Core i3-2105 vs. Phenom II 970 X4 – the Importance of Hyper-Threading in Gaming
Core i3-2105 vs Phenom II 970 X4 Performance in 20 games
Here are the summary charts of our 20 games and 3 synthetic tests. In the first three columns, the GTX 580 is tested together with Core i3-2105 with HT On versus HT Off, and also versus the Phenom II 970 X4. The highest settings are always chosen and it is DX11 when there is a choice; DX10 is picked above DX9, and the settings are ultra or maxed (except for Shogun II on “high”). Exact settings are listed in last week’s Catalyst 11.10 versus GeForce 285.62 driver comparison.
The fourth (last) results column shows the Core i3-2105’s IG tested at 720p without AA and at the lowest possible settings – except for Batman and Left 4 Dead, set to maximum – as noted on the chart.
All results, except for Vantage and 3DMark11, show average framerates and higher is always better. In the first 3 results columns tested with the GTX 580, in-game settings are fully maxed out and they are identically high or ultra across all platforms except for Shogun II where it is tested at the benchmark’s generic “high” DX11 1080p settings.
Now let’s look at the same information expressed in two graphs. First up is 1080p testing of the GTX 580 across the 3 platforms on ultra settings – Phenom Quad-core versus Intel Dual-core; HT On versus HT Off.
Next we test the integrated HD 3000 Graphics on minimal settings, no AA and all games at 720p. Only Batman and Left 4 Dead are tested at maximum in-game settings, 1xAA.
We see the Core i3-2105 holding its own in gaming – fair results with IG at 720p/low details, and good results when paired with the GTX 580 – and of course when HT is left on as it should be by default. And yet we see the aging Phenom II quad, by virtue of its higher clockspeed and extra cores, hanging on – well-positioned by AMD as to price against the newer Intel i3 architecture.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was about the usefulness of Hyper-Threading in gaming in some of the games that we tested. It made a real difference as to performance in some games and very little negative impact when it was not useful. Later on, we will look at the effects of Hyper-Threading in games with Quad-Core Intel CPUs, but that is for a future article.
After this evaluation, we feel we can give you some conclusions. Head to the last page.
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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