Hardware Intel Core i3-4130 (Haswell) Review

We test Intel's latest generation of Core i3 CPU which is based on its new Haswell architecture .
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/11/14/intel-core-i3-4130-haswell-review/1

 

Too bad that the Q6600 is not present in the perf charts. How does this i3 compare to a Q6600 ?

 

*sigh* - and again BT wont review AMD cpu`s - or if they do they use Intel benefiting titles.


why not use BF4? oh that's right , because AMD are faster than the i7 and the FX6350 is faster than an i5...

 

Which would you like us to review?

 

maybe try a broader range of modern games? - anand has shown cpu scaling on AMD in the likes of TR , Cry 3 and BF3 and 4 , to the point where they actually recommend both the FX 6350 and 8350 for budget / mid range builds (along with the i3 and i5) , as they all are very suitable for single and dual high end cards.

 

I`m just sad tbh - I really wanted to see one of the highest end chips - the 9xxx or even the server kit in some of your reviews , but sadly its not the case - the 12 or 16 core are real monsters for the tasks they are well suited for!

 

thanks Combatus!

 

I just don't think - while you use your own test to measure CPU performance - that your CPU reviews are relevant.

I don't trust your driver, software and os versions to do this properly.

Also, on my PC I can't download your benchmark. I am greeted with some XML instead.

 

Just built a HTPC using one of these, the HD4000 series is perfectly fine for driving 1080p and the CPU side with a SSD makes Windows respond quickly. Topped off with a low TDP it can stay on 24/7 without costing too much.

Easily records 4 HD TV streams and plays 1080p Video over the network all at the same time. A little pricey for a dual core but it strengths makes that worthwhile.

A great little chip for most users.

 

I have said before when will the suite be updated?? its 4 years old now , and all the applications have been updated many times to take advantage of newer cpu`s.

 

An update to our custom test suite is simply not on the cards right now but we'll certainly be looking at other tests we could transition to, and will also look at covering the other CPUs mentioned.

 

Skyrim and Shogun... Yawn.

FFS come on Bit Tech. Your forums are lagging behind on tech news and info because you're not providing it

I don't understand why GPUs get the modern game treatment but CPUs are left to two old games that don't count for crap any more. I mean jeez, I know I played Fallout 3 for a long time but even I wouldn't be playing Skyrim any more.

 

I accept its not brand new but Skyrim has a huge community following, lots of new mods, hours and hours of new content with many still playing it and is heavy on cpu usage.

So I can see the merits I testing it (along with Shogun 2 which is a big cpu lover)

Having said all that, I cant deny that having a few other newer titles would be helpful.

 

you confuse me! in some reviews handbrake is version 0.9.9 , but the version in the test suite is 4 years old :

eg

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2013/07/02/haswell-and-richland-gpu-testing/4

that's the new one

its just the all-in-one test suite which could use an update version wise.

 

Look... I understand using Handbrake. That is fine. Gimp only if it is the most recent iterations.

However, as you are using a batch of applications that was, assumed, assembled in 2007 going buy the title, it doesn't look like a very fair test. 6 years is a long time in the world of PCs. (don't get me wrong, I don't mind that you use your own stuff... but what is relevant about it other than "people use Gimp man" ?)

Also, I'm not an AMD henchman, as I'm sure some recent arguments can attest to, but we know that Win7 needs hotfixes applied. You don't explain whether these are installed or not. Plus we know that Windows 8, love it or loathe it, is the future. Unless you want to include some linux love...

Lastly, as much as I like this place, the sheer vastness of other sites' CPU tests in comparison weighs heavily on my opinion of the review. Just go look at the applications that Tomshardware tested haswell 4770k on... so many. Or head over to Techreport... so many games, IGP tested, lots of software. In fact, here is a list of stuff Techreport tested:

AIDA64 2.99.2446 beta
Stream 5.8 64-bit
SiSoft Sandra 2013.SP3a
7-Zip 9.20 64-bit
TrueCrypt 7.1a
Google Chrome 27.0.1453.94 m
SunSpider 1.0
The Panorama Factory 5.3 x64 Edition
POV-Ray for Windows 3.7 RC7 64-bit
Cinebench R11.5 64-bit Edition
LuxMark 2.0
x264 encoder r2334
Handbrake 0.9.9 64-bit
picCOLOR 4.0 build 786 64-bit
Qtbench 0.2.2
MyriMatch proteomics benchmark
CASE Lab Euler3d CFD benchmark multithreaded edition
Crysis 3
Far Cry 3
Tomb Raider
GRID (2 pre-release)
Metro: Last Light
FRAPS 3.5.99

I don't expect you to have to do all that... but I want to know that your software is up to date. And whilst you continue to use something with 2007 in the title I'm going to remain staunchly in the camp of "Bit-tech needs to update its CPU articles man"

Edit: I appreciate that IGP stuff may have been in a separate article.

EDIT 2: I missed this:

Fair enough, but the longer it takes, the less valid those results seem. Thanks for an honest update.

I think you are overly harsh here Andy... For starters, most of us seem to get our information from elsewhere... as you keep seeing in our posts in the hardware section when there is commotion over discussions. It's not that we are behind the times. It is Bit-tech's CPU test methodology.

Skyrim is relevant because it is CPU bound apparently - plus I still play it. But else I agree.

 

Anyone else finding it weird that all of the sudden everyone is pissed about the tests being used? Like really, why *now*? I don't recall the previous CPU test being like this.

Also to put things in a better perspective, why do you care? I agree we shouldn't be using 7-year-old tests, but since when did benchmarks ever thoroughly reflect real world results? And, since when did every program you use actually take advantage of every new instruction Intel or AMD came up with? Intel, while bored, is also un-motivated. They keep tacking on more instruction sets whether developers will really use them or not, when they could be finding a backward-compatible way of improving performance. Smart developers actually steer away from many instructions, because most people can't use them, or they're intel-only.

 

The suite is a self contained executable for which we don't have the source code. Therefore we can't simply update it but would have to code a completely new version. That is something that simply isn't viable at the moment. In all honesty it will likely be retired very soon.