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I guess you should add a graphics card.

Also, an upgrade to a 19" monitor would only be marginal additional cost I think.

It is also worthwhile to ensure the motherboard has support for as much more RAM as possible for future expansion.

I'm assuming that the Core i3 is the 530 model. So, the thing is, as a gaming processor, it's excellent. But being a dual-core, it's not as good at multi-tasking. The funny thing is that Athlon triple core and quad-cores are available at a lower price. They're not as good at gaming, but will prove to be better when using multiple light applications.

If you want to go higher up, you have the option of an i5 [i5 750, or its updated version, which, I guess is 755] is a quad core processor, and has all the good things that the i3 has, and more. You can also get an AMD Athlon X4 955 [Quad-core]. Don't get the Black edition, as you won't be overclocking, I presume.

But if you get a processor as good as an i5, you'll have to throw in a cheap graphics card as well if you wish to strike some balance between processing and graphics power. This will call for a better PSU as well.

Do take care of the motherboard as well. Indian vendors have this habit of fixing any 'compatible motherboard' available, which, in many cases, may not be the best choice.

So, your options are :-

1. You can spend an additional 10k, which will reduce performance disparity with newer components in the years to come. [i5/X4 955 + Graphics Card + good PSU]

2. You can buy a cheaper AMD X3/X4, and couple it with a cheap graphics card, and a good PSU. You'll have to shell about 3-4k more , but it is a good contender as well.

3. You can stick with your current configuration.

The only reason I'm not outrightly recommending Option 2 is that your current configuration has an Intel, and Intels have better instruction sets. Many apps show better performance with Intels than with slightly better AMDs. This doesn't apply to gaming, however.

First big THANKS to Glass & Anku
@Glass - There're limitless possibilities to do this, but my requirements are very minimal; I already have a desktop which is only a Pentium D dual core processor with onboard graphics card which supports the games that I play to a great extent. So I will not be going in for a graphics card for sure. Sorry about that!!!

Yes it is

Its a quad core :). I'd this checked with the vendor's laptop fixed with i3 processor.

Gaming is not a priority now

No overclocking, no tweaking, I like to maintain in stock condition. Is i5 proven stable? This is all my question. For my requirement on browsing & watching small videos through online, do I really need i3 or i5? Even if I go for i5, is i5 a proven product in the market? This is my primary question.

I only plays NFS III, 6, Porsche unleashed, AOE3 & NFG UG for which I'm more than confident that the i3's mother board is more than sufficient.

Yes, no juggad here; I'm planning only with i3's kit.

You mean i3?

Last but not least, how do I find the make of my mother board & download the drivers? I'm struggling for them with my current desktop as I seem to have lost the CD's. Pls suggest a dumb & easy method, I need to download them using my laptop & carry over to the desktop for installation. Tks.

1. Get a new HDD and reinstall the OS. That should give you some respite.

2. Why don't you think of a laptop. AT 25K-35K you can get plenty of machines which should satisfy your requirements. Further a laptop has lower power and desk top space requirements. If you go for a laptop get a three year warranty add on (around 3-5K) and you have three years of trouble free ownership experience.

With today's laptops getting more and more powerful, there is really no need to go for desktops until and unless you are like me - Dual Quad Xeon, 3 Monitors and 4TB disk space. For most of the day to day functions including gaming a laptop should suffice.

No, it's a dual-core with hyperthreading. You must've seen the clock speed being repeated four times in the System properties, I'm not sure how multiple cores or hyperthreading display themself, since I have neither. :D

Intel® Core? i3-530 Processor (4M Cache, 2.93 GHz) with SPEC Code(s) SLBLR, SLBX7 [Link to Intel's product specifications. All Core i3s, and all Arrandale family Core i5s are dual cores with hyperthreading. Only Lynnfield family i5s and i7s are quad-cores.]

While hyperthreading is a good thing, it's no match for a higher number of physical cores.

Another thing, chips made for laptop are a lot different than those for desktops, even if the model number is same. A Core i3 530M [Mobility series, for laptops and netbooks] will always be slower than a i3 530 made for desktops.

i5 is solid value for its price. All the products I've suggested [Including all the AMDs] are processors that have proven their worth. If you can buy an i5, go with it. It's the most expensive of all those I've suggested, but you can't go wrong with it.

Even the Core i3 is more than enough for basic stuff. Although you may feel limited by its capabilities 4 years from now.

Your choice. A graphics card can be added anytime. Since your current cabinet + PSU costs just 1.6k, you won't be losing much if you dump this PSU and add a new one some time in the future.

Yes.

You don't need the motherboard info, only the chipset info as far as I know. Download this tool.

CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

On launching it, switch to the Motherboard [Or Chipset, can't recall] tab, it'll have your chipset model number. After that, just go to the Chipset manufacturer's website and input the chipset to download the drivers.

Yes I've done that, the issue is only with MB drivers. I guess Anku's suggestion will help.

You mean branded or unbranded? I know its convenient & easy to hang around, but still, upgrade & other things become difficult in future. But in desktop, things are much easier. I'm already having a good troublesome experience with brand new Dell Lattitude in office. Since its not personal, things are much easier.

Yes, you're spot on

Considering the fact that quad core was itself a failure model, what do you think on i5? I'm little nervous. I do not like to see my desktop getting into a unreliable piece of junk. I go mad looking at that.

Point agreed.

Functionally, they should be the same right?

Reliability is my question, that too its quite new in the market & the vendor himself says everyone's buying i3 these days due to expensive i5. I was considering i5 because, it would take sometime to get outdated compared to i3.

If 4 years is the time, then i3 is more than sufficient to me

Let me tell you what I think.
I really need to take a call on my existing system - Pentium D, DDR2, 2GB, 200GB & old 15" monitor (not LCD). I upgraded this in 2008 & its still better than my Dell Lattitude; so I'm not sure if anyone would buy this system or keep this in addition to the new one or upgrade the existing one. Yes, its a little confusion here.

That's fantastic to hear. I'll do it right this evening. Thanks & appreciate to share the info.

I have a Vaio picked up last year which runs on a Core2 Duo(T6400) processor and an ATi 512MB graphic card on Windows 7 and my office laptop is a Core i5(M 520) with the Intel GMA card (Lenovo couple of months old). I find the Vaio with the Core2Duo processor perform a lot better be it in daily chores (word, ppt, excel, and browsing), Photoshop work and some bit of video editing as well as occasional gaming. Every other configuration is similar except that the Vaio screen size is 16.4.

@anku94: Though in my case both are laptops, I strangely always find the Vaio to be a breeze to work with. Any ideas why this might be the case

few weeks back i got a new laptop at work, replacement for my nc6400. its a nc8440 a.k.a Road Warrior with Intel Core i5 M540, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 14" HD LED screen, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD with 1GB RAM and lot more.. running Windows 7 x64 Enterprise Edition!

one word to describe it - AWESOME! :D

It'd be unfair to call quad-cores a 'failure'. See, for a user to experience performance boost on switching to more cores, the software itself has to be optimized to distribute its load across all cores. While many programs [Rendering, encoding etc.] that depend heavily on CPUs have been optimized for multi-threading, the majority of software in the market remains single-threaded. For that majority, a 2.00 Ghz Quad Core is as good as a 2.00 Ghz Dual Core, provided other things like cache size, instruction sets etc. remain the same.

The only area where multiple cores currently perform better is multi-tasking. However, as more and more software is optimized, that is expected to change in the future.

Yes, they're quite similar. Mostly, it's reduced cache size and lesser number of transistors.

It's as reliable as a Core i3. Reliability is not an issue with modern processors.

And I can't really answer your question on the time it'll take to get outdated. If you were satisfied with the performance of your Pentium D, I'd say that an i3 could take you through the next four years.

I honestly am stumped. The i5 is better than the Core 2 Duo. It has to perform better. Possible reasons that might be causing a poorer performance could be more background apps, or that a Windows install becomes slower after some time. For some reason, the decay might have been accelerated in the i5. I'm sure a fresh Windows install on both lappies will show that the i5 is, indeed, the better performer.

Technically speaking, i5 has a higher clock frequency [2.4 GHz vs 2.00 GHz for Core 2 Duo], Turbo Boost and Hyperthreading, while the Core 2 Duo does not.

You mean the laptop's real estate is less right?

But sorry Aroy, RI & Ironhawk, I'm in no mood for laptop. I prefer a desktop for home, though I love to have a laptop. After my bad experience with Dell Latitude, laptops are "no no" for me.

This was the statement of the assembler!!!

I hope that's taken care in i3/i5.

Hmmm...ok. In that case, let me see how things work out; I'm not a big fan of LCD, so it doesn't impress me. All I need is a power that I can afford. In addition, if I get hold of 2 systems, that serves me dual purpose, with Wifey & Son's stuff on old one & mine on new one. Also I'll need to network both of them which is another expense.

So I understand that i5 is quite reliable & so is i3. I'll enquire the prices with one more assembler & settle in with the guy who's giving me better offer.

Thanks so much guys. I appreciate your inputs; once I finalize or buy things, I'll keep you posted on the outcome. Thanks once again. @Anku - your posts have very much influenced my decision.

Exactly. If you add the cost of the UPS, portability, etc.. the difference is even less noticeable. With desktops however you get a 24"+ screen. A portable laptop is 12-14".

Aroy, what do you think about the Alienware 11x vs the Lenovo X201?

Laptops are a pain to fiddle with. You are pretty much stuck with what you buy. Laptops also seem to be built to die just after the warranty expires.

Have to say, on the last point, that my own HP laptop, although it has been to hospital a couple of times, has way outlived the HP desktop I got at around the same time. I do think I'm lucky, though, to have a 5-plus-yr-old laptop still running.

I second that. A desktop is a lot more comfortable to work longer durations and is easier to upgrade or mix and match. And it is known that a laptop's keyboard, touch pad etc. are not really ergonomic. Adding them all as separate units defeats the purpose of mobility.

As for UPS, if you have a modem/router, you will need one anyway.

It is more to do with most of us NOT working the right way.

It is a good decision to go for a desktop but please don't do so based on your experience with Dell Latitude laptops. I have used 2 Dell Laptops, 1 Lenovo and 1 Vaio. The 1st Laptop I had long long time back was a Dell Latitude D600 and it gave me no trouble at all. The 2nd one (Latitude D820) though was terrible. (2 HDD changes, a mother board change, 3 display changes) and to top it all off, I know many others who had a hell lot of trouble.
The Vaio is over a year old and no trouble whatsoever and I wish it remains so. The Lenovo also though couple of months old, doesnt give me trouble.
In fact as per the IT colleagues in my company, the trouble given by Dell Laptops is way higher than compared to the rest except Toshiba which gets so hot that you can actually make an omlette after using it for some time !clap:

My point simple, if you pick up a good branded laptop it will give you 4 years of trouble free service for sure!

Same here. I was all excited to lay my hand on a new T410 with an i5 processor but soon after a few days, I realized the Vaio gives me better performance! Maybe it is because of the Graphic card, which would be the only thing lacking in the Lenovo.