# Dual core decision - G3258 vs i3-6320



## Vulcansheart (Nov 30, 2016)

I am helping my neighbor replace his very old AMD single core machine. The most intensive application that he runs is MS Flight Sim X on a 1080P monitor. He has a lot of money invested in addons like texture packs, planes, etc. Other tasks include watching videos and web browsing. So, I've got the rest of his build ready to go, but I'm not sure which way to go on the CPU. Please help us decide!

*Intel Pentium G3258 *(unlocked anniversary edition) - $67
Stock at 3.2GHz, but will be matched to a ASRock H97 board and overclocked on a Corsair H60 to around 4.5GHz.

Or...

*Intel Core i3-6320 *(most powerful i3 in the current lineup) - $160
Stock at 3.9GHz, matched to a MSi B150 board with stock air cooler.

The reason for the dilemma is that while the G3258 will probably have greater performance on FSX (not a multi-threaded application), it is a much older chip and not so future proof. It has to run at high clock speeds to maintain competition. It is also significantly cheaper, even after adding in the Corsair H60. The i3-6320 is much newer, uses DDR4 memory, has hyper-threading and thus is more future proof. However, it's locked in at 3.9GHz so there is no potential for increasing performance.

What do you guys think? I'm trying to keep the entire build under $600, so please no 10-core i7 comments lol...


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## Jetster (Nov 30, 2016)

Definitely the 6320 unless that $60 is a deal breaker. Na just get the 6320 dont even mess with  the 1150


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## GoldenX (Nov 30, 2016)

My inner money saver side screams at me saying that $160 for a dual core is madness, plus it can't be overclocked.
What are the rest of the specs?

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/305/Intel_Core_i3_i3-6320_vs_Intel_Pentium_Dual-Core_G3258.html Stock vs stock, overclocked the Pentium should offer better single core performance, for $100 less money. Also I think a H60 is a bit of overkill to overclock a dual core.


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## Jetster (Nov 30, 2016)

I would put more money into the board. Get a 6100 and later to upgrat to an i5 and K chip


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## Kursah (Nov 30, 2016)

I3... Can utilize higher speed RAM on sub Z8/97 boards and has HT and higher clocks. I recently upgraded my kids PC from an OCd 3258 to a i3-4160 and it was noticeable across the board but especially with multitasking and multithreaded games. The newer ones are even better.

The G3258 will only support DDR3 1333 speeds on H97. Going from 1333 to 1600 is noticeable in my experience and worth it.

Whether or not FSX will use the extra threads everything else he's running and Windows will.

Not that you need to get the fastest i3, I haven't checked recently but the 6100 makes more sense. 200MHz won't make the difference worth the price.

And the i3 is worth it over the older Pentium for the extra CPU cache, better efficiency, faster RAM support, onboard GPU should the add-on fail (iirc the G3258 is w/o iGPU), newer platform with more upgrade opportunities, better at everything really.

Not that the Pentium is a bad idea...I'd buy used if I were you...usually can snag em around $50 shipped or so. I'd also say get a z97 to OC it better and use faster DDR3. To come close to the i3 6100, the Pentium would need to probably be around 4GHz and closer to 4.2+ compared to the 6320...which should be easy-ish to achieve depending on CPU. YMMV.

Both are solid options...and really it depends on budget here...one kit can be had for the price of the CPU on the latter. What does the user need? How do they use their PC? How often will you need to maintain it? OCs can lead to St ability issues later on resulting in lower clocks, stock clocks or failed parts...that said I have several 6-8yr old OCd systems. So a lot goes into play here and needs thought out. Or simply decide on budget needs.

What GPU does he have? How about PSU? If the PSU is questionable either go cheaper i3 or Pentium route and get a better PSU asap.


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## m&m's (Nov 30, 2016)

i3-6100.

Cost $30 less and performs the same (-1%).


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## Frick (Nov 30, 2016)

m&m's said:


> i3-6100.
> 
> Cost $30 less and performs the same (-1%).



That's what I would do.


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## natr0n (Nov 30, 2016)

I would get the g3258 and oc it and it's cheaper.
Pair it with the Corsair H60.

When you buy locked cpu's you lose the fun really.

http://hwbot.org/hardware/processor/pentium_g3258/
4620 on water...... do it


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## sutyi (Nov 30, 2016)

m&m's said:


> i3-6100.
> 
> Cost $30 less and performs the same (-1%).



Pretty much this. Get a Skylake based i3, pretty decent performance with the two core + hyper threading combo.


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## Vulcansheart (Nov 30, 2016)

I see a lot of hands raised for the i3-6100. I grabbed some snips of the synthetic benchmarks which shows the 3258 beating out the 6100 at stock clocks on single threaded work, while the 6320 takes the top rank of the three (again at stock clocks only). I was surprised so many of you leaned toward the i3 series given the overclocking potential of the Pentium. Again, FSX is more or less single threaded, which is why I bring this up...



 

Just looking for some more input before we settle on a chip/mobo. Thanks for all the comments thus far!!


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## rtwjunkie (Nov 30, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> I see a lot of hands raised for the i3-6100. I grabbed some snips of the synthetic benchmarks which shows the 3258 beating out the 6100 at stock clocks on single threaded work, while the 6320 takes the top rank of the three (again at stock clocks only). I was surprised so many of you leaned toward the i3 series given the overclocking potential of the Pentium. Again, FSX is more or less single threaded, which is why I bring this up...
> 
> View attachment 81464
> 
> Just looking for some more input before we settle on a chip/mobo. Thanks for all the comments thus far!!



I'm going to say, probably because although capable, the 3258 began being outdated/outclassed as soon as it was released.  FSX might be it for now, but you never know what else your needs might change to or grow to even in non-gaming.  So I would also advocate the i3 for the longer run.


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## GhostRyder (Nov 30, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> I see a lot of hands raised for the i3-6100. I grabbed some snips of the synthetic benchmarks which shows the 3258 beating out the 6100 at stock clocks on single threaded work, while the 6320 takes the top rank of the three (again at stock clocks only). I was surprised so many of you leaned toward the i3 series given the overclocking potential of the Pentium. Again, FSX is more or less single threaded, which is why I bring this up...
> 
> View attachment 81464
> 
> Just looking for some more input before we settle on a chip/mobo. Thanks for all the comments thus far!!


Still though, in the long run the i3 will be better especially if he updates to new versions of the game in the future or another one (Not to mention new activities on the computer).  I have played with tons of G3258's and they are awesome chips but really suffer in many applications where the i3's stock clocked did not.


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## Jetster (Nov 30, 2016)

Even  if it clearly beat it I would still want the newer socket


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## FilipM (Nov 30, 2016)

https://ark.intel.com/products/88179/Intel-Pentium-Processor-G4400-3M-Cache-3_30-GHz

How about a G4400?


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## Kursah (Nov 30, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> I see a lot of hands raised for the i3-6100. I grabbed some snips of the synthetic benchmarks which shows the 3258 beating out the 6100 at stock clocks on single threaded work, while the 6320 takes the top rank of the three (again at stock clocks only). I was surprised so many of you leaned toward the i3 series given the overclocking potential of the Pentium. Again, FSX is more or less single threaded, which is why I bring this up...
> 
> View attachment 81464
> 
> Just looking for some more input before we settle on a chip/mobo. Thanks for all the comments thus far!!



Synthetic benchmarks are only so useful but that's an interesting comparison. Actually being able to compare them is best...and I've been able to do that with Haswell i3's vs G3258's. If he's going G3258 w/DDR3 1333 limitations on an H97, it's going to be slower overall in gaming/media usage. Keep in mind the newer i3 6xxx's use DDR4 with much more bandwidth than DDR3 1333.

Going from a G3258 to an i3-4160 on the H97 (specs in sig) made a noticeable difference in everything that system did. Starting with the DDR3 running at 1600 which helps the overall system use. Everything we used/tested/tried was smoother, faster, snappier than the Pentium was able to muster even at 4GHz. Keep in mind the i3-4160 is a Haswell-based 3.60GHz dual core HT. That synthetic benchmark is only a slice of the pie...there's a lot that it leaves out of the equation for system usage.

Going by the results above, what we noticed on my son's PC shouldn't have been as noticeable of an improvement with what is still single threaded out there...yet there wasn't a thing that the i3 didn't do faster with what my kid does on his PC. Though I went "by the seat of my pants" rather than measuring or benching (not my thing anymore, unless it includes stress testing stability), the feeling was there, the system was faster, games loaded and ran faster and achieved higher FPS, everything performed smoother when multitasking, switching between browsers, Windows Explorere, alt+tabbing out of games, getting back into games, you name it. Those differences alone were worth it. OC-ing the G3258 is fun and what it brings to the table...beyond that, there's no reason to assume it would be any better than an i3. Multitasking is something many users and pieces of software and of course operating systems are doing these days. 

For more basic users the Pentium is a strong offering, they make great budget SoHo and even tight budget gaming PC's. I still build and sell bunches of them...most of the guys that buy gaming PC's with Pentiums upgrade to an i3/i5/i7 within a few months to a year (as that's how it is usually planned out), never once complaining or being disappointed even if they go with a non-K part.

Really it comes down to budget and needs...does the user want to spend more for more performance and upgradability with newer generation CPU's now or do they want to save a bunch of money and have something good enough to handle most of what they need (especially with a 4.0+ OC) that's fun to OC and tweak but won't really be keeping up as much into the future? Are they even interested in OC-ing and maintaining an overclocked system for a long period of time or will the OP have to babysit that portion of it? Is the OP selling something that they'll have to keep an eye on or hear about when something goes wrong? At that point, selling a non-OC'd system that is newer and faster now makes more sense.

Honestly this is a good comparison as this is a lower level of PC gaming and while there is a difference in systems, and it will be noticeable, depending on the user it might not be as big of a deal to be slower or not as able to multitask or as smooth in some software and games. If the user decides the G3258 isn't up to snuff they could always get an i3/i5/i7 for 1150 and probably be just fine as well. So plenty of ways to go about it. Frankly going G3258 now means to me upgrading in a few months to a PC that can better handle multitasking and more threads and resources....that's what I've seen at least. YMMV.


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## peche (Nov 30, 2016)

Kursah said:


> For more basic users the Pentium is a strong offering, they make great budget SoHo and even tight budget gaming PC's. I still build and sell bunches of them...most of the guys that buy gaming PC's with Pentiums upgrade to an i3/i5/i7 within a few months to a year (as that's how it is usually planned out), never once complaining or being disappointed even if they go with a non-K part.


+1



FilipM said:


> https://ark.intel.com/products/88179/Intel-Pentium-Processor-G4400-3M-Cache-3_30-GHz
> 
> How about a G4400?


also:
*Intel® Pentium® Processor G4520 *
*(3M Cache, 3.60 GHz) *

*



*

another Pentium beast, formerly skylake familly!


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## biffzinker (Nov 30, 2016)

Is waiting for the Kaby Lake Pentium that's supposedly now 2 cores/4 threads or the overclockable i3 7350K an option?


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## thebluebumblebee (Nov 30, 2016)

The G3258 is fine for those who know how to OC, but do you really want to be the one that troubleshoots any issue that comes up?  I voted for the i3 because they just work and it is the better choice for the future.  Also, if the neighbor has waited this long, you might want to wait until Zen comes out (January) to see how that will shake up the market.


m&m's said:


> i3-6100.  Cost $30 less and performs the same (-1%).


Actually, right now it's a $55 difference at Newegg.  $55 for 200 MHz is *not* worth it.  Intel has always over charged for their fastest i3's.
@Vulcansheart , I am very suspicious of that chart that you just posted.  I can't see the G3258, with it's older tech and lower clock speed, beating the i3-6100 with its newer tech and higher clock speed on the "Single Thread Rating".  I would suspect that most who have submitted results with the G3258 had it OC'd.  Look at the how "Single Thread Rating" the G3258 compares to its locked version:





Edit: If you or your neighbor is taking a trip to Atlanta, you could grab a bundle deal at Microcenter.  Right now you can get an i5-6500 (bundled with a motherboard) for $170!


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## newtekie1 (Nov 30, 2016)

1.) Maybe I'm mistaken but last I checked the G3258 required a Z87/Z97 motherboard to overclock.  The H97 doesn't have the ability to change multipliers.

2.) If you get a Z170 AsRock motherboard, and a few other Z170 motherboard, you can overclock any of the 1151 processors, locked or unlocked.  Because they allow the BCLK to be adjusted freely.  There is also a few non-Z170 motherboards that allow this type of BCLK overclocking too.


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## Jetster (Nov 30, 2016)

newtekie1 said:


> 1.) Maybe I'm mistaken but last I checked the G3258 required a Z87/Z97 motherboard to overclock.  The H97 doesn't have the ability to change multipliers.
> 
> 2.) If you get a Z170 AsRock motherboard, and a few other Z170 motherboard, you can overclock any of the 1151 processors, locked or unlocked.  Because they allow the BCLK to be adjusted freely.  There is also a few non-Z170 motherboards that allow this type of BCLK overclocking too.




The H97 can change multipliers but not voltage. At least the one I had did


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## newtekie1 (Nov 30, 2016)

Jetster said:


> The H97 can change multipliers but not voltage. At least the one I had did



Maybe you're right, its been a while since I had an H97.  Either way, without voltage control, there won't be much headroom for overclocking the G3258, and 4.5GHz is a pipe dream.


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## Kursah (Nov 30, 2016)

Yep my Asrock H97 had ran a G3258 @ 4GHz for a few months before I upgraded to an i3 (see KidPC2 in sig). I bought the board and CPU as a combo from another TPU user earlier in the year and he'd ran them OCd as well. 3.8-4GHz is common at stock volts from my experience anything beyond that is a very mixed bag and requires voltage control.

Z8/97 would do it better, the H97 is limited...and as I stated before the G3258 only supports DDR3 1333 speeds...the Z97 can allow for higher memory speeds the H97 cannot with that CPU. You can change FIVR input voltage but that doesn't help when you can't change core voltages.


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## biffzinker (Dec 1, 2016)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Edit: If you or your neighbor is taking a trip to Atlanta, you could grab a bundle deal at Microcenter. Right now you can get an i5-6500 (bundled with a motherboard) for $170!


That's a sweet deal for a Intel i5 quad core plus motherboard.


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## biffzinker (Dec 1, 2016)

Isn't Microsoft pushing out that Intel Microcode update through Windows Update that disabled overclocking a G3258 on the H97/B85/H81 PCH equipped motherboards?


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 1, 2016)

This is good stuff. The decision is even less cut and dry now, but I guess that's what makes building PC's fun and addictive...

Starting to lean towards late model offerings now because there are a lot of good arguments against the 3258, so going to start looking very closely at the current (and future) i3 and Pentium lineup.


Edit:
For those interested, this is the rest of the build as of right now on pcpartpicker:
Memory: TBD based on CPU/Mobo
Storage: Seagate FireCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 470 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($181.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC Cuboid-R MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($49.89 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX650M (free product review item)
Monitor: Existing unknown make/model 1080P @ 60hz


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 1, 2016)

I just built a I3 1151 with a AMD 480 for a co worker and it rocks for a dual core with HT.


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## monim1 (Dec 1, 2016)

Now-a-days *Intel Pentium G3258* is like crap. So investing money in it is like wasting on crap. If you don't want to be a fool, go with *Core i3-6320*. If possible take the higher generation.


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## eidairaman1 (Dec 1, 2016)

Lower model core i5 personally


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## hat (Dec 1, 2016)

It seems you're after high clocks, and core count isn't really important. I would at least spring for the cheapest i5, but it doesn't clock as high as the i3, and the hyperthreading will lend a hand in applications that do use >2 threads (not nearly as much as having 4 real cores, though).

Considering all that, I voted for the i3.


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## TRUELOVE95 (Dec 1, 2016)

For enthusiasm, and having a fun build, a G3258

for practical, i3. But if you already have a practical daily, why would you go for the i3?

The 3258 will always be a fun OC build for mashing numbersif even in the future when you have faster pcs. The i3 will not be a practical pc forever and will never be a "fun" enthusiast build unless you build one for next to dirt cheap $20 by finding the pc in a garage sale.


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## lZKoce (Dec 1, 2016)

First I wouldn't bother with 1150 build personally. No reason in my opinion, not to get 1151. If your neighbor is really on a budget G4500 can be had for 70 bucks or so- pretty close to your original post. For memory - 16 gb DDR4 2133mhz CL15 (something budget from Crucial can be had 70 bucks or so for one stick. Dual channel isn't necessary here IMO). I'd spend a bit more on the motherboard. It seems he is not a computer freak and won't change his hardware every month or so. For the MB two PCIe 16x slots for sure + one port Type C on the back - for future proofing. I'd try something from AsRock or Gigabyte. That's just personal opinion of course.


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## peche (Dec 1, 2016)

its better to reach 1151, why ? because of newer memory [DDR4] better power consumption, and options for the future, i3's are great processors so is pentium, but skylake does have petium so consider that unit a the newer budget saver, just forget about 1150 and older gens, you are starting over a new build so take advantage of the cheap prices on DDR4 and some board and get the newer processor, i vote for the skylake i3, reason: i have done several builds with all 3 i 3's of the new gen and all of then are providing great performance on gaming and work machines i have done for customers, petium builds are minimal here dunno why 

Regards,


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## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 1, 2016)

Decent board H110+any of the i3's 6320 or 6100, putting $ diference in 2x16GB ram kit or a new psu perhaps.
Got a pentium g4400 on a asrock h110m-dgs ,upgraded to a msi z170a pro for m.2 support,2 mo ramn slots, bigher speed ram support, raid support etc. more pci-e's...


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## jboydgolfer (Dec 1, 2016)

newtekie1 said:


> Maybe you're right, its been a while since I had an H97.  Either way, without voltage control, there won't be much headroom for overclocking the G3258, and 4.5GHz is a pipe dream.



 About two weeks ago I was running 4.4 GHz with a G3258 & Asrock pro4M

 It could've gone higher I just didn't push it
 I just used the non-Z overclock function I don't know if that changes voltages or not tho


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## Mats (Dec 1, 2016)

Get the 6320, or if if there's no hurry, *this*:
https://www.techpowerup.com/227869/intel-readies-overclockable-core-i3-kaby-lake-processor

Also, make sure the neighbor gets an SSD, obviously.


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 6, 2016)

So I think we are going to settle on the i3-6300 (3.8GHz) with the MSi B150M Mortar motherboard. The benefits of the later tech just seem to outweigh the higher per/core performance of the older pentium. We are going to use the stock cooler, which I'm hoping will keep everything within thermal tolerances. If not, we'll upgrade to a 120mm upright air cooler down the road.

Now, we just need to settle on the gpu. Not sure if he should spend the money on the RX470 now, or settle for the RX460 4GB with option to grab a 2nd one down the road. Any thoughts?


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## peche (Dec 6, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> So I think we are going to settle on the i3-6300 (3.8GHz) with the MSi B150M Mortar motherboard. The benefits of the later tech just seem to outweigh the higher per/core performance of the older pentium. We are going to use the stock cooler, which I'm hoping will keep everything within thermal tolerances. If not, we'll upgrade to a 120mm upright air cooler down the road.
> 
> Now, we just need to settle on the gpu. Not sure if he should spend the money on the RX470 now, or settle for the RX460 4GB with option to grab a 2nd one down the road. Any thoughts?


i3 are pretty capable processors, i admire them cause for its performance and price range they work great, also another interesting fact is that they are not hot units, stock cooler could handle the temps without problems,  so be sure just to sit the cooler properly! 



Vulcansheart said:


> Now, we just need to settle on the gpu. Not sure if he should spend the money on the RX470 now, or settle for the RX460 4GB with option to grab a 2nd one down the road. Any thoughts?


how much money is there for the GPU? GTX 1050? could also fit your needs!

Regards,


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## rtwjunkie (Dec 6, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> So I think we are going to settle on the i3-6300 (3.8GHz) with the MSi B150M Mortar motherboard. The benefits of the later tech just seem to outweigh the higher per/core performance of the older pentium.



Thanks for keeping us in the loop and letting us know your decision!


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## qubit (Dec 6, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> So I think we are going to settle on the i3-6300 (3.8GHz) with the MSi B150M Mortar motherboard. The benefits of the later tech just seem to outweigh the higher per/core performance of the older pentium. We are going to use the stock cooler, which I'm hoping will keep everything within thermal tolerances. If not, we'll upgrade to a 120mm upright air cooler down the road.
> 
> Now, we just need to settle on the gpu. Not sure if he should spend the money on the RX470 now, or settle for the RX460 4GB with option to grab a 2nd one down the road. Any thoughts?


Great choice for the CPU as 4 threads can now be critical in some applications eg certain modern games.

Definitely get a third party cooler sooner rather than later as those stock Intel ones really are s**t. They are so bad that running something really intensive such as Prime95 could overheat the CPU even without an overclock. The CPU will run hotter generally and the fan will be noisier.

I recommend an NVIDIA card if you can afford it, namely the GTX 1070 at least if you wanna ensure high framerates in the latest games. They've also got the cool new FastSync feature which gives the benefits of low lag and no tearing plus smooth animation by letting the GPU freewheel above the monitor refresh rate and discarding redundant frames. Bit of a killer feature for me which AMD doesn't have.


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## thebluebumblebee (Dec 6, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> grab a 2nd one down the road


No.
There's only 100 MHz separating the i3-6100 and the i3-6300.  IMHO, anything over $10 for that difference isn't worth it.  PcPartPicker shows a $40 difference.  Drop down to the 6100 and spend the $40 towards a better GPU.
MSI Radeon RX 480 RX 480 GAMING X 8G for $235 after $20 MIR.  ENDS IN 2 DAYS!


Vulcansheart said:


> We are going to use the stock cooler,


CPU is rated at 51 watts, so the stock cooler will be fine.  The next step up would be a copper core Intel stock cooler and then the CoolerMaster TX-3.


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## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 6, 2016)

Keep the i3 6300 and go for a lower spec mb, the one you picked if for the looks? Spare dosh can go in pocket, better gpu aftermarcket cooler....


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 6, 2016)

To answer several questions:

The owner is a 55yo retired private pilot. He has no interest in playing any AAA title games, so really no reason to splurge on a GPU. However, I chose the RX470 because of it's performance/dollar figure is very competitive. It supports 4 monitors natively (good for flight simulators) and can easily be paired with another one down the road should he choose to do so. The Nvidia selection on the other hand (I am a gtx1070 owner btw) is much pricier for similar performance, and cannot be SLI'd unless he gets a 1070 or higher, or opts for the older generation 900 series. Lastly, the motherboard was chosen because it offers a lot of features including crossfire support, and has very positive reviews for a good price ~ $75. Open to recommendations on the motherboard choice, however.

We downgraded the cpu from the 6320 to the 6300 already due to price/performance. I don't want to keep downgrading much further simply because FSX is very dependent on single-core performance. From what I understand, GHz directly correlates to FPS...

As for the cooler, I don't foresee him doing any burn-in type testing or benchmarking such as Prime95, so I'll take the majority vote and utilize the stock cooler. It can easily be changed out later so no need to put it into the initial build.

He is away on vacation until Friday, so I have a few days to finish this build on paper before he returns and we start ordering parts.

EDIT:
As it sits currently:


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## peche (Dec 6, 2016)

great but seems you missed psu and dunno about optical drives, configurations seems to be great for the intended use!


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 6, 2016)

peche said:


> great but seems you missed psu and dunno about optical drives, configurations seems to be great for the intended use!


Sorry, yes, I should clarify. I am donating a PSU to his build as a gesture of good faith lol. He is my neighbor after all, and I intend to play his flight simulator when it's complete! It's a corsair CX650M that was a product review sample, so no skin off my back by gifting it away.

We will probably recycle his DVD/RW SATA drive from his existing machine. If he didn't watch movies and rip audio regularly, I wouldn't even have picked a case with a 5.25" bay...


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## peche (Dec 6, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> I am donating a PSU to his build as a gesture of good faith lol. He is my neighbor after all, and I intend to play his flight simulator when it's complete! It's a corsair CX650M that was a product review sample, so no skin off my back by gifting it away.


since its a donation no worries, but 650w its way too much for that build, i have done i3 builds iun the past and normally use 430-500w PSU's 


Vulcansheart said:


> We will probably recycle his DVD/RW SATA drive from his existing machine. If he didn't watch movies and rip audio regularly, I wouldn't even have picked a case with a 5.25" bay...


you could also just plug the drive for the format process, leave the rig without an optical drive, but be sure that new owner wont need it ! 

Regards,


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 6, 2016)

peche said:


> since its a donation no worries, but 650w its way too much for that build, i have done i3 builds iun the past and normally use 430-500w PSU's
> 
> you could also just plug the drive for the format process, leave the rig without an optical drive, but be sure that new owner wont need it !
> 
> Regards,


It is overkill, but the advantage is he can still crossfire the RX470 later without needing a new PSU.

As for his OS, i intend to image his existing machine onto the new drive. It will certainly require some finagling drivers, but nothing I haven't accomplished in the past lol. If it goes badly, I'll end up installing everything fresh using my usb optical drive, but it will prove to be a daunting task due to all the mods and addons to his FSX directory... he isn't sure he has all of his keys and discs for everything.


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## peche (Dec 6, 2016)

those 2 points are great so, you have everything done! 
best wishes on new build, let us know !


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 6, 2016)

Updated build sheet:



 

I'm not sure what he has for peripherals, or his primary display make/model, so I'll leave those out for now.


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## peche (Dec 6, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> I'm not sure what he has for peripherals, or his primary display make/model, so I'll leave those out for now.


those make a great build! also there are a few combos like TT's commander combo, mouse & keyboard for like $30 - 50


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## thebluebumblebee (Dec 6, 2016)

For that kind of user, I would also be trying to build a silent system.  May I suggest a case like the Fractal Design Define Mini C Black Silent Compact MATX Mini Tower


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## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 6, 2016)

Maybe the user uses a Hi-Fi Audio ,ReceiverAmp+speakers or headphones or any other or none and most likely the unit would be more than a couple of feet away as I imagine he has PC flight sim perhipals, but might as well be a silent for any other tasks if its a factor , factor not pointed so far or I missed it.


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 7, 2016)

thebluebumblebee said:


> For that kind of user, I would also be trying to build a silent system.  May I suggest a case like the Fractal Design Define Mini C Black Silent Compact MATX Mini Tower


I'll check it out and consider it. Thanks for the suggestion.


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## thebluebumblebee (Dec 10, 2016)

I just noticed that the case that I pointed to is the "C" variant, which comes without optical drive bays.  The version that comes with ODB's is on *Shell Shocker sale today only* for $60 after a $10 MIR.  Fractal Design Define Mini Black Silent MATX


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 10, 2016)

My neighbor just got back in town last night, so we will probably get together this afternoon, drink a few beers, and order parts. Let y'all know what the final build comes out to!


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 11, 2016)

We got everything ordered. At the last minute, we decided to switch the chip to the i3-6100, changed to a H170 board to support higher PCIe bandwidth on multi-GPU configuration (future proofing), and changed the memory slightly. Everything else has remained. We ordered everything through newegg to keep it under a single retailer and single purchase. Probably could have saved a couple dollars here or there by scattering it across multiple sites, but it was a lot less headache this way. Thanks to everyone who contributed knowledge and suggestions to the build!

Final purchased components:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2BttLD
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2BttLD/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  (Purchased For $119.99)
Motherboard: ASRock H170M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (Purchased For $89.99)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  (Purchased For $79.99)
Storage: Seagate FireCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $78.99)
Video Card: VisionTek Radeon RX 470 4GB Overclocked Video Card  (Purchased For $159.99)
Case: DIYPC Cuboid-R MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (Purchased For $54.98)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For $0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM 64-bit  (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $583.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-10 23:12 EST-0500


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## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 11, 2016)

All in all it looks good. Strange it is to me that "multi gpu future proofing", but if mb supports an m.2 device its ok.


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 11, 2016)

dont whant to set it"' said:


> All in all it looks good. Strange it is to me that "multi gpu future proofing", but if mb supports an m.2 device its ok.


I'm not sure what you mean. Yes, the h170 does have m.2 support whereas the b170 did not. So, maybe one day he will want to take advantage of that feature.

The h170 was only about $10 more than the b170 we had originally picked, so I think it makes sense.

EDIT:
I meant B150, not B170.


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## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 11, 2016)

I for one wouldnt bother with .ulti gpu's, one-two gpu gens later on would "trash" a current gen(and tier) one in all aspects more so in perf/watt , so a second gpu of same type not qorth it unless ita free and even then power consumption ,thermal managemwnt catches up... random two cents.


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## Mats (Dec 12, 2016)

Exactly, just look how much performance/$ changed with Pascal compared to the previous cards. I haven't seen any 900 series card that can match it. Last gen cards usually never drop that much in price, for obvious reasons.


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## peche (Dec 12, 2016)

Vulcansheart said:


> Case: DIYPC Cuboid-R MicroATX Mini Tower Case (Purchased For $54.98)


this is the case?
looks cute, be careful and patient when managing cables for a clean look, small cases are complicated compared to mid tower ones!

great parts indeed,


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## Mats (Dec 13, 2016)

peche said:


> this is the case?
> looks cute, be careful and patient when managing cables for a clean look, small cases are complicated compared to mid tower ones!


I just checked the volume, it's 46 l, not what I'd call small.


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## peche (Dec 13, 2016)

Mats said:


> I just checked the volume, it's 46 l, not what I'd call small.


Well, i hope when assembling you wont pass hard-time with the reduced space!


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## Vulcansheart (Dec 15, 2016)

I received everything yesterday, took a few hours to completely assemble the rig with cable management being a top priority. I must say, I am very pleased with all of it thus far. The case turned out great. Almost everything is removable, making it super easy to negotiate all of the crevices. For $49 (went on sale after purchase) it is definitely worth it.

Not sure if I should start a new thread, but I have lots of pics, with more to come after OS and FSX are installed. Anywho, here's some teasers:

Edit: Build photos here [https://pcpartpicker.com/b/sMf8TW]


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