Intel Core i3 550 v AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 640 3.00GHz

[koolpc]

Intel Core i3 550 v AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 640 3.00GHz

For a mini ITX system, using onboard GPU, 4gig ram. No gaming. No overclocking. Which would you go for and why? Thanks

 

[d_brennen]

Would be tempted to go i3 or Athlon II x2 and save some cash if you're only doing light surfing/office/media consumption tbh

 

[DragonQ]

I'd be tempted to get a Phenom II X2 555 instead and see if you can unlock one or two extra cores. It's £10 cheaper with a faster clock and of course more cache so even if you can't unlock any more cores, it's still perfectly fine for the usage you described. I dunno if unlocking is possible with lower-end motherboards though.

 

[franco_22]

I'd be tempted to get a Phenom II X2 555 instead and see if you can unlock one or two extra cores. It's £10 cheaper with a faster clock and of course more cache so even if you can't unlock any more cores, it's still perfectly fine for the usage you described. I dunno if unlocking is possible with lower-end motherboards though.

It is , in fact, unlocking is easier on the 700 chipsets then the 800s.

 

[koolpc]

Which of the ones listed guys

 

[koolpc]

Would the i3 be a better CPU?

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The 73W Core i3 550 has a lower TDP than the 95W Athlon II X4 630 which means it is better suited for SFF system. The TDP for a Core i3 also includes the IGP IIRC. Also,the AMD mini-ITX motheboards are more expensive too.

However,the 45W TDP Athlon II X4 605e and 610e processors have a 45W TDP and cost around the same as a Core i3 550. There are also the 45W Athlon II X3 415e and 420e processors which are cheaper than a Core i3 550.