Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale Processor Review

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Ryan and the crew at PC Perspective have taken a long hard look at the Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale processor today. Overall, I think they really liked the i3-530 for its performance per dollar value and its overclockabilty. Hit the link above for the full review, here is a quote to get you started:

I would even take this a step further and tell our readers that if you are looking for a budget gaming system the Core i3-530 would make a decent choice and should at least be considered for the job. I showed you on our gaming performance page that the difference between even the Core i7-975 and the Core i3-530 are minimal when we are comparing real-world resolutions and image quality settings.
Click to expand...
 
How does this compares vs the Athlon II X4 620 or 630? Secondly I'm more interested in how the new Corei7 930 goes against a similarly configured Core i7 860 as both are 2.8Ghz. And how much of a performance gain you get with the triple channel memory.
 
They're (I3 530 and 540) pretty spiffy chips...
I got my 540 to 4.49GHz.... Can't crack the 4.5GHz barrier for some reason...
Hell of an upgrade from an [email protected]....
Mobo/CPU/DDR3 for less than $200...:eek:

i3540449GHz.jpg

PS
3DMark was running on top of active Prime95...
 
Where else can you look for barebone combo deals like that? I've looked everywhere and cant find a MicroATX+i3+2gb ddr3 for >$200 :-( microATX boards are OCing just as nicely as the enthusiast boards? :eek:
 
Got this CPU/Mobo combo at Fry's for $125 (after $20 MIR).... :eek:
They used to sell combos like that with some cheapa$$ ECS motherboards, but lately its a lot of Gigabyte, MSI and even ASUS lower-end boards...
I definitelly didn't expect this combo to OC the way it does but than again, it's a Gigabyte mobo...:p
Microcenter usually has good deals on CPUs only... Like their famous i7 920 for $199....:cool:
So yeah, I shop at Egg and other e-tailers most of the time, but it's good to have local B&M stores that have great deals like that...
PS
Fry's got some kickA$$ deals on Black Fridays... Get in line though....
 
I put the order for a Core I3-530, an ASUS P7H55-M PRO, and 2x2GB ADATA DDR3-1333.

She said I can't put the screws to it, due to the airflow in her LANbox (poor airflow) and the fact we're only using the stock cooler... But what she doesn't know won't hurt.

Oh, and she's moving off a AMD 3500+ AM2 Chip. Can't wait to put it together.
 
Bought an i3 540 & Biostar TH55B from Fry's for $135. I was skeptical about the mobo, as I usually go with Asus, but it took very little tweaking to hit 4.6GHz @ 1.4v. Worth the money.

 
I have an i3 540 in my htpc. It's a great chip with amazingly low power at htpc loads, and is very capable of gaming too with an added video card.
 
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