Athlon X4 VS i3 sandybridge

[FatFishMonster]

i currently have a athlon x4 in my main system, and we have a computer in the house that needs a mobo and cpu. i was looking at the i3 sandybridge but then i though hang on if its better than the athlon ill just keep it and then purchase a 2500k when i can afford it.

so would i see any benefit in my system if i swaped out for a sandybridge i3 ?

 

[SeraphX]

Sandybridge i5 > SB i3 > Phenom II X4 > Athlon X4

pretty much anything recent say the last 2 years will stomp an Athlon X4, at everything

 

[the1gooner]

Sandybridge i5 > SB i3 > Phenom II X4 > Athlon X4

pretty much anything recent say the last 2 years will stomp an Athlon X4, at everything

If you get a Phenom II X4 and overclock it then it will probably perform better in most things over a SB i3 that can't be overclocked.

But for a quieter more power efficient system I would have an i3 and upgrade later to an i5 or i7.

 

[jbloggs]

You might want to have a look at This article...

 

["andy"]

i had the same dilemma , went i3 knowing that i can upgrade to i5/i7 easily whenever i feel the need for more oomph

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

i currently have a athlon x4 in my main system, and we have a computer in the house that needs a mobo and cpu. i was looking at the i3 sandybridge but then i though hang on if its better than the athlon ill just keep it and then purchase a 2500k when i can afford it.

so would i see any benefit in my system if i swaped out for a sandybridge i3 ?

What is the second PC being used for??

Does it really need a Core i3 or will something like a cheap Celeron G530(£35 to £40) or a Llano A4(£50 to £55) be enough,ie,is it for web browsing and other general stuff??

I noticed you already have a decent 970 based AM3+ motherboard. TBH,I would try and see if I can overclock the Athlon II X4 a bit further and only replace it when it fails to do the job. You could probably pick up a cheap Phenom II X4 or X6 secondhand in the next six months and that will be overclock fine on the motherboard you have.

Ivy Bridge is out next year and Haswell in 2013. Haswell could be quite interesting.

Another thing,I noticed the PSU in your signature. It seems to be based on an old HEC design.

SB i3 > Phenom II X4 > Athlon X4

pretty much anything recent say the last 2 years will stomp an Athlon X4, at everything

For gaming maybe but not everything. My Core i3 2100 is still clock for clock slower at HandBrake and Blender than my Q6600 which is annoying and it is even slower than a Athlon II X4 in HandBrake too.

 

[Deception]

i currently have a athlon x4 in my main system, and we have a computer in the house that needs a mobo and cpu. i was looking at the i3 sandybridge but then i though hang on if its better than the athlon ill just keep it and then purchase a 2500k when i can afford it.

so would i see any benefit in my system if i swaped out for a sandybridge i3 ?

Here is a comparison between i3 2100 and the Athlon 645 x4 (couldn't get 640, so got next model up). As you can see, even the i3 is better a stock in most tests, so would be worth saving your cash and getting the i5 2500k

 

[Marine-RX179]

If you get a Phenom II X4 and overclock it then it will probably perform better in most things over a SB i3 that can't be overclocked..

Actually it's slower on "most things" and most application don't use all 4 cores, and in games, it is again slower than the i3 2100 if the game use less than 4 cores; even in games that use 4 cores or more such as the BFBC2, the Phenom II X4 need to be clocked to 3.7GHz in order to match the speed of i3 2100. Just comparing i3 2100 and Phenom II X4 980 (3.7GHz) in the following:
http://techreport.com/articles.x/20873/2

 

[SeraphX]

given that the op hasn't stated what the machine is used for 99% of the time, it's hard to give a mildly correct answer :?

 

[FatFishMonster]

the second machine is mainly for internet.
think i may just leave the second machine and save for a 2500k and mobo and then put the athlon in that when i have a i5 instead of settling for i3 to then upgrade later

 

[SeraphX]

just for browsing, leave the athlon in there then, not really worth upgrading to anything more just for that

 

[FatFishMonster]

does some more logical now haha means i save 90 quid overall as the i3 wont be needed. just the 2500k and a mobo