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Thread: i3 or i5?

  1. #1
    Its not cool till its watercooled. Fuganater's Avatar
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    Default i3 or i5?

    So I'm building a Mini ITX system to do reviews with but I can't decide on what CPU to use. I have the Intel DH61DL and judging by this chart it supports Ivy Bridge. Ivy Bridge consumes alot less power so I think I'll go with that.

    The i5-3450S is 2.8GHz (3.5 GHz Turbo) Quad Core that consumes 65W. It has the Intel HD Graphics 2500 which is good because my board does not have a PCIEx16 slot for a GPU. Priced at $199

    The i3-2120 is 3.3Ghz with no Turbo Dual Core with HT so it a quad core "lite". Consumes the same 65W of power and has the Intel HD Graphics 2000 which is lower than the i5.

    The i3-2105 is less powerful at 3.1GHz but has the Intel HD Graphics 3000 which makes the Graphics Base Freq 850MHz over the 2000's 650MHz and consumes the same 65W.

    I care only for the graphics in a playback sense. No gaming will be happening on this setup.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: i3 or i5?

    i think that since you are going to be limited to the onboard graphics, that the i3-2105 would be the best choice. even though you won't be gaming, it will still help with video playback. so i say get the one with the best graphics since you can't upgrade it without getting a whole new processor.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: i3 or i5?

    What type of reviews are you going to be doing with this setup? Obviously from your OP, no gaming or GPU reviews, and the graphics are just for playback, so I guess the question is how important CPU performance is vs. playback quality for your reviews. You also mentioned that you liked how Ivy Bridge consumes a lot less power, so is power consumption also an important factor? Personally, I'd go with the i5-3450S just for the extra processing power, but if I didn't need quad core performance, then I'd pick the i3-2105 for the better graphics.
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  4. #4
    Its not cool till its watercooled. Fuganater's Avatar
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    Default Re: i3 or i5?

    Case reviews for now. I plan on doing coolers too eventually. Power consumption is a factor because I will only be using a Pico ITX PSU. The one I have now is 120W and I do not want to have to purchase another.

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