Worth upgrading i3 2120 to i7 2600 for arcade machine?

[equlizer]

It would cost me $50 for the upgrade and give him my i3 2120.

[tonesmalone]

It would cost me $50 for the upgrade and give him my i3 2120.

Depends what you want to emulate. Most emulators don't use more than 2 cores. Clock speed is the key with CPUs and emulation. If the clock speed of the i7 is lower than the i3 - then you'll actually get worse performance.


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[Malenko]

The i7 has better single core performance, a better clock speed, and is more easily overclocked, and more cores. The much larger L2 and L3 cache on the i7 is also a big bump up from the i3.

If its a 2600K then its a no brainer to switch (Ks are unlocked) . You will get a gain in performance but if its worth $50 is ultimately up to you. Personal opinion, I'd swap CPUs with him, but make sure you have adequate cooling for the chip. I'm assuming you are keeping the same mobo/Ram/etc since both chips are LGA-1155s.

[Guywiththegun]

$50?? Do it! You'll come across some laggy game that will make you regret it if you don't.

[tonesmalone]

The i7 has better single core performance, a better clock speed, and is more easily overclocked, and more cores. The much larger L2 and L3 cache on the i7 is also a big bump up from the i3.

If its a 2600K then its a no brainer to switch (Ks are unlocked) . You will get a gain in performance but if its worth $50 is ultimately up to you. Personal opinion, I'd swap CPUs with him, but make sure you have adequate cooling for the chip. I'm assuming you are keeping the same mobo/Ram/etc since both chips are LGA-1155s.

Yep, in this instance it's a good buy. The point stands re clock speed though. I've seen people needlessly waste money on more cores, with lower clocks - which won't perform as well, at least for nobody emulators.


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