Is the I3-2120 a decent choice?

[tygasp]

Hi, I built a computer a while ago and was wondering if the i3-2120 is a good choice for a budget gaming pc? Also why is it that a i3-2100 can beat almost all AMD processors at stock speeds in most benchmarks except the multithreaded benchs? Just wondered if I did the right thing going with the i3 over the AMD. Thanks for whatever you can tell me.

 

[jsrudd]

The i3 does perform better than most similarly priced AMD processors. It is, however, slightly more expensive.

It's a fine chip for a budget gaming PC.

 

[firedice]

The answer is simple. AMD processors suck. Lulz.

In all seriousness, AMD got their asses kicked BIG TIME in this generation of CPUs... and apparently, the struggle is over, they're giving up...

 

[Guest]

i have NO regrets.

 

[InvalidError]

and apparently, the struggle is over, they're giving up...

AMD is giving up on the high-end consumer segment, which is not too much of a loss. Not many mainstream consumer are interested in $300+ CPUs when most $150 CPUs can do a fine job running most modern and foreseeable future software.

Intel is not all that different since they are prioritizing power-efficiency over raw performance as well.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

I think you will find that the Intel® Core™ i3-2120 does a great job as a budget gaming processor. Matched up with an H61, H67 or Z68 board and you will have a nice little system.

 

[InvalidError]

I think you will find that the Intel® Core™ i3-2120 does a great job as a budget gaming processor. Matched up with an H61, H67 or Z68 board and you will have a nice little system.

Or h77/b75 for native 6G SATA and USB3, which are about the same price as *6x boards with those add-on ICs but slightly more power-efficient.

 

[kulmnar]

Intel sandy bridge chips (i3/i5/i7) outperform AMD phenom II chips due to better architecture and more instructions per clock cycle. This is why a core i3 2120 (dual core) at 3.3ghz outperforms an AMD Phenom II 965 (quad core) at 3.4ghz. The only upside of AMD Phenom II chips is that they can be overclocked whereas the core i3 lineup of CPUs cannot. If overclocked enough (4.0 ghz or higher), a Phenom II quad core will outperform a core i3.

Another upside of AMD Phenom II chips is that they are better than bulldozer (lol, sorry, couldn't resist ). No I'm not a fanboy.

 

[kulmnar]

To answer the question of the OP, yes a core i3 2120 is an excellent budget gaming CPU. You can pair it with a Radeon 6870 video card for some considerable gaming power.