X2 vs i3
#1
Hey Guys,

I have not seen a comparison of these CPU's yet on this forum and I am wondering which CPU gives more value per watt used. I understood sandy i3s are very "green" but how do these compare. The cpu will be working with the gt430 for hd audio streaming to my 608.

Or would you guys rather advice a ATI gpu?

Sidenotes:
1) System will be W7
2) A 64gb ssd will be used ( any recommendations?)
3) casing will be Silverstone ML-03B
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#2
Well if you were going to rely on the integrated graphics, then the i3 would be a clear winner, besides offering some handy and comparible features to the best integrated graphics AMD currently offers for the AM2/3 platforms, the highly integrated nature of the i3 architecture and the more advanced 32nm manufacturing really lends well to efficiency even before you get into the power gating and load-based throttling.

You can compare the performance of the Phenom II X2 565 BE and the i3 2100 in the Anandtech bench tool, found here and while the results are subjective, the i3 is a clear winner in each regard. When it comes down to power consumption comparison with an hd 5850 used, the idle power usage was 66.9w vs 73w, and load was 106.7w vs 124w. Though clearly using the GT 430 (or an HD 6450) these would be quite a bit lower, the difference between them is still cpu bound.

Each build has its place, and generally most people here tend to use the X2 in more budget builds, since a Phenom II X2 starts at about $90, and an Athlon II X2 starts at about $55-$60. You then pair that with a decent board which would set you back another $70-$120 depending on features and form factor. Where as the cheapest i3 costs $125, and you'll be looking at another $75-$120 on the board. So there are significant savings to be had, considering both chips will be extremely capable of driving a demanding HTPC experience as smooth as can be, many people opt for the cheaper route.

As for an SSD, its worth noting that even the cheaper drives will significantly out perform the best of the mechanical drives. But unless you need the additional storage, you can easily fit windows 7 and XBMC on a 30-40gb SSD. My system for instance is using a 40gb Corsair F40, formats to 37.1gb and even with a lot of extra programs installed I am still sitting on 12.5gb of free space. But if I was rebuilding today, I would probably go with the new Intel 320 series 40gb SSD for $100. The corsair F40 is $5 more online and offers superior read/write performance , there are some sleep mode issues that users are having and that may be a factor for you.

Hope that helps.
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#3
If you want hardware decoding as well stick with the GT430

As far as SSD go I would definitely get larger than 30GB I have a 30GB and win 7 64bit used up nearly 14GB of that especially as its not a bad idea to keep a SSD below 80% capacity, the OCZ Vertex 2 have really come down in price
Current HTPC Lian-Li PC-C37 • Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H • Intel C2D E8400 E0 Stepping • OCZ Vertex SSD • 4GB Corsair TwinX XMS2 DDR2 • Corsair HX650W Modular PSU (Free Upgrade) • LG CH08LS10 Blu-Ray Drive • Scythe Big Shuriken • Acousti DustPROOF 70mm Fan
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