Upgrading from Core2Duo E8400, but still happy with its performance

Bane · 12 Jan 2014 at 18:53

I'm still happy with the performance of my system running at stock speed, but would like to downsize while having something new to play around with.

The only speed issue I've noticed is loading maps in Battlefield 3 (which I don't play), and loading Civilization V late game saves.

As I've no intention to overclock I've been tempted by a cheap Asus H81I-Plus I've seen. Admittadely I'd like a Z87 with supplied wireless, but for the price increase and my needs it would be waste. Will re-use existing Radeon 6850, SSD, CPU cooler (EnzoTech Ultra-X without fan), etc.

As the E8400 is still going strong I'm considering a Haswell Core i3, or to get an i5-4570S for potential future developments if 4 core utilisation becomes more common.

Only reason I'm considering the i5-4570S is most of my time is at desktop just browsing so the lower 65W TDP is preferable. And hopefully Turbo Mode is sustainable when occasionally game.

I'm not considering AMD due to poorer selection of motherboards.

So any opinions on the i5-4570S being worth the extra cost considering low expectations?

Idleman · 12 Jan 2014 at 18:59

You`ll probably get better value for your money in the MM.

Randomface74 · 12 Jan 2014 at 19:03

4 core usage is here now.
6/8 is growing

Grimley · 12 Jan 2014 at 19:03

Have you considered overclocking your E8400 instead? They're quite capable of 4GHZ with a decent air cooler.

Bane · 12 Jan 2014 at 20:17

Still would like to downsize and move up to PCI Express 2.0, native USB 3.0. So that rules out sourcing old Socket 775 mini-ITX board.

I'm after efficiency more than raw performance so I can run new processor passively without playing with settings. As most of my time is spent on desktop use with occasional gaming.

The i5-4570S has same 65W TDP as Core2Duo E8400. So providing it matches my existing temperatures (32ºC at desktop and up to 49ºC gaming) I'll be happy. But I suspect the E8400 used solder under IHS compared to questionable paste Haswell uses, so the i5 might run a lot hotter?

The i5 is ranging between £30 to £66 more expensive than i3 range starting at 3.4GHz i3-4130

Just not convinced I'd notice the benefit of two extra cores. With exception to two examples listed in first post.

Idleman · 12 Jan 2014 at 21:04

I use an i5 2500k which only uses about 6W when on the desktop at about 26c.
So, a cheap 2500k, P67/Z68/Z77 mobo and 8GB ddr3 ram via the MM would be a decent upgrade. Then sell your existing kit and upgrade your Gpu.