Core2Quad q9650 vs Core i3 4130

[QaviShaikh]

Hey guys I wanted to buy a new rig . The above 2 processors caught my attention . Wanted to confirm which one would perform better in moderm gaming and would last longer . Would pair it with r9 270x or any other card . Also would there be any bottleneck if I go with i3 ? also If I buy an i3 I would need a new motherboard but for core 2 quad I won't need any mobo as I already have one .

 

[Alec Mowat]

The i3 is significantly faster. The core2 is old, only runs DDR2 and won't support the faster SATA and USB speeds.

There's no option here; the i3 is the only choice.

You won't bottleneck the CPU on that videocard. Once you get a new motherboard/processor/RAM, you can always pick up a faster i5 at a later time. But the core2 is a waste, it's not a big enough improvement to justify the cost.

 

[Obnoxious]

The Core 2 Quad Q9650 is a great processor, still. The Core i3-4130 is just slightly better than it however. Both should perform great with games, where the i3 may have the upper-hand by a margin; although if the game you desire to play utilises Hyper Threading and more cores, the i3 would perform better due to HT, as the OS sees the Hyper Threads as additional cores.

To be honest, the Core 2 Quad is still viable, albeit begging to show it's age. The i3 you mentioned is slightly better than the C2Q, where i5's and i7's will run circles around the C2Q.

To note however, the C2Q requires a socket 775 motherboard (if your current motherboard is 775, and supports the C2Q, then there are no issues here), whereas the i3-4130 requires a socket 1150. If you're on socket 775, then upgrading to the C2Q would be great if you can get it cheap. Again if you're on socket 775, then for the latest generation of Intel processors, including the i3-4130, you'll need to purchase a new 1150 motherboard. Your old DDR2 RAM will not be compatible with the new motherboard either, so you'll need to purchase new RAM as well. You may also need to upgrade your drives (hard drives, disc drive etc.) from IDE to SATA, if you're not already on SATA.

If you decide to stick to your current board for longer, upgrading to the Q9650 is a great choice; however after that, if you want to upgrade further, you'll need a new motherboard or a new build all together. Whereas if you go to socket 1150, you'll be able to upgrade the i3 later to i5 or i7.

All the best.

 

[QaviShaikh]

The Core 2 Quad Q9650 is a great processor, still. The Core i3-4130 is just slightly better than it however. Both should perform great with games, where the i3 may have the upper-hand by a margin; although if the game you desire to play utilises Hyper Threading and more cores, the i3 would perform better due to HT, as the OS sees the Hyper Threads as additional cores.

To be honest, the Core 2 Quad is still viable, albeit begging to show it's age. The i3 you mentioned is slightly better than the C2Q, where i5's and i7's will run circles around the C2Q.

To note however, the C2Q requires a socket 775 motherboard (if your current motherboard is 775, and supports the C2Q, then there are no issues here), whereas the i3-4130 requires a socket 1150. If you're on socket 775, then upgrading to the C2Q would be great if you can get it cheap. Again if you're on socket 775, then for the latest generation of Intel processors, including the i3-4130, you'll need to purchase a new 1150 motherboard. Your old DDR2 RAM will not be compatible with the new motherboard either, so you'll need to purchase new RAM as well. You may also need to upgrade your drives (hard drives, disc drive etc.) from IDE to SATA, if you're not already on SATA.

If you decide to stick to your current board for longer, upgrading to the Q9650 is a great choice; however after that, if you want to upgrade further, you'll need a new motherboard or a new build all together. Whereas if you go to socket 1150, you'll be able to upgrade the i3 later to i5 or i7.

All the best.

Which one would last me longer in gaming?

 

[Obnoxious]

They're almost close to being equal in performance; the Core 2 Quad Q9650 and the i3-4130 respectively. If you go with the i3, you can upgrade to an i5 or i7 later; so in that sense it would last you longer.

If you're willing to go with an i3, you'll need a new motherboard and RAM, and perhaps other components too. If you're willing to go with i3, just build yourself a new computer all together. The C2Q is only a good upgrade if you're stuck on a tight budget, and want modern day performance. Otherwise if that's not the case, I'd easily go i3.

All the best.

 

[Alec Mowat]

The i3 is in red, and at least in those benchmarks, it's single thread is significantly faster.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/49?vs=1192

The quad (assuming your motherboard supports it, even) will be an improvement, but the new chipsets faster SATA and faster RAM and larger PCIe bandwidth will make a bigger improvement in overall system performance.