i3 2nd gen upgrade

[jnm21]

I've been out of the normal desktop scene for ages (laptops/netbooks/nettops all the way for the last few years), so I need some help. Can't convince my dad that laptop is the way to go, so he insists on upgrading his desktop after a MB death! I'm trying to steer him & have heard good things about the 2nd gen iX processors (e.g. 2nd gen i3 closer to 1st gen i5 level), so looking at a 2nd gen i3/MB/RAM triple for him. Have had a look (basically looked over scan today only) & came up with:


Intel Core i3 2100, 1155, Sdy Bridge, 3.1GHz, 5 GT/s, GPU 850Mhz, 3MB Cache, Core R 31x, 65W, Retail £87.59

Gigabyte GA-PH67A-UD3-B3, Intel H67, S 1155, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR3 1333, SATA 6Gb/s, RAID, ATX
£82.79

4GB (2x2GB) Corsair XMS3 Classic DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, 1.5V
£37.19

I have to admit not having much of a clue (my last strong knowledge was back in the opteron hay day)! I do wonder how to tell which voltage of ram is required? (Seems like a bad idea - it will fit the socket, but may fry!)

Going for i3 2nd gen to ensure decent graphics without a card & hopefully to future proof - 1080p MKVs will likely be the most it sees. Want usb3 as he does use external drives (although they are not usb3 as yet). Would ideally like eSATA, but not a big deal.

Any advice appreciated.

[planet436]

That ram is fine.

1. Are you reusing old components? If so which ones
2. Specifically which power supply and case.
3. Do you have a transferable windows license?

[jnm21]

The only things being reused are drives (approx 4 sata HDD & 1 or 2 DVD drives), case & PSU - I have told him that his PSU is poor, but he won't listen (it says 500W on it, but it also has a budget maker on it too). I think I can dig out a half decent tagan (500W IIRC). Do you think 500W will suffice?

The case is a big second hand tower unit (fairly modern, with case windows, etc. - I know it is at least ATX & probably a decent brand).

He has an unused copy of windows 7 lying around (I got him it in the pre-release offer).

[planet436]

500W will be plenty. The tagan should be okay, mine is still going strong on a old 5 yr old computer. The power draw on the system will be extremely low so don't worry about wattage so much.

You'd save a couple of quid going for a mATX: Asus P8H67-M-LE or such. The very entry level H67 boards don't have usb3.0 as far as I know (but might be wrong)

Playback of HD video will be fine on the integrated video.

[Blackmage]

I would rather get a AMD Phenom II 955(quadcore) and overclock it, you can't do so with an i3 2100. If you have an overclocked 955 to around 4.0Ghz it should beat the i3 and be great at multi tasking. I do think a dual core CPU is somewhat limited now and isn't great for desktop usage but better for a htpc.

At least the 955 is a quad core CPU and will last into the future.

[Pob255]

Yes but I doubt it's going to be used for anything amazingly cpu heavy
I'd say those specs are pretty good.

As a cheaper option you could go cheaper with
AMD AthlonII X3 455 £60
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H £55
same ram

Not as fast but still more than enough for basic internet/office work

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

What is the main purpose of the PC?? What are the specifications of the existing PC??

Even though I have a Core i3 2100 myself I would consider waiting a week or two for AMD Llano which is being released this month.

[jnm21]

Just browsing, media playing (via 1080p telly), basic desktop computing & maybe the odd bit of DVD/music ripping.

Existing PC is fairly old one (Pentium 4 I believe), the motherboard has died, suspect the ram is 2GB or less & DDR2, so little use IMHO.

[jnm21]

As a cheaper option you could go cheaper with
AMD AthlonII X3 455 £60
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H £55
same ram

Not as fast but still more than enough for basic internet/office work

Looking at this line up, does the MB have HDMI - seems like the scan specs are incomplete (no video outputs listed http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigab...ta-raid-matx)? No doubt dad would like that price!

[Pob255]

not sure which revision scan has (1, 1.3 or 1.4) but they all have hdmi + dvi + vga http://www.gigabyte.com/products/pro...px?pid=3415#ov

quick note slightly more money but this one is better http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigab...sata-raid-matx with the newer 850 south bridge for sata 6gb/s and usb3 if you think those features are worth it.

If you can it might be worth trying to sell him on this psu http://www.scan.co.uk/products/pro45...l-power-supply
Selling points, high efficency (so saves money on the elecy bills ) and a 5 year warranty
And it's a good psu