech blow up the CPU, it won't be a big problem for them, but at home...

 

[vickybat]

Ya its not advisable to oc that much using stock hsf but its a proof that the i3 can be o'ced as much as x4 630 maybe beyond and give better results.

 

[rkneo11]

i3 uses less power but Athlon is lighter on the pocket...
Considering you'll be changing it in 2 years go for the Athlon...

 

[rajan1311]

the i3 performs far better in single threaded apps, Athlon X4 is better when its a multi threaded app. The AMD IGP is generally better, so thats another pro.

i3 530 can be easily OCed to 3.6GHz on stock HSF with a small voltage bump.

 

[hurricane25]

AMD has upgraded their athlon ii range to C3 revision silicon. Check the below article:

*www.cpu-world.com/news_2010/2010040201_Athlon_II_revision_C3_pictures.html

this translates to less power consumption/heating... so more overclocking

Guys, have any of you tried the C3 version of athlon ii x4? do rate its overclocking potential...