Reddit reviews Intel Core i3-2120 Dual-Core Processor 3.3 GHz 3 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80623I32120

Alright so with a pre-built there are two options, and AMD Llano or the Intel i3. The Llano will have much better gaming but have a slower CPU, the i3 will have a better CPU but crappy gaming. Pre-built will of course just be better.

ASUS CM6730-04 with i5-2320, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD for $500

ASUS CM1740-04 with A8-3800, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD for $500

For Pre-Built I'm going to assume we want to be legal here and get Windows. So PM me, there's a bug in my school's online store that's giving out free legal copies of W7.

So then comes a question of do you have a microcenter nearby. Here's a build I made for my local engineering society:

Type|Item|Cost
:---|:---|:---
CPU|Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor|$179.99 @ Microcenter
Motherboard|GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 LGA 1155 Z68 mATX Intel Motherboard|$79.75 @ Microcenter
GPU| Sappher 6770| $89.99 @ Newegg
RAM|G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066|$23.99 @ Newegg
Hard Drive|Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB|$89.75 @ Amazon
Case|Thermaltake V3 Black Edition VL80001W2Z|$29.99 @ Newegg
PSU|COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-J3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply|$32.98 @ Newegg
|Total|$526.44

But if you don't and you really don't need the i5-2500k, let's face it.

Type|Item|Cost
:---|:---|:---
CPU|Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor Let's face it, they don't need an i5, but if they want it's easy enough to just get the i5-2400 for $190 and get a less GPU|$129.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard|ASRock H61M/U3S3 LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX|$74.99 @ Microcenter
GPU| XFX HD-685X-ZCFC Radeon HD 6850| $137.55 @ Newegg
RAM|G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066|$23.99 @ Newegg
Hard Drive|Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB|$89.75 @ Amazon
Case|Thermaltake V3 Black Edition VL80001W2Z|$29.99 @ Newegg
PSU|COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-J3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply|$32.98 @ Newegg
|Total|$519.24

Either build just crushes the ASUS' above.

Oh damn I remembered I need a Optical Drive, you can get one off of Newegg for <$20 easily and just get a slightly worse GPU. If you can convince them of getting a pre-built I'll happily work with fine tuning these builds, but they're good enough for now.

• Core i3-2120 @ 3.3GHz
  
• 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
  
• EVGA GeForce GTX460 768MB
  
• 64-bit Windows Server 2008 R2 (converted to Windows 7 Professional)
  
  Shockingly, I can run the demo at 60FPS with everything at lowest possible settings, running at 1280x720 (50% resolution scale). The problem is massive intermittent stuttering since the tiny VRAM fills up instantly. I'm hoping to upgrade that GTX460 soon.

To be honest no one would really blame you for getting windows by... other means. That generally only goes for lower budget builds like these. So with that said, take a look at this benchmark comparing the 440 with the radeon 6670. There is a huge performance increase for the same price. And if you do decide to get your os for free, I would go with an i3 2120 cpu. And if you don't want to get the OS for free, there is a student version that is really cheap. Edit:Oh and the 6670 runs SC2 and WOW on medium-high setting really well.

Oh okay, so their is nothing that is going to keep cities especially with massive amounts of people around over 25-30 FPS? I usually have no problems in outside areas with everything on high except shadows (Those are at Medium), all settings on and view distance at 40, with hitting 30-40 FPS consistently.

I have this for my cpu:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KZDV8E/ref=oh_details_o04_s02_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I suspect this might be more of an issue due to being an older gen i3, I looked up what my mobo can handle and it looks like the i7 3770 is the top proc I can put in their.

I definitely second the UEFI BIOS. It makes things so much easier, boot times are faster, and there's a much better chance that sleep/wake will work correctly.

I also like the case you chose a lot better.

Having said that, OP might be better off going with an i3 processor ($122 on Amazon) instead and just using the onboard graphics. It'll be significantly faster, for compatible with OS X, and its not like OP is going to be able to do any gaming with a build like this anyway. I had to use the integrated graphics for a couple weeks while I waited on a new video card, and QE and everything worked fine.

One dollar difference for a better cpu:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004KZDV8E/?tag=pcpapi-20

Skyrim is still faster on the i3:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skyrim-performance-benchmark,3074-9.html

BF3 does appear to scale with more cores:
http://www.techspot.com/review/458-battlefield-3-performance/page7.html

I'd still recommend a i3 unless the user wanted to build a box primarily for BF3 (which is why we ask what they will be doing with their PC).

Oh okay, thanks! So this CPU will come with a fan and pre applied gunk on it? I'm new to this and no one said anything about getting an aftermarket fan.

I built my PC a little more than 4 years ago, and want to update some parts, mainly my CPU, for streaming.

This is my motherboard.

This is my CPU.

This is my graphics card.

This is my RAM.

What parts can I reasonably upgrade to bring it more up to date? Would this CPU be fine for my motherboard?

I currently have this processor. Is it sufficient enough to keep and just upgrade into a current video card?

Just noticed you had an i3-2130, I'd change to the i3-2120. Save you a little bit more money for a processor that is almost the exact same.

I would go with this i3 processor and spend the money saved on this GPU. You should also get this mobo. It would be a good idea to spend $20 more dollars and get 8gb of RAM. If you don't want to spend the extra money, at least get 2 sets of 2gb (This is because your mobo uses dual channel memory). Finally, if your case has LEDs on it, it goes faster.

• That motherboard probably won't fit in that case - it's a MicroATX case and you have a ATX mobo. Get a MicroATX mobo (it'll be cheaper too).
  
• You can get a P67/H67 mobo instead of a Z68 because you won't be overclocking.
  
• You can get a better CPU for cheaper - i3-2120 for $113 - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004KZDV8E/?tag=pcpapi-20
  
• You also don't need that much power from your PSU. 350-400 would be plenty
  
• Also, hard drive and optical drive?

Get this hard drive with the same specs for $20 less after promo code.

And a cheaper CPU (like the i3 2120 for $128 @ Amazon) with a better GPU (like the Radeon HD 6870 for $160 @ Newegg) would run games better than your current set up.

This one fits the budget (verify if this fits with your mobo)
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-i3-2120-Dual-Core-Processor-Cache/dp/B004KZDV8E