Core2Duo vs i3

[choosingapc]

Hi all,

I'm planning to buy a desktop PC, and budget is quite an issue for me. If I'll use the PC for basic things (word, multiple windows of adobe reader, internet, casual games, etc) will the differences between i3(530, 2.93 GHz) processor and Core2Duo (E7500, 2.93 GHz) be noticeable? Price difference is more than AU$100 but I'm expecting whichever PC I buy to last for more than 4 years. Thanks for your help.

 

[obsidian86]

rather get an amd 620

 

[daship]

I wouldnt buy anything socket 775. I have an i3, they OC to 4.0 easier then any cpu I have ever had. Im running 4.2. In benchmarks it out performs any stock quad core except i7 class. It is twice as fast as my e7500 @ 3.6. I just bought another one, Id be willing to give you a nice deal on it. I3 540 and a Gigabyte motherboard $200 even for the pair. New in box.

 

[apache_lives]

agreed avoid 775 its dead

go with AM3 or 1366/1156

 

[abhishekk89]

people have said it already and are saying it again and again... when you are putting up a system now don't go for the 775 socket... there are no future processors for it... get an amd processor or the core i3... my personal preference being the i3... they oc crazy on stock cooler... perform much better than all core 2 duo's..

 

[loneninja]

I3 is all around better than any C2D.
It has higher IPC.
Overclocks easily past 4.0Ghz.
Has hyper threading allowing it to perform much better in threaded tasks.
It's 32nm and runs cooler.
It's on a newer socket so if you ever decide to get a better processor you can.

 

[Shadow703793]

agreed avoid 775 its dead

go with AM3 or 1366/1156

Agreed.

 

[choosingapc]

I wouldnt buy anything socket 775. I have an i3, they OC to 4.0 easier then any cpu I have ever had. Im running 4.2. In benchmarks it out performs any stock quad core except i7 class. It is twice as fast as my e7500 @ 3.6. I just bought another one, Id be willing to give you a nice deal on it. I3 540 and a Gigabyte motherboard $200 even for the pair. New in box.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm not exactly technology proficient enough to build my own system so I was just choosing from packaged desktops like Dell Inspiron series.

And yeah, i'm planning to keep it for >4 years and i accept that windows computers always slow down after a few years so i figured i should have a decent processor to start with
So i3 it is! looks like a good value for something that can overclock up to 4.0GHz.

 

[anonymousdude]

I'm not totally sure that you will be able to overclock if it is a prebuilt. If that is the case I think the am3 route will suit you more as it seems that you will be multitasking a bit. The hyperthreading makes the i3 have 4 threads (2 physical and 2 logical), but it will not be as good as a processor with 4 physical cores. Also building your own pc is very easy and is also quite fun. The main question is how much are the two pc's that you are comparing right now cost? Under $500-600 then I'd recommend that you go with a prebuilt. Over then you may want to consider to consider building your own

 

[EXT64]

Well, Dells won't OC. Or at least most won't.

 

[Shadow703793]

^ Yup. IIRC, the main stream Dell's won't OC. However, the high end XPS line allows for OC.

 

[choosingapc]

Best answer selected by choosingapc.