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Palmer
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So why is everyone jumping all over themselves to purchase the core i3-3225 for an htpc build running xbmc? I mean isn't this completely overkill for this? Or am I missing something here? I mean as far as htpc xbmc use is concerned your spending at least double on a CPU which you will only be using a fraction of its power? Is it that it's just new and shinny with hd400 graphics?
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2012-09-08, 07:00
(This post was last modified: 2012-09-08, 07:07 by Arkitket.)
The reasons I went with the i3-3225 is because I needed a CPU that was powerful enough to transcode media for streaming between Plex Media Server and Roku, while playing media on the TV it is hooked up to. I originally was looking at the i3-2120, but the Ivy Bridge add's a small increase in performance, and the HD 4000 should be enough to allow me to do some light gaming without requiring a discrete GPU. All this while not breaking the bank as well.
However, I agree that the i3-3225 is overkill if all you are doing is using it on a single TV without and encoding/transcoding/light gaming needs. For that I would probably suggest the new Ivy Bridge Pentium G2120 or the i3-3220. I was originally looking at an A6-3500 or A8-3850 system, but the fact that Llano is EOL kind of pushed me towards Intel's 1155 in the end
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Palmer
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lol so much pressure to build an htpc with the i3-3225.........I don't know if I can resist now
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With all this i3 talk, I'm beginning to be a bit leery with my CPU choice of the G540. The IB i3's have a passmark rating of 4,800+ compared to the G540's measly 2,300, so I'm beginning to think I my CPU may not be powerful enough.
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2012-09-08, 16:37
(This post was last modified: 2012-09-08, 16:38 by Arkitket.)
It all depends on what you want your HTPC to do snowboarder33. If you don't plan on doing any CPU intensive tasks (madVR, encoding/transcoding, etc) and don't plan on gaming; but still would like an IB, go with the Pentium G2120. It is only $100 opposed to $150 for the i3-3225.
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2012-09-11, 09:32
(This post was last modified: 2012-09-11, 09:33 by tutu.)
An arm cpu or atom with gpu can play 1080p fine so you'll be fine