Core i3-2105 vs. Phenom II 970 X4 – the Importance of Hyper-Threading in Gaming
Core i3 Dual-core vs. Phenom II Quad-core. in gaming
This evaluation is focused on the Core i3-2105 in gaming with and without Hyper-Threading. And since there is integrated HD 3000 Graphics built into the CPU, we will also bench it using it at low details and a low 720p resolution. As in previous similar testing, we will continue to prove a point in gaming – that the video card makes the most difference as long as it is paired with a capable CPU.
If you look at just about every other tech site, they compare the Intel CPUs to the Phenom IIs using low to medium details and at low to medium resolutions with 3 or 4 games – something that no gamer can relate to. Instead, let’s give you practical gaming results at the 1080p resolution that most gamers play at and with the highest details and highest levels of Anti-aliasing the game allows. And let’s use twenty (20) modern games to give you a good feel for what to expect from our two test CPU platforms.
Overclocking
Phenom II X4 CPUs are multiplier unlocked and can easily be overclocked to close to 4GHz. On the other hand, the Core i3-2105 is locked and cannot be overclocked in the traditional manner. Only the base clock may be overclocked which overclocks the entire system. Overclocks of 3-5+% with stability are reported and there can be a small performance boost.
Here is CPU-Z information of our stock Core i3-2105
Next check out the cache information.
Let’s look at the HD 3000 Graphics and as you can see CPU-z is misidentifying the graphics as 2000; it is HD 3000 and you will see its performance in light gaming.
Let’s check out the Phenom II CPU-Z ID information. Notice that power draw – Maximum TDP – is almost double that of the Core i3-2105!
As you can see, we picked the 17.5 multiplier – the same 3.5GHz clock and multiplier as the Phenom II 970 X4. Effectively we are testing with a Phenom II 970 X4 BE.
Power Draw
We kept an eye on power and the Core i3-2105 kept within its specified TDP of 65W. It is a very cool-running CPU and any cooler should be able to keep it cool. We received an engineering sample of our Core i3-2105 from Intel and we had to search for our Cooler Master Hyper N-212 CPU cooler which we reviewed here. We also had to scramble for a CPU cooling fan, however, as we are running 4 PC systems simultaneously. We settled on a 140mm ultra-silent Noctua NF-P14 FLX fan which we paper-clipped (securely) to the Cooler Master cooler.
This Core i3-2105 is ideal for a Home Theater PC (HTPC). With such a light power draw of only 65W, it would not need much in the way of cooling and it is quite powerful for any HTPC task. On the other hand, the Quad-core Phenom II X4 draws about double the power at 125W!
Please continue on to the next page for the complete hardware and software setup of our platforms – Core i3-2105 versus Phenom II 970. We shall see what happens with performance again in PC gaming when dual-Core i3 with HT meets Phenom II X4 quad-core in the Autumn of 2011.
The scope of this article is excellent. Thank you for uncovering so much ground here!
I see that PhII is a far better value, especially for overclockers. It pretty much trumps the Core i3 in most multi-threaded applications, while dominating in 4 games and being equal in the rest.
A note about HD 3000 and gaming.. low settings are FUGLY, aren’t they? Really, really, really ugly, right? 😛
Thank-you!
Actually, some games look fairly good on low settings. Some games scale the visuals much better than others. Some DX10 games on minimum look way better than many DX7 and some DX8 games on maximum settings, for example.
Very nice article. I recently bought a 2105 for an htpc and my gaming computer has a PhII. The 2105 is a much better choice for htpc because at this price point, I’m saving $40 with built-in graphics. The chip also runs much cooler and the whole system is therefore far quieter, costs less in electricity, etc.
For gaming, PhII at this price is the way to go because I need a dedicated card anyway, and overclocking. Of course, a 2500k for $100 more is also a good option.
My only criticism of the article would be a breakdown of the 3dmark11 scores. Theres so much info in there, and scrolling between images is cumbersome. I particularly like that test’s “productivity” breakdown (windows startup, etc).
Thank-you. You conclusion agrees with mine almost exactly.
The easiest way to compare the PCMark Vantage details between the Phenom II and the Core i3, is to open each chart in a separate window in your web browser and place them side by side. They will then line up and are very easy to compare.
However, for next time, I will try to make a chart for the important comparisons like was done for Sandra 2012.
Just curious which one had the lowest low min fps?
Minimums varied by game.
In essence it looks like more and more games are supporting >2 cores. Finally. And the PhII architecture is basically adequate today but Intel’s superior IPC is rapidly pulling ahead (when a 2/4 core can match a true 4 core chip in games that utilize 4 cores…well, it’s not looking good for AMD).
Looking forward to seeing a comparison of 2600K HT/HT off to see if this scales beyond 4 cores.
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