The title is marginally misleading, because I think Ive decided on the i3 already. Im not opposed to getting a Phenom, but building around an i3 seems to make a more future-proof system for cheaper(I get into it below).

I actually already posted this on the GW2G forums, but it pertains as much to Skyrim as it does anything else lol. Ill probably be playing Skyrim for longer than I have any of the parts I want to get(Ill probably still be playing Morrowind too now that I think about it). Skyrim, with mods, is not just the game that makes my PC work the most but its also where low FPS(under 30) and frame drops bother me the most.

Let me get what Ive currently got out of the way:

I was looking at a CPU upgrade because the E6550 seems to be bottlenecking my system(I think) with newer games like Skyrim(changing video settings/res make little difference in performance), Witcher 2, and the GW2 beta - even though Im aware the beta was a little screwy when it came to using the CPU. But I cant find anything like a Core Duo Quad for under 200 bucks(hey Im kinda cheap)!

So I did some checking and found I can do a mobo+CPU+RAM upgrade for 250-300, which sounds like a much more appealing deal when I would need to upgrade all of that in a couple more years anyway.

This is what Ive kinda picked out, Ill give my reasons because Im not really a PC enthusiast so I need someone to poke holes in my logic:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130648

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226219

Note the Canadian version of the site, the .com lists(annoyingly) similar boards for about 20 bucks cheaper, ugh. Pointing it out since it restricts where I can get stuff. Checking around various sites like DirectCanada, NCIX, TigerDirect, and some others... Newegg.ca still has the best overall pricing(more pricey for CPUs, but better deals on RAM and motherboards), and athough DirectCanada will give me free shipping(~$13 on Newegg) Ive never purchased from there before.

TL;DR/Dont care, just read below here

Will an i3 be much of an upgrade over my Core Duo? I know its "locked", but Im not planning to OC anyway(dont have the cooling for it). I know its "better" because its newer, lol, but I just dont really see what the big difference is. What makes an i3 at 3.1ghz better than my E6550 at 3ghz? I mean I know it will perform better, I just dont know the why of it.

Im not going i5 because its twice the price, and I dont do anything that justifies 4 cores yet. In a few years Id like to be able to jump up to say an i7 or whatever makes sense at the time, but I dont need it right now or in the near future. Its probably something Id need when the new gen of consoles is out and games like Skyrim might actually use 4 cores.

Is it worth getting an H77/Z77 mobo over say a B75, which is about 30 bucks cheaper? And whats the difference between the H77 and the Z77? I primarily want to setup a good upgrade path for about... 5 years from now. From what I can tell, something about the 77 models has to do with SSDs.

I wanted a board with PCIE 3.0 "capability", even though I know my 6870 wont take advantage of it I just want to future proof a bit. This is one of the main reasons I opted for an i3 over something like a Phenom x4, because I cant seem to find any AMD boards that have PCIE 3.0 for a reasonable price compared to Intel ones. Thus AMD loses its price advantage with me. Whats the deal with that anyway? I know it has something to do with the CPU.

Are there any glaring issues with the 3 parts I listed? Or are there any deals coming up, or new things coming out that would drop prices etc. ?


Thanks in advance for any help/answers, sorry for the long post.

Here's the thread for this: http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1368710-the-community-tech-thread-no-114/

Bang for buck, the only thing better than a Phenom x4 is an i5.

Umm, not true. There are quite a few processors from both manufacturers that are superior in performance to the older Phenom II series. Here's a link to PassMark Software's CPU Benchmark page listing both Intel as well as AMD processors.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html



** As a side note, I currently use an FX-6200 clocked at 4.31GHz which at stock speeds clocks a 6,484 benchmark, which is quite a bit higher than any Phenom II, including the X6 1100T. At my current clock speed it scores a 7,985, which put's it smack in the middle of the "stock" Intel i5's and lower-end i7's.

Didn't say only an i5 beats a Phenom II mate, was referring to bang for buck.

My CPU cost about ￡112. Gets me max every game super smooth frames and a fantastic fast PC. How much is an i5 compared to that? Or a bulldozer? Double? Would you get double the speeds with it?

Also take into account money saved using an AM3 MB, rather than intel.

In hindsight I'd have liked to have gone 2500k, but for the extra couple of hundred quid for a few fps it wasn't worth it really. Used the cash towards a getting a better/good tower/cooling, strong PSU, and mean GPU.

Get a Core i3 2120. Hardly dearer than a 2100 and you have 200mhz speed extra.

Question for OP, why would you choose dual core over quad core these days?

The myth of no games use a quad core is just that, a myth.

Agreed. Would definitly try for an i5(or AMD equivalent) if you're budget can allow it, this is a solid cpu line for gaming these days.

Also an i3 definitly wont last you 5 years. Well maybe it would but towards the last 2 or 3 years youd be really struggling to play the latest games. I also dont think the 6870 would last 5 years either. If i was you id be looking at that 8gb DDR3(must have DDR3) RAM + i5/amd equivalent + new mobo upgrade, even if you have to push your budget, because this is really the only way you're going to get any lasting value out of your system. A new graphics card wouldnt hurt either. Either way it seems like you're extremely limited by the budget, and i think this will cost you later on down the track.

Hope i could be of some help,
big

Touche... The "bang for the buck" is very true. My bad....

Yea man

Im back after doing some more research >.<



Basically its the motherboard Im building the upgrade around, and Intel boards(z77 or a gen3 z68) have all the stuff I want like better power management and PCIE3 - which I know right now isnt a big deal but in another 1-3 years Ill probably pick up a Nvidia 670 or 680(or newer gen). The reason for going i3 instead of an i5 right now is my budget, Im looking at either a $300 bill with an i3, or $400+ for an i5 system where the only real difference wont matter for another 1-3 years when next gen consoles are out. I dont think I even have games that support 4+ cores to the point of being 100 dollars better than a dual core lol

Which, btw, Im probably not going for the board in my OP. Its looking more like a Biostar TZ77B, I just cant find any reviews for it.

I COULD build an AMD system instead, with a Phenom x4 960T that might possibly unlock to 6 cores, but theres no motherboards with PCIE3 support for AMD that I can find for under $200(it would need to be an AM3+ board too). Im still kind of looking into the whole "PCIE3 support" thing, because just about everything I read is about Intel boards and CPUs. Like how you can flash gen3 z68 boards to use Ivy Bridge/PCIE3(or apparently they already would support PCIE3, and the flash is for SLI), but I cant find anything like that about AMD. So if I was going for current tech I would probably go with a good Phenom, but Im thinking ahead a few years.

So yeah, still looking into it(reason for the post and why I appreciate all the advice). I may end up holding out for another month or so though, perhaps I may yet go right for an i5-2500k(or even a 3570K depending on the prices at that time). But cost is an issue either way.



BTW this site is loads of fun to play around in, and then cry over how much your dream PC would cost lol. http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/parts/partlist/

Honestly dude you're worrying about something which is basically USB 2.0 vs 3.0, or SATAII vs SATAIII.

Building a system to use PCIE-3, but only a dual core, is like taking 4 years back. You won't be able to fully benefit from quicker graphics cards if you CPU cant keep up. It's the brain of the whole machine.

IMO, you need to go quad core, with speeds at least 3.5ghz, so even stay in the game, otherwise you may as well forget about using a high end gpu to its full potential.

If he gets an 2120 running at 3300mhz, he can run many great cards. Not every game uses 4 cores really. My 2500k is half sleeping when playing Skyrim.

Ok say he goes 2120, then gets a GTX 670/680... will he be getting max settings top frames in BF3, Shogun 2 etc, actual PC games that demand cores+speed and a gpu with a punch like Tyson?

I doubt it. 2 cores+3.3ghz is fine for ports. Today. Next years, with Xbox "720", different story.

Im actually leaning more towards a http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/8KU5 for overclocking now, it would cost me about the same as an http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/8KKD but I can later spend 30-40 for a decent cooler and overclock the 960T and possibly end up with 6 cores if I find I need more punch. I know its still no overclocked i5, but its a hell of a lot cheaper lol. I also miss out on all the future-proofing I wanted, but Ill just need to bite the bullet in another 3-4 years and probably get an entirely new PC.

The 960T build would cost me about the same because Newegg doesnt sell them anymore, and the site I would get them from has free shipping($15 shipping from Newegg). But Newegg has cheaper Intel stuff and a combo deal with that Foxconn mobo, so thats why I would shop from there for the i3/i5

In related funny yet extremely depressing news, I saw this on http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/intel-intel-core-i5-processor-2500k-i5-2500k/10169961.aspx?path=7d442745f0d71a3acfce22163e42e6deen02 earlier. i5-2500k miss-sold at 20 bucks and theyre all gone :,( , that would have decided it for me haha.

Obviously I can't tell you what to do mate just what I did, and what I found through research when I built my rig.

You have to get atleast 4 cores man, not just for gaming either. A game may not use 4 cores, and like someone said Skyrim makes his i5 look like its asleep (I wouldnt want a game using almost all of my CPU though, what would be left for my OS?). But you have to realise this:

Your OS will use 4 cores. It will. The more you have, the better your OS can manage multiple tasks (and games that use multiple cores and threads).

Speed is also important. It's no use having say an i5 but only clocked at 2.4ghz a la Laptop style. I'd suggest you get a stock speed of atleast 3.5ghz.

You have to build with the next few years in mind, which you are in a way because you initially wanted to go PCI-E 3. But a good CPU is much more valuable to you than that.

6 cores is fine, you'll need it in a couple of years especially when new consoles are released. I heard 720 may have 16 cores or something lol.