Need help deciding between two builds

[GenericSauron]

I'm trying to decide between the following two custom MITX builds with:

In Win BQ656T case with 120w power supply
240GB Crucial BX200 SSD
Good WiFi Motherboard (too lazy to look them up again)

Now what I'm trying to decide between:

(A) An AMD A10-7800 with 8GB DDR3-1866

or

(B) A Core i3-6300 with 8GB DDR4 2133

For some perspective, I want to game, AND do 3d modeling and a few other CPU-intensive tasks like compiling. Both systems end up being about the same price - the A10 system has a cheaper CPU but more expensive motherboard and ends up being $10 cheaper. I don't care about upgrade paths since upgrading is pretty much shot on a 120w power supply and to an extent, such a tiny case.

What the A10 has going for it is an exceptional integrated graphics processor for gaming. It might come in handy.

What the i3-6300 system has going for it is that it's 14+ watts more power efficient which decreases the odds of overloading the power supply, though I don't think it will anyway, and also, that it tends to have about 25-33% more CPU performance according to benchmarks.

For some more perspective, I wanted something small that could beat an older Core i3 laptop I have which has integrated graphics, 4GB single-channel RAM, and a 5400RPM hard drive....

 

[wingman99]

Are you going to build it and what is your budget. For the work you are doing I don't think you will beat that old laptop vary much at all with a side grade, you need more cores and clock speed.

I would be looking at Core i7-6700.

 

[GenericSauron]

My budget is $500. I plan on buying from Superbiiz because I have had good experiences from them (knock on wood) and they build parts into a computer for free. I haven't decided yet whether to build it myself or have them do it for free and bypass the RMA process because if something doesn't work right in the time they have it, they just take out a new part box and open it up.

What exactly did you have in mind? Me going for a Core i5?

You are certainly right about this being a sidegrade, but as it stands, this sidegrade should net 2x the performance. More if you have better ideas of how to spend the money.

Edit: You updated your post. I will say, I can't afford an i7.

 

[wingman99]

Ok I see where you are coming from I would go with the i3-6300. It's just that ever since the megahertz race is over cores and efficiency is the only redeemer, just don't expect miracles.

EDIT: I think the i5-6400 will do much better for you..

 

[GenericSauron]

I do have a tiny bit more info to bring to the table as well. I once had an i7-2600 with 8GB RAM and a 7200RPM hard drive. The CPU was so fast, I wouldn't want anything greater now. And if you look at benchmarks, the Skylake i5 can perform well and pretty similarly against it. Unfortunately I had to sell the rig because I was going away to college. So where I'm going with this, is I know from experience that I won't need a Skylake i7. I understand what you mean though, I think. Which only leaves the questions of, i3 or i5? And will either have enough GPU power in this setup so that I don't wish I went A10, since I can't upgrade the GPU due to my choice of an ultra small case that fits on my desk. And although I have personal experience that I won't need better than a Skylake i5 level of performance, I don't have personal experience of whether a Skylake i3 would be enough. It would just be cheaper.

 

[wingman99]

Well you have had a i7-2600 then a skylake is 25% boost with equivalent cpu. Amd cores are not efficient cores compared to intel and the clock speed is faster, however they have a deeper pipe line stage so that is why intel performs better. If you think that the i7 2600 is fast then you will be ok with a i5.

 

[GenericSauron]

I'm going i5-6400. Game engines just love i5s, I'm finding out through online benchmarks. Thanks for the help, and people can leave this thread open in case there is anything people want to add. I will read it.

 

[wingman99]

Here is a bench mark that I found that favors AMD. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1291?vs=144

 

[GenericSauron]

It's comparing the 650, a 6 year old processor, not the 6500....

 

[wingman99]

Sorry about that, I need to look at reviews in 2014 for A10-7800 and it looks like the i5 6400 will do better browsing on the internet also all productivity. Here is a review for i5 4590 and A10-7800 it will be close to i5 6400. http://techreport.com/review/26845/amd-a10-7800-processor-reviewed/5

Are you going to game?

 

[caddi daddi]

I have an I5 4570s in an itx build, its friggen sweet, I love my 8350 rig, I love my 1090T's, but......... i'll keep the 4570s rig.

 

[GenericSauron]

Yeah, I'll be gaming. I want to play any game I can, at around 1280x720. I don't expect to play Dying Light, but I do have games like Cities Skylines in mind.

 

[wingman99]

You will be fine at 1280x720 resolution for gaming you can even use 1080p on some games. It will be a good thing you are going with the skylake for graphics it has the HD 530 GPU processor. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/skylake-intel-core-i7-6700k-core-i5-6600k,4252-9.html