Need CPU Help

bigmck · 31 May 2012

I am going to upgrade my system before years end and am starting to look. I had planned to get an Intel CPU just because I have always had them and was familiar. I looked at the I3 which was in my price range and liked this one. Intel Core i3-2100 BX80623I32100 Processor - Dual Core, 3MB L3 Smart Cache, 512KB L2 Cache, 3.10 GHz, Socket H2 (LGA1155), 65W, Fan, Retail at TigerDirect.com I then stumbled across this AMD
AMD FD4100WMGUSBX FX-4100 Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 2MB L2 Cache, 3.60GHz (3.80GHz Max Turbo), Socket AM3+, 95W, Fan, Unlocked, Retail at TigerDirect.com The Intel is Dual Core and the AMD is Quad Core. The price is close so on the surface it would seem the AMD is the better deal because it has more cores. That must not be true. Clue me in on the difference. Thanks,

ignatzatsonic · 31 May 2012

The distinction between 2 cores and 4 cores isn't likely to matter much in ordinary use.

Here are Passmark benchmark scores:

i-3 2100 Passmark benchmark is 3856

AMD FX-4100 benchmark is 3972

Very close to each other. I would make my choice based on other factors---such as the features of the chipset and motherboard that you would also purchase, any special sales you find at the time of purchase, etc.

AMD is quite competitive at lower price ranges.

You might be able to get some feedback about the real world difference if you state what particular tasks you will be doing with the PC. If it is just a general purpose PC with a variety of non-intensive tasks, you probably wouldn't be able to tell which CPU you had---in which case, choose on the basis of other factors, features, and price.

bigmck · 31 May 2012

Thanks very much Ignat. That was what I was wondering about. I am not going to be doing much except surfing the net. I just have this urge to upgrade. I have never built one, so I am going to give it a whirl. == I am only going to buy Motherboard, CPU, SSD, Ram, and Win 7 Upgrade (I have OEM). The price for those is in the $500 area. I have found complete PC's cheaper than that (no SSD). Building your own is not a money saver.

ignatzatsonic · 31 May 2012

bigmck said:

Thanks very much Ignat. That was what I was wondering about. I am not going to be doing much except surfing the net. I just have this urge to upgrade. I have never built one, so I am going to give it a whirl. == I am only going to buy Motherboard, CPU, SSD, Ram, and Win 7 Upgrade (I have OEM). The price for those is in the $500 area. I have found complete PC's cheaper than that (no SSD). Building your own is not a money saver.

You are correct that you can't really save money by building it yourself in the lower price ranges. 10 or 15 years ago, you could---but then the average price of a PC was double what it is now.

But I encourage you to do it anyway. You may not save money, but you will add to your hardware and assembly knowledge and it will pay off in that way over the longer run.

If you are just building a mid-level PC, you shouldn't need to buy a video card. That will help lower expenses and generate less heat.

Continue asking questions and post a final list of parts before you pull the trigger.

Buy all the parts at one time a week or so before you build, rather than piece by piece over months.

You should be able to re-use your case, drives, and power supply for many years, while just upgrading motherboard, RAM, and CPU. I did a major upgrade about 18 months ago for those last 3 parts and the cost was only $400.

essenbe · 31 May 2012

I might add that even if you don't save money building yourself, you'll get a better computer than a ready built one. You will get to select the parts you want and the quality you want, rather than let someone else chose those. Most of the ready built PCs are built with whatever parts are the cheapest.

Hopalong X · 31 May 2012

+1 Essenbe

pparks1 · 31 May 2012

as others said, don't build to save money. by time you get an os and monitor, you often spend more. you build to get exactly what you want.

as far as AMD versus Intel goes, more cores doesn't mean better. with the Intel you have onboard video if you want it.

bigmck · 31 May 2012

Thanks to everyone for your info. I am looking forward to doing this. I was kind of apprehensive about installing a motherboard but saw a video on YouTube and that is a piece of cake. I am looking forward to my little adventure. I am anxious to see how the SSD works. I have heard so much about them.

Britton30 · 06 Jun 2012

Jim the mobo is easy to mount and I would recommend installing the CPU and cooler, RAM, and any cable you can such as the SATA data cables before mounting in the case, it's much easier than waiting.

bigmck · 06 Jun 2012

Britton30 said:

Jim the mobo is easy to mount and I would recommend installing the CPU and cooler, RAM, and any cable you can such as the SATA data cables before mounting in the case, it's much easier than waiting.

In the video I saw, he installed the CPU outside of the case. It appeared he lifted the motherboard slightly when pressing down on the CPU to lock it in. Is that correct or can I just leave the MB laying flat and press?