i3 vs FX vs Pentium

[dizmo]

Yes, it's another one of those threads.

 

Anyway, I'm currently looking to build a budget system. This thread will likely be filled with loads of hate with what I'm about to say, so please try and keep it at least partially mature boys.

 

I'm looking at the following CPU's:

 

Intel G3258

 

Pros

Price

Strong single core performance

 

Cons
Requires expensive cooler

Only 2 cores

 

AMD FX 8120

 

Pros

Price (cheapest)

Essentially free motherboard

 

Cons

Power hungry

Possibly need an expensive cooler

Old architecture

Weak single core performance

 

Intel i3 3220

 

Pros

Medium hitter performance wise

4 threads

Cooler included

 

Cons

Harder to find motherboards

Only 3.2ghz, locked

 

 

I'm currently leaning more towards the FX 8120, simply because of cost savings. It comes in at half the cost of the other choices.

 

These will be used. So don't think about retail pricing.

The G3258 is obviously cheapest, basically on par with the FX 8120 for CPU cost.

The i3 3220 is 50% more expensive than the other two options, however doesn't require a cooler.

Motherboard cost is pretty much the same, except for the AMD which would be free.

 

Uses for this computer will be basic computing across 2 monitors (think 90 tab browser sessions, spread sheet and Word work) and some light gaming.

 

I like to game at high or ultra, when possible, however it'll only be a 60hz panel so nothing too crazy.

I gather I'll end up with an R9 280x for a graphics card.

By light gaming, I mean stuff like SC2, This War of Mine, and possibly some other PC only titles. Few and far between. Why?
I'll be buying an Xbox One to game on instead. Yup. I said it.

 

I will not be upgrading this computer as money comes in. Period.

If I game enough I'll upgrade to an i7/Pascal rig when it's released, but honestly I think the Xbox will more than fulfill my gaming needs.

 

Hoping someone here will have a little more experience with these CPU's and how they'll perform. I've looked at benchmarks, but most of them are for low res monitors, and on top of that, vary wildly with the results they got. Not really that helpful.

 

 

 

[Comessy]

Why do you say that Pentium requires expensive cooler? It can do 4.7Ghz on stock cooler at around 60c

[79wjd]

The g3258 can overclock on the stock cooler (just fyi). 

 

For your use I'd go with the Fx8, since it gives you room to multitask and you're not planning on doing anything super demanding. 

[Sam Z Man]

I would say get a 860K

[Clyne]

By those uses, a FX would be the better idea. Although Zambezi CPUs are shitter than Vishera so keep that in mind.

Your not gonna game much with that PC so FX might be fine.

BTW: What board do you have for the 8120 anyway? Not all AM3+ boards will work fine with a 8 core FX CPU anyway because of power phase and VRMs......

[fwdkiller]

i would say play on xbox one its so much better and cheaper and don't have to deal with all that mess just sayin.

[Aniallation]

 It can do 4.7Ghz on stock cooler at around 60c

Lottery dependent. 

[79wjd]

i would say play on xbox one its so much better and cheaper and don't have to deal with all that mess just sayin.

It's not really cheaper when you consider that games are far more expensive. You can easily build a comparable system for about the same amount of money.

[fwdkiller]

It's not really cheaper when you consider that games are far more expensive. You can easily build a comparable system for about the same amount of money.

ok tell that to my $8k of my steam library thats how much it's woth and my pc build which i built a little over 3 grand, xbox i only spent 500 with a kinect and 30 games under 1200$ and 30$ bucks a year for live and ea access.

[79wjd]

ok tell that to my $8k of my steam library thats how much it's woth and my pc build which i built a little over 3 grand, xbox i only spent 500 with a kinect and 30 games under 1200$ and 30$ bucks a year for live and ea access.

>self control 

 

Obviously if you're going to go balls-to-the-wall on a system and buy every game in sight, then it won't be cheaper -- but buying a comparable system and the exact same games on each will result in a PC being cheaper in the long run. 

[ApolloX75]

I can speak from experience those Ivy bridge i3s are pretty wicked. Just upgraded the wife's system from a Phenom II 955 to an i3 3240 on a crap H61 board and its ridiculously more responsive.

[d1screet]

Pentium has been proven to overclock quite well on a stock cooler.

[i_build_nanosuits]

Being brutaly honest here: all those CPU's sucks...an FX-6300 would be better...or an haswell core i3-4160 for example...i understand the budget is tight, but the bulldozer one is complete garbage, the pentium is only dual thread which is not cutting it anymore for games etc, and the core i3 is a bit on the slow side it being a generation old and low clockspeed (i voted for the i3 still since it's the best one, but honestly i would suggest saving some more for a better chip).

'' Uses for this computer will be basic computing across 2 monitors (think 90 tab browser sessions, spread sheet and Word work) and some light gaming.'' ---- The core i3-3220 is the best chip to accomplish those tasks IMHO...but by the time you find a board for this chip you'll end up spending as much as this kit here, which is my final recommendation for you:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($108.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Directron)
Total: $153.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-09 23:06 EDT-0400

[Sam Z Man]

>self control 

 

Obviously if you're going to go balls-to-the-wall on a system and buy every game in sight, then it won't be cheaper -- but buying a comparable system and the exact same games on each will result in a PC being cheaper in the long run. 

 

[dizmo]

Why do you say that Pentium requires expensive cooler? It can do 4.7Ghz on stock cooler at around 60c

Yeah, but at what volume? I don't want something screaming beside me like a banshee...

 

The g3258 can overclock on the stock cooler (just fyi). 

 

For your use I'd go with the Fx8, since it gives you room to multitask and you're not planning on doing anything super demanding. 

That's what I was thinking.

I'm afraid of the sound with a G3258 on a stock cooler.

 

I would say get a 860K

Not one of the options.

 

By those uses, a FX would be the better idea. Although Zambezi CPUs are shitter than Vishera so keep that in mind.

Your not gonna game much with that PC so FX might be fine.

BTW: What board do you have for the 8120 anyway? Not all AM3+ boards will work fine with a 8 core FX CPU anyway because of power phase and VRMs......

Yeah, I know. I'm not looking for a super computer, so I'm not tooo worried about it. Right now I'm working with a 3317u and it does most of what I need...

It'd be an MSI 990FX motherboard.

 

i would say play on xbox one its so much better and cheaper and don't have to deal with all that mess just sayin.

Yeah, I'll still need the computer though. So I'd like it to be able to do a little more than just documents.

 

It's not really cheaper when you consider that games are far more expensive. You can easily build a comparable system for about the same amount of money.

They're not that bad. Plus, personally I'd only be getting maybe 4 or 5 games anyway.

I highly doubt you'd be able to build a comparable system with what I'd be paying...

[Clyne]

Yeah, I know. I'm not looking for a super computer, so I'm not tooo worried about it. Right now I'm working with a 3317u and it does most of what I need...

It'd be an MSI 990FX motherboard

Just be careful with that board, i haven't heard so many things about the 990FX MSI boards but the 970 boards are total shit.

Put seeing how the board has VRM cooling it should be fine.

[79wjd]

They're not that bad. Plus, personally I'd only be getting maybe 4 or 5 games anyway.

I highly doubt you'd be able to build a comparable system with what I'd be paying...

Im not trying to talk you out of it, just explaining to @fwdkiller that as a general rule a comparable pc will be cheaper in the long run for most people.

[dizmo]

Being brutaly honest here: all those CPU's sucks...an FX-6300 would be better...or an haswell core i3-4160 for example...i understand the budget is tight, but the bulldozer one is complete garbage, the pentium is only dual thread which is not cutting it anymore for games etc, and the core i3 is a bit on the slow side it being a generation old and low clockspeed (i voted for the i3 still since it's the best one, but honestly i would suggest saving some more for a better chip).

'' Uses for this computer will be basic computing across 2 monitors (think 90 tab browser sessions, spread sheet and Word work) and some light gaming.'' ---- The core i3-3220 is the best chip to accomplish those tasks IMHO...but by the time you find a board for this chip you'll end up spending as much as this kit here, which is my final recommendation for you:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($108.95 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Directron)

Total: $153.94

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-09 23:06 EDT-0400

Yeah, they're not the best, but then at the price I'm getting them for, I'm not really expecting them to be.

After tax the combo you listed comes in at ~$175. If I went with the FX, I'd be all in for about $60 motherboard and CPU included.

 

For general tasks I can't really see the i3 being that bad? I'm using a CPU clocked at 1.7ghz (2.6ghz boost) right now.

I've found boards for $50 for the i3.

[ApolloX75]

Yeah, they're not the best, but then at the price I'm getting them for, I'm not really expecting them to be.

After tax the combo you listed comes in at ~$175. If I went with the FX, I'd be all in for about $60 motherboard and CPU included.

For general tasks I can't really see the i3 being that bad? I'm using a CPU clocked at 1.7ghz (2.6ghz boost) right now.

I've found boards for $50 for the i3.

You can get H61 boards that come pre-updated with the latest BIOS on eBay for $20. That's what I did, works great. The i3s, especially Ivy Bridge, are way tougher than you'd expect. I am certainly impressed by it.

[dizmo]

You can get H61 boards that come pre-updated with the latest BIOS on eBay for $20. That's what I did, works great. The i3s, especially Ivy Bridge, are way tougher than you'd expect. I am certainly impressed by it.

Do H61 boards have SATA 3 ports though?

I seem to remember they don't. Or perhaps that was just the lower end AM3 boards that were lacking them.

I'd need USB 3.0 as well, as I run all of my system storage externally.

[ApolloX75]

Do H61 boards have SATA 3 ports though?

I seem to remember they don't. Or perhaps that was just the lower end AM3 boards that were lacking them.

I'd need USB 3.0 as well, as I run all of my system storage externally.

You'll need B75 then for USB 3. That's the only thing most H61s lack. You're looking at about $40-$50 average at that point.

[Hieb]

Intel G3258

 

Pros

Price

Strong single core performance

 

Cons

Requires expensive cooler

Only 2 cores

 

AMD FX 8120

 

Pros

Price (cheapest)

Essentially free motherboard

 

Cons

Power hungry

Possibly need an expensive cooler

Old architecture

Weak single core performance

 

Intel i3 3220

 

Pros

Medium hitter performance wise

4 threads

Cooler included

 

Cons

Harder to find motherboards

Only 3.2ghz, locked

 

G3258 does not require expensive cooler. You can overclock it beyond 4GHz on the stock cooler since the power draw on an Intel dual core is so low.

 

 

So here's my take on this. The i3-3220 is probably the best out of the three of them, but it's a tough call. Here's the issue with all the platforms, IMO.

 

G3258:

- 2 threads is just not enough for modern games and you'll run into a lot of stuttering and possibly the complete inability to play in many games from 2013 and later.

 

FX-8120:

- extremely weak single-threaded performance

- will require decent cooling if you want to overclock it at all

- no real upgrade path (FX-8350 is minor upgrade)

 

i3-3220:

- dead platform, no real upgrade path except to a used Ivy Bridge i5/i7

 

The G3258 gives you the best upgrade path, so if you think you'd be able to afford an i3-4xxx, i5-4xxx or i7-4xxx in the not-so-distant future, then the G3258 is probably the best way to go. Otherwise it's a tough call between the FX-8120 and i3-3220. In some games the 8120 would be better while in others the 3220 would be better. The 3220 is probably better on average than the FX-8120 in games... both of them have a pretty outdated upgrade path.

 

Is an i3-4130/4150/4160 not an option for you?

[IateMApoo]

Ivy i3s were not that great, neither was FX 8120, but it has great OC potential and in multi tasking workload it will murder the i3 and Pentium, for gaming it will be more or little bit less same as i3 or even better depending how good is multi threading support.

[dizmo]

G3258 does not require expensive cooler. You can overclock it beyond 4GHz on the stock cooler since the power draw on an Intel dual core is so low.

 

 

So here's my take on this. The i3-3220 is probably the best out of the three of them, but it's a tough call. Here's the issue with all the platforms, IMO.

 

G3258:

- 2 threads is just not enough for modern games and you'll run into a lot of stuttering and possibly the complete inability to play in many games from 2013 and later.

 

FX-8120:

- extremely weak single-threaded performance

- will require decent cooling if you want to overclock it at all

- no real upgrade path (FX-8350 is minor upgrade)

 

i3-3220:

- dead platform, no real upgrade path except to a used Ivy Bridge i5/i7

 

The G3258 gives you the best upgrade path, so if you think you'd be able to afford an i3-4xxx, i5-4xxx or i7-4xxx in the not-so-distant future, then the G3258 is probably the best way to go. Otherwise it's a tough call between the FX-8120 and i3-3220. In some games the 8120 would be better while in others the 3220 would be better. The 3220 is probably better on average than the FX-8120 in games... both of them have a pretty outdated upgrade path.

 

Is an i3-4130/4150/4160 not an option for you?

Yeah, I figured the lack of 4 cores would be a bit of a downer. I wish they'd release an unlocked i3!

I stated in the body that I have no intention of upgrading this rig once it's built, so the upgrade paths are a non issue for me. Realistically this will reincarnate as a NUC, if anything.

 

The only Haswell based i3 chips I've seen on the used market are well over $100 which to me is both too much for a used chip, and a little excessive for a budget build.

I gather the only real improvement on a Haswell chip, in the lower end (4330, 4130 both at the same clock) would be the newer board,  and perhaps a very slight performance bump no?

It's not so much that it's not an option, but I don't think it'd be a smart buy. I don't really need much; my last build was an i7/tons of RAM/top tier Nvidia card...and I hardly make use of it.

 

 

 

 

Ivy i3s were not that great, neither was FX 8120, but it has great OC potential and in multi tasking workload it will murder the i3 and Pentium, for gaming it will be more or little bit less same as i3 or even better depending how good is multi threading support.

Yeah, ideally I'd pick up an i5, even a 2500k bests an 8120.

People ask too much for them though.

[MageTank]

Lottery dependent. 

Yeah, a safer average would be 4.5ghz. Almost all G3258's can achieve 4.5ghz, it just differs per chip on how much voltage is required to get there. I've seen great bins hit 4.5ghz on 1.225V, and terrible bins hit 4.5ghz on 1.3V flat. 

 

@OT: I use my G3258 clocked at 4.2ghz on a stock cooler in a very small ITX case, on a board that lacks VRM cooling. I use a GTX 770, and for most games, i can run most latest games on high. However, some games have a limitation due to this CPU that you should be mindful of. For example: This CPU is too slow to decode textures in GTA5 at 60fps. I have to place a frame limit of 45fps on my game to ensure textures load properly, or else i will see through floors, or run into invisible buildings. On Witcher 3, the game runs perfectly fine on 2 cores, as Witcher 3 only cares about core speeds. The higher you OC, the better it runs. I do notice some stutters in Crysis 3, when CPU usage hits 100% (More cores would have helped in this situation) but over all, it is very playable on high details.

 

That being said, the pentium is a great chip for what you pay for it. I know you said you do not intend to upgrade after purchasing it, but with broadwell and Skylake coming out, you might find used i5's (locked ones) on sale for $120-$150, and could make for a very easy upgrade. The FX CPU's are just not that great for gaming, and require a high quality board to properly OC them without sagging. Not only that, if the VRM's are too weak, you end up with a dead board. Part of the reason why AMD CPU users tend to stay away from MSI boards: http://www.cnews.cz/sites/default/files/styles/ehw-inline-galerie-preview/public/pictures/clanky/2015/04duben/amd-fx-9590-vs.-msi-970a-sli-krait-edition---burn-baby,-burn!/amd_fx-9590_vs__msi_970a_sli_krait_edition_-_burn_baby_burn_01.jpg

 

Then again, that was the 9590 on the 970a, so someone was obviously asking for trouble. Still, most of OCN will say avoid MSI boards, and aim for ASUS/Gigabyte boards.