Download the Tom's Hardware App from the App Store
The reference for current tech news
Yes No
Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > CPUs > [Solved] Old question- fx 4100 vs i3 2120

[Solved] Old question- fx 4100 vs i3 2120

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs [Solved] Old question- fx 4100 vs i3 2120

Related Content
You have searched for " [Solved] Old question- fx 4100 vs i3 2120" . You might be interested in the following threads:

See more for " [Solved] Old question- fx 4100 vs i3 2120"

Can't find your answer?
Ask!

Best answer from esrever.

CPUs

|

Power Supplies, Cases & Mods

|

Sound Cards

|

Servers

|

NICs

|

Other Components

|

Akasa

|

Antec

|

Cooler Master

|

Cougar

|

DeepCool

|

Enermax

Word :    Username :           
 
twinkletoad   02-06-2012 at 05:59:31 PM

I've seen this question asked many times, but I would like to add some details.
I'm building a new budget rig, and i've narrowed it down to two different types of builds in my price range.
Case, PSU, memory and mobo will all be similar, the main differences would be in the cpu, gpu, and storage. I've considered adequate cooling for 4100, and both mobos are well-reviewed lower-end.

Build 1 has i3 2120 (z68), ATI 6870 gpu, and a 64gig ssd with 500gig hdd utilizing smart response. I'm thinking that when ivy bridge comes out, the prices on current i5's will drop and I can upgrade if I want.

Build 2 has FX 4100, ATI 6850 gpu, and a stand-alone 180gig ssd. I've barely used 100 gigs on my current 4 yr old hdd, so I think 180 gigs will be plenty.

Is the 4100 as bad as everyone says? Will lack of cores be a problem with the i3? How much better is the 6870 than the 6850? Smart Response looks cool- is it? Will performance of stand-alone ssd be that much better than Smart Response?
This build will be for general-purpose, moderate gaming use. The "family computer". I need reliability and best-bang-for-buck.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to twinkletoad
Register or log in to remove.
o1die   02-06-2012 at 06:28:55 PM

Prices on new Intel cpus don't drop much; in some cases, they actually rise as the supply dries up. I would suggest you check anandtech or one of the other hardware for sale forums for a used cpu or system when you decide to purchase. I use craigslist. You may also check newegg.com for daily shellshocker package deals to build your own system. Some include everything (for the box) but the operating system.

Reply to o1die
sarinaide   02-06-2012 at 06:53:43 PM

Benchmarks can tell you a lot, but how that reflects in the real world is probably not as apparent. While Intel architecture may be regarded as better and efficient, I really can't see a tremendous fall off in performance. I would say it is a myopic point of view towards AMD FX chips.

Reply to sarinaide
aqe040466   02-06-2012 at 07:03:55 PM

twinkletoad wrote :

I've seen this question asked many times, but I would like to add some details.
I'm building a new budget rig, and i've narrowed it down to two different types of builds in my price range.
Case, PSU, memory and mobo will all be similar, the main differences would be in the cpu, gpu, and storage. I've considered adequate cooling for 4100, and both mobos are well-reviewed lower-end.

Build 1 has i3 2120 (z68), ATI 6870 gpu, and a 64gig ssd with 500gig hdd utilizing smart response. I'm thinking that when ivy bridge comes out, the prices on current i5's will drop and I can upgrade if I want.

Build 2 has FX 4100, ATI 6850 gpu, and a stand-alone 180gig ssd. I've barely used 100 gigs on my current 4 yr old hdd, so I think 180 gigs will be plenty.

Is the 4100 as bad as everyone says? Will lack of cores be a problem with the i3? How much better is the 6870 than the 6850? Smart Response looks cool- is it? Will performance of stand-alone ssd be that much better than Smart Response?
This build will be for general-purpose, moderate gaming use. The "family computer". I need reliability and best-bang-for-buck.



Stand alone SSD is way much better than SRT as I've read a lot in this forum.

Reply to aqe040466
tajisi   02-06-2012 at 10:33:27 PM

I think the fact that the FX series failed to conclusively outperform the previous generation of AMD chips really limits their desirability. That being said, I'd build an i3 based system. Drop in a 2500k later and you're pretty much set. Toms just did a story on this, showing that in some cases the flagship FX chips were beaten by a Sandy Bridge based Pentium and i3 despite having far more "cores".

Let Bulldozer rest. This generation is Intel or bust. Before the "Fanboy" statements start, I'm writing this from my 1100T media tower. :) My gaming tower is Intel all the way, however. Four cores on the i5 easily tear past the six on the 1100T, and while they aren't side by side... it's still a large enough difference for me to notice. That's my two cents.

Reply to tajisi
esrever   02-06-2012 at 11:21:53 PM

The FX and the 6850 should be more than enough for a family computer for light gaming. Its all up to you to decide if the SSD is worth it.

------------------------------ sllaw eht no nettirw gnihtemos saw ecno ereht
 Reply to esrever
twinkletoad   02-07-2012 at 12:25:44 AM

^Are you implying that a SSD may not be worth it? Sounds like they're bee's knees.


Message edited by twinkletoad on 02-07-2012 at 12:28:52 AM
Reply to twinkletoad
esrever   02-07-2012 at 12:33:54 AM
Best answer

well all depends on what you store on your ssd, for my computer much of the HDD space is for music, videos and games and none of which would go on an SSD considering it would be really costly but the 64gb ssd should be sufficient for windows and the most essential programs and make things much faster in general use. Having 180gb is nice but if you are loading pictures or video from it, its not going to be that noticeable compared to an HDD and I don't think it justifies the cost.

Either should be good but the i3 and 6870 is going to give you about 10% better performance in games. While the SSD would make programs load faster.

------------------------------ sllaw eht no nettirw gnihtemos saw ecno ereht
 Reply to esrever
Mousemonkey   02-12-2012 at 06:49:15 PM

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey

------------------------------ http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/3995/bl11.gif
 Reply to Mousemonkey
Register or log in to remove.
See all topics related to "Old question- fx 4100 vs i3 2120"
Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > CPUs > [Solved] Old question- fx 4100 vs i3 2120
Go to:

There are 882 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Bestofmedia Forum ©
2000-2009 Bestofmedia Group
Page generated in 1.877 seconds
  • Ask the community now
  • Publish
Ad
Latest best answer
Battery Compatibility issues in Windows XP on Gateway
By hang-the-9, 61 days ago:

If this is a 3rd party battery, issues like this are pretty much to be expected. If it's...

They won a badge
Join us in greeting them
How do I win badges?
Partners