SB i3 uppgrade

[Vorret]

Good morning,

My girlfriend computer is currently running an old Core2Duo @ something like 2.3GHZ (over 2-3yrs old).

I recently bought her a 6850 to uppgrade her gaming fun in WoW sadly it seems like it's not enough.

I could buy the following bundle, would it be a good uppgrade for her? (also seems like a good price)

http://n c i x.com/products/index.php?sku=62171&vpn=2120%20%26%20H61M%2DP21%20%26%204GB&manufacture=Bundle Deals&promoid=1370

(Sorry, need to fix the URL since it's prohibited on this forum)

Also, I know this isn't the motheboard section, but I've never used mATX, she has a Antec 300, will it fit in there and is there any disadvantage to using one over a normal ATX board?

Thanks alot

 

[DejaWiz]

Yes, very worthwhile.

Cpubenchmark.net:
C2D 2.53GHz = 1905
E4500 2.2GHz = 1274
i3-2100 = 3863

The uATX board will fit no problem at all.

 

[Mackowitz]

Here's an Anandtech comparison of an e4600 (2.3ghz) to the i3-2100. It is a significant upgrade - i3-2100 is crazy price-performance wise, a lot of chip for the money.

No disadvantage at all in using a mATX board in an ATX case, you just have extra room in the case.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Yes the Intel® Core™ i3-2100 is really a nice processor for the price. If you were running an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 and then moved up to the 1st generation Intel Core processors you would gain around 15% to 20% performance increase and then an additional 10% to 15% by stepping up to the Intel Core i3-2100 plus power savings.

 

[plugwash]

Be aware that sandy bridge i3's are basically un-overclockable due to intel locking together the base clock and the PCIe clock.