Low risk upgrade options for old Pentium G630? i5 or i3

[druid157]

Hi forum,

looking for some help. Here are my ageing system's specs to begin with:

Pentium G630 2.7 Ghz
Cupertino2 motherboard (custom-made Foxconn for HP) https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c02978278
6 GB DDR3 1333 MHx RAM (though the Pentium only supports till 1067 MHz)
GTX 750 - 1 GB graphics card, added later
400 W reliable Seasonic PSU

Occasionally, I do light to middle weight gaming, singleplayer only and mostly fine with stable 30-40 fps. Except that some of my owned titles do not run on a 2-core CPU that does not support hyperthreading.

So, I'm looking for a light upgrade to a 2nd generation Intel CPU that can run 4 threads. Buying a new system is ruled out for now, and I intend to stick with my GTX 750 1 GB for a couple of years more.
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Now onto the question:
Which option should I choose

- A used i5 2500 and 2400, priced $75 and $65 respectively in my country's unreliable used market with suboptimal return and refund policies
- A new or used i3 2120, priced $70 or $50 respectively

i5 2500: 3.3 GHz base, 3.7 turbo
i5 2400: 3.1 GHz base, 3.4 turbo
i3 2120: 3.3 GHz

One of my concerns is, will my poor quality motherboard be able to handle the i5s?
Considering I'm powering the GTX 750 through the motherboard itself, will the motherboard be able to power both the GPU and a power hungry CPU like i5.
The motherboard also has not-so-occasional issues with residual charge buildup, which I have to clear by powering down completely, clearing CMOS using jumper setting.

I'm also seeing posts on this forum of people who upgraded to 2nd gen i5s complaining of screen going dark after upgrading, etc.

What do you suggest I should do-
is upgrading worth the cost at all? Or should I play safe and buy a new i3 2120 at $70 to 80?
Edit: Would I even see a difference in gameplay- like in Witcher 3, between the i3 and i5 paired with a humble 1GB GTX 750?

 

[why_wolf]

Yes the motherboard can power both at once.

Considering that the Sandy Bridge, 2xxx, series hasn't been manufactured for 8 years I highly doubt a "new" i3 is actually a new one. Regardless it doesn't' really matter the CPU doesn't degrade with age so being used is not a negative. The only question would really be if you are being sold a DOA unit or not, which is more a question of the reputation of the store you are buying from then anything.

I really would go for the i5 as moving to the i3 is such a minor improvement its not really worth spending the money. Especially when the i5 is going for the same price.

There are other i5 models that have the same power draw as the i3 if you really are concerned about that. The "S" models. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Bridge

As for will either make a difference at all? Umm considering the rest of your parts I'm not really expecting there to be a night and day difference. Most likely you'll just see a more consistent performance, less random hangups. I'd expect a game like Witcher is being held up more by the GPU than the CPU.

 

[dontlistentome]

I have used an i5 2400 and it's 'worth it' if you already have the system but are stuck with a dual core CPU. It's the most cost effective upgrade you can get, for both gaming and general computer use.

The HP info says it'll handle up to an i7. Depending on the games you play, plus any other needs you have, plus the cost differential between the i5 and i7, it might be worth it to get an i7.

In terms of difference, it's true the 750 will limit both average framerate and the upper limit of framerate. However, a better CPU in games like Witcher 3 means you won't see as many dips in framerate and when you do have them, the framerate won't dip as far. In short, it might not increase your average framerate but the game will run and feel smoother.

 

[druid157]

Yes the motherboard can power both at once.

Considering that the Sandy Bridge, 2xxx, series hasn't been manufactured for 8 years I highly doubt a "new" i3 is actually a new one. Regardless it doesn't' really matter the CPU doesn't degrade with age so being used is not a negative. The only question would really be if you are being sold a DOA unit or not, which is more a question of the reputation of the store you are buying from then anything.

I really would go for the i5 as moving to the i3 is such a minor improvement its not really worth spending the money. Especially when the i5 is going for the same price.

There are other i5 models that have the same power draw as the i3 if you really are concerned about that. The "S" models. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Bridge

As for will either make a difference at all? Umm considering the rest of your parts I'm not really expecting there to be a night and day difference. Most likely you'll just see a more consistent performance, less random hangups. I'd expect a game like Witcher is being held up more by the GPU than the CPU.

Thanks why_wolf, that was helpful. That the motherboard should be able to handle both is one less thing to worry about. I didn't realize it sooner, but you must be right about the 'new' i3 2120s actually being old, given the years.

I'm aware of the S variants, but they are not available for sale here. I'll have to provision for a new heatsink + fan too I guess, since the used processors are being sold without. All in all, close to the price of current gen entry level processors. The i5 2400 comes from a higher rated, higher volume seller, but I'm tempted by the i5 2500 (non-K) at $10 higher. Do you think if the CPU is not DOA, there is little else that can be wrong- or would I need to do exhaustive testing?

 

[druid157]

I have used an i5 2400 and it's 'worth it' if you already have the system but are stuck with a dual core CPU. It's the most cost effective upgrade you can get, for both gaming and general computer use.

The HP info says it'll handle up to an i7. Depending on the games you play, plus any other needs you have, plus the cost differential between the i5 and i7, it might be worth it to get an i7.

In terms of difference, it's true the 750 will limit both average framerate and the upper limit of framerate. However, a better CPU in games like Witcher 3 means you won't see as many dips in framerate and when you do have them, the framerate won't dip as far. In short, it might not increase your average framerate but the game will run and feel smoother.

Much appreciated, dontlistentome, especially since you speak from direct experience. Same gen i7s are not available here at reasonable prices, which basically reduces the choice to i5 2500 and 2400, the 2400 being $10 cheaper. I'll need to buy fan and heatsink too. Any tips you may have for buying a used i5 2400 or 2500- what to check for, ask seller?

 

[dontlistentome]

Get the 2400, the 2500 won't really perform any better in real world use. That $10 can be applied to the heatsink/fan. You don't need anything fancy, since you won't be overclocking it. Just check seller feedback. Try to buy from someone with a good record, not someone who has no record of previous sales. If buying in person, you'll have to rely more on your instincts. Don't forget to pick up some thermal paste.

 

[druid157]

Get the 2400, the 2500 won't really perform any better in real world use. That $10 can be applied to the heatsink/fan. You don't need anything fancy, since you won't be overclocking it. Just check seller feedback. Try to buy from someone with a good record, not someone who has no record of previous sales. If buying in person, you'll have to rely more on your instincts. Don't forget to pick up some thermal paste.

Thanks again, I may do that. For now, there appear to be some roadblocks regarding this particular Cupertino2 motherboard: some users complaining of a CPU not supported message on boot screen for i5 processors. Like so:
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/HP-Pro3300-MT-BIOS-problem-unsupported-cpu-support/td-p/6675814
But they seem to be able to bypass it, not sure if that works for all though, and if the i5s would work properly after that.

 

[miningshark23]

Theoretically you could upgrade all the way to a i7 3770K. If you were to go with an i5 or i3 you could go for the newer Ivy bridge line. Where I am the i5 3470 is only a small amount more than the 2400 and would be a huge upgrade over the G630. If you are insistent on going to Sandy Bridge the 2400 and 2500 are very similar processors and the difference is very small overall.

In that same motherboard I have an i7 3770 and it is currently running fine.

Paired with the GTX750 the 2400 and 2500 are probably your best choices and you will see a huge increase in performance.

If you do plan on upgrading to Ivy Bridge you may require a BIOS update which is relatively simple to do.

As for the problem you showed, that may also be due to out of date BIOS so it might be a good idea just to update those to be sure that you don't run into any problems related to that.

 

[druid157]

Theoretically you could upgrade all the way to a i7 3770K. If you were to go with an i5 or i3 you could go for the newer Ivy bridge line. Where I am the i5 3470 is only a small amount more than the 2400 and would be a huge upgrade over the G630. If you are insistent on going to Sandy Bridge the 2400 and 2500 are very similar processors and the difference is very small overall.

In that same motherboard I have an i7 3770 and it is currently running fine.

Paired with the GTX750 the 2400 and 2500 are probably your best choices and you will see a huge increase in performance.

If you do plan on upgrading to Ivy Bridge you may require a BIOS update which is relatively simple to do.

As for the problem you showed, that may also be due to out of date BIOS so it might be a good idea just to update those to be sure that you don't run into any problems related to that.

Thanks miningshark23, I agree the i5 2400 and 2500 look tempting upgrades. 3rd gen processors are not supported by this Cupertino2 motherboard as I linked in the original post as well:
https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c02978278
You may have had Cupertino3 motherboard on your mind.

The HP forum post I linked to, the one mentioning unsupported CPU error, has the latest BIOS version running, as do I. Unfortunately, that custom-made board for HP is poorly supported, and even the BIOS itself is barebones.

 

[miningshark23]

That's strange, my motherboard is the Cupertino2-H61, says so on the board and on my original system scpeicirication, must be a different variant that doesn't support it.

Actually, looking at the board provided, it is almost identical to my own, but there are subtle differences, I don't understand why a 3rd gen chip wouldn't work still as it's an LGA1155 socket, H61 motherboard.

I just looked up the Cupertino3 and it was entirely different to mine, different colour even.

Just out of interest, what was the original system that this came from? Mine was an HP Pro 3500.

 

[druid157]

That's strange, my motherboard is the Cupertino2-H61, says so on the board and on my original system scpeicirication, must be a different variant that doesn't support it.

Actually, looking at the board provided, it is almost identical to my own, but there are subtle differences, I don't understand why a 3rd gen chip wouldn't work still as it's an LGA1155 socket, H61 motherboard.

I just looked up the Cupertino3 and it was entirely different to mine, different colour even.

Just out of interest, what was the original system that this came from? Mine was an HP Pro 3500.

That is most curious miningshark23, and shows the fine mess HP's motherboards can be. I'm using an HP Pavilion p6-2130. What does CPU-Z report for you? For my machine, it reports a Foxconn 2ABF version 1.10 motherboard, which is correct since Foxconn produced these customized stripped motherboards for HP.

 

[miningshark23]

Ah this must be where the difference is. My CPUZ says that the model is the 2ABF but the 3.10 rather than the 1.10.

I still see no reason as to why the 3rd gen chips wouldn't be compatible with your board but obviously the extra couple percent of performance isn't worth the risk.

Have you decided to go for the 2400 or 2500?

 

[druid157]

Ah this must be where the difference is. My CPUZ says that the model is the 2ABF but the 3.10 rather than the 1.10.

I still see no reason as to why the 3rd gen chips wouldn't be compatible with your board but obviously the extra couple percent of performance isn't worth the risk.

Have you decided to go for the 2400 or 2500?

Interesting, had no idea they had so many revisions of that board!
Still haven't made up my mind- I have sent a query to the seller whether he will accept a return if the BIOS fails to recognize the processor. Then there's additional cost of CPU coolers too for the i5s- the consensus seems to be they run too hot (BSOD) at high load if paired with the Pentium or i3 stock Intel coolers of that generation. The selllers are only selling the processors without fan and heatsink.

The prices then become
i5 2500 + cooler: $75 + $15 = $90
i5 2400 + cooler: $65 + $15 = $80
i3 2120, needing no cooler = $60 to 65, and a low risk upgrade but with limited gains.

 

[miningshark23]

if the prices are that close then I'd say the i5s are definitely worth the risk if the seller will accept a return. I used to have an i5 3470 in mine and it's still a very capable CPU.

 

[druid157]

if the prices are that close then I'd say the i5s are definitely worth the risk if the seller will accept a return. I used to have an i5 3470 in mine and it's still a very capable CPU.

Thank you, it does help since I've never used an i5 before. Will update this thread when I hear back from the seller and/or make a decision either way.