I have been given a computer that has an AMD Phenom II X4 965 processor, and I would like to know if it is worth switching over to this from my current rig which has an Intel i3 2120? I'm curious specifically for Planetside 2 performance, rather than general performance. Since I have both computers on hand, I'm just curious to get some input on which computer I should swap my rig over to. I would be using a Gigabyte Windforce GTX 670 OC, 8GB RAM, and playing on a SSD on the computer, running the game at 1680 x 1050. CPU looks to be my limiting factor in any case.
They're not all that far apart, but the CPUBoss Benchmark comparison says the Phenom II will be better when all cores are in use, while the i3 is better for any single-core functionality. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i3-2120-vs-AMD-Phenom-II-X4-965#performance I believe PS2 properly uses multicore now (stuff about unparking being in the past) so the Phenom probably gets the nod. But not by a huge amount.
956 is a really solid chip. They have been performing pretty solidly since the mutlithreading optimizations. Compared to a 2 core intel, thats also quite a big jump, as PS2 will use all 4 cores. Yes, and if it has a descent cooling system set up they overclock very well.
PII 965 is a better chip, it can be overclocked even more. PS2 can use all 4 cores so it will run better on quad core rather than dual core.
I run an unlocked Phenom II 555 (so its a 955) and its overclocked to 4.01 ghz. All my specs are in my signature. As low as it gets is low 30fps in the hugest, most insane and epic battles. Generally Im in the 40-60 range, with small scale engagements in the 80s and 90s.
The difference should be really small but probably in favor of the i3, if your Phenom got good overclocking potential and you can push it towards 4GHz it should be faster - but again, the difference being really small. Personally I recently "upgraded" from a Phenom II 955 @3.6GHz to an i3 4130 (3.4GHz) and the performance increase in PS2 I'd estimate around ~30% (all I currently play benefits a lot from the high IPC the i3 has to offer (such as PS2) and I got my fingers crossed for Broadwells to actually be released as LGA versions...). It probably would've been a lot bigger before the big performance updates, making it actually utilize 4 threads so the Phenom actually comes closer now. It's all good looking at how many cores a CPU has or how fast it runs but that's only half the truth. You can't compare a 5 year old architecture to a modern one, and while the Sandy Bridge architecture in the i3 2120 also is quite old it's still significantly better than what the Phenom II can offer. Like I said it should be really close with those two specific CPUs. Best solution: Sell the PC containing the Phenom and get an i5 3570K (or 3470 if you don't plan to overclock and want to save some money), that'll fit in your socket and will be a dramatic performance boost while you should break even financially.
I would personally look at this not as what kind of performance will you get out of it now, but what kind of performance can you get out of it later. What motherboards do these chips come with? The i3-2120 is a socket 1155 chipset, and chance are that very same motherboard also supports a Core i7-3770k or similar if later on down the road you want to upgrade. As for the PII-965, is that on a socket AM3 or an AM3+ chipset? The motherboard may support an FX-8350 if it's AM3+, but if it's just an AM3 board then the 965 is about the best you can get. I don't think there will be a drastic performance difference between the two. While PS2 will utilize all four cores on the 965, the 2120 still has significantly better IPC. In my personal opinion, I'd see what kind of upgrade availability you get with the motherboard before I'd make my decision. Depending on the situation, you could sell the 965 you were given and use that to drop a faster Ivy Bridge quadcore in your current computer? Of course you don't want to insult the person who gave it for you, but that would probably be the best option in the long run. So let's have it, what motherboards are these?
Not only that, but turn around and sell the i3 after the i5 is installed If we are talking Clarkdales, the main feature of an i5 to concern yourself with over the i3 is the Turbo Boost. Running a mobo that likely had an i3 factory installed is unlikely to support Turbo Boost. You also need to verify that the TDP of your motherboard would be able to handle twice the CPU. Usually it can, but not always.
Clarkdale is socket 1156, but Sandy Bridge (i3-2120) is socket 1155. Need not to worry, turbo boost support will be a non-issue. Socket 1156 - Clarkdale and Lynnfield Socket 1155 - Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge Socket 1150 - Haswell, maybe Broadwell but unconfirmed
I didnt think any i3's supported Turbo Boost...? Im not an Intel user ATM so Im not 100% clear on what exact socket goes with what CPU. I am, however, pretty darn sure that Turbo Boost is not supported by any i3 at all. Which makes it very likely that the motherboard is not capable of it and therefore will not be utilizing the i5 to its capability. And the K versions of the i5 are significantly higher wattage than the i3 2120. Again, there is a good chance that the motherboard will not support it even if the socket is the same. Its not about it fitting in whatever socket it has; there is a lot more to it than that.
That may be true with some AMD motherboards, as for instance some AM3+ motherboards may support the FX-8320 but not the FX-8350 due to wattage concerns, but Intel motherboards will pretty much universally support any CPU that fits into the socket. If there are any compatibility issues at all, it will be with supporting Ivy Bridge, but all other Sandy Bridge processors should be supported just fine. We'll find out more once we determine what model motherboard this is.
Youre looking at a 30 watt TDP increase from i3 to i5, with Sandy Bridge, regardless of motherboard. The Ivy Bridge i5s actually use less wattage, not vice versa. That was one of the improvements. Its only a 12 watt increase in this case. Like I said; there is a lot more to it than having the same socket number.
I am well aware of the thermal and architecture differences between Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge, as well as their dual and quad cores, but trust me, this will most likely not be an issue. The only time the wattage has ever really been a concern is with AMD, as the TDP on Intel processors represents their maximum thermal load, whereas the TDP on AMD processors represents more of an average thermal load. People were dropping in 125w Thuban X6 and Bulldozer/Piledriver FX 8-cores into their motherboards and blowing out the capacitors since they were drawing well beyond their advertised 125w thermal limit. Since Intel chips largely stick to their TDP limits (unless you overclock, of course, but you can only do that with Z68/Z77 motherboards), it creates a much more quality controlled environment for motherboards to work with. Unless it's a proprietary motherboard like Dell or HP, he shouldn't have any issues dropping in a 95w chip. We'll know for certain once we know the motherboard model.
And I mean that in a very respectful and nice way, btw! I think we're both rooting for his motherboard to support a 3770k so he gets the best end out of the whole deal.
If this were true, you wouldnt have posted this: And I wouldnt have had to post this: You dont know as much as you think you do. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. Put your pride aside for a while. Neither you nor I nor the OP have anything to gain by pretending any of us know more than we actually do about the subject. Ive brought hard facts to the table and your response is 'its going to be fine' on both the lack of turbo boost support as well as the possibility of exceeding design TDP limits. Both are important factors. Especially when taking into account it is you who suggested a CPU upgrade, not the OP. The OP had a simple question of which would run the game better and may well have no intentions on tearing his PC down and trying to frankenstein an i5 in. I advise the OP to be very cautious about taking CPU upgrade advice from a gaming forum user! Including me!
I see someone's jumping down throats again. The board should support any Intel chip of that socket without major issue (stock, of course. Overclocking ability is a totally different scenario). Just don't get the mentioned 3770k for gaming alone. An i5 will do it, as will the 965. Personally I'd sooner upgrade to an i5 if you can afford it, but my guess is at present the 965 would perform better than the i3.
If helping to make sure that poor and/or inaccurate advice is corrected and people dont heed such advice without a second thought, then yes, Im absolutely 'jumping down throats'. As I said, I highly recommend taking anything said by anyone here with a grain of salt. Go to Tom's Hardware.com or some other well used Hardware Specific Forum for your informational needs. Do not ever base your upgrades and hardware configurations on someone saying 'it should be fine'.
This can all be solved if he gives us the product name / number of hes board. We can then check the official website and it will tell us in plain English what CPUs it supports. My gut feeling, GUT feeling, is that if it supports an i3 then it will support an i5. An i7 may be a different case though.
