Choosing a decent Intel-based processor for many potential buyers turns into a headache, because this manufacturer's performance and cost are very dependent on each other. Naturally, choosing a crystal that is suitable for power is not always possible in a limited budget for the purchase. The focus of this article is one of the most productive processors of the low-cost segment - Intel Pentium G3220, which has sufficient power to cope with any tasks. Reviews, a review of the characteristics and comparison with analogues in the budget category will provide buyers the opportunity to make the right choice.
Is advertising an engine of progress?
Marketing research, abundant advertising and the conclusions of unknown test laboratories have led to the picture in the minds of potential buyers that the most productive processor that a user should have is a crystal based on Intel Core i7 / 5/3. All other lines are for some reason considered an office option, like Celeron. Even the Intel Pentium G3220 in numerous reviews on foreign resources is equivalent to the lower class.
Only a few users notice a catch - numerous tests where expensive processors win an impeccable victory, are produced by synthetic programs and resource-intensive applications for video or 3D processing. And for most Russian citizens, a powerful crystal is needed only for games, because Celeron will cope with the rest of the applications installed on the computer.
Intel Pentium G3220 Processor Specifications
Haswell architecture for the LGA1150 Socket interface is considered the most optimal for building a gaming computer in terms of price-quality ratio. After all, 22-nanometer technology has only recently appeared on the domestic market. Thanks to these parameters, the Intel Pentium G3220 processor has the same performance characteristics in games as the previous generation Core i5 (40 nm) crystals. Two separate cores, a clock frequency of 3000 MHz, a large amount of cache memory of the 2nd and 3rd level and an integrated graphics core are the key to high performance of the processor in question.
Yes, there is a negative, but it is he who is paid the least attention when buying - a limitation in working with RAM. Support for dual-channel mode at a frequency of 1333/1600 MHz is a weak link in working with applications. However, most buyers can not afford to buy expensive memory (2133 MHz and higher), and accordingly, it makes no sense for them to look at more productive processors.
First meeting
The product is presented on the market in two versions: an Intel Pentium G3220 OEM processor (without cooler) and a boxed version of BOX with a proprietary cooling system. Users who have previously encountered Intel products prefer the latter option, and newcomers who do not trust the brand manage to sell an expensive cooler they don’t need in the store. Overclockers also prefer the acquisition of a notable cooler from another manufacturer, however, this processor is unlikely to fall into their attention.
A standard cardboard box of gigantic dimensions, a lot of waste paper in it, an Intel branded sticker, the processor itself and the cooling system are the usual equipment for any computer device that cannot surprise anyone today. Once again, the manufacturer was greedy and did not provide the buyer with thermal grease in the kit (AMD's competitor has recently resolved this issue). On the other hand, many computer owners provide the seller with the opportunity to build the system, so the presence or absence of thermal paste is the least of their concern.
Direct competitor
It is quite difficult to find a comparison of a similar AMD product and an Intel Pentium G3220 processor. Reviews in the media affect only devices with six and 8 cores. Only few people look at the price. Naturally, all comparisons take place in synthetic testing programs. The direct competitor in the budget category for the Intel Pentium G3220 dual-core processor under consideration is the AMD 4-core AMD FX-4300.
In an affordable price category, a competitor looks much more attractive than his opponent: an increased core clock frequency, an increased third-level cache (from 3 MB to 4 MB), support for a two-channel memory mode with a frequency of 2133 MHz. At first glance, the top-end specifications for AMD processors are still inferior to the Intel representative in working with demanding applications and games.
Synthetic Test Comparisons
The overall performance of all processor cores is the main criterion in any testing. Therefore, it is not surprising that 4 or 8 crystals at a frequency of over 3000 MHz show high efficiency. In 3DMark Vantage and SiSoftware Sandra applications, AMD shows clear superiority over the Intel Pentium G3220 processor. In fact, the FX-4300 beats even the legendary Core i5 chip with a lower core frequency.
Definitely, such indicators lead many newcomers to the conclusion that Intel products are overpriced and not worthy of being considered as a purchase for building a gaming computer. But in reality, the processor has a completely different task. Throughput, technology and speed of a single core are the main criteria in the operation of applications and games. Why not test in real-life programs that are used daily by users around the world?
Complete superiority over the opponent in games
Resource-intensive games such as Batman, Far Cry 3, Hard Reset, Hitman, Just Cause 2 and the like became a real test of performance, which the Intel Pentium G3220 processor could demonstrate. You can understand the feedback from AMD product owners that contain negative test results - all of these games are designed for processor architecture with two cores. But do not forget that software developers are in no hurry to switch to a multi-core platform. The reason here is quite simple - 90% of existing computers in the world are built on the basis of a single or dual core platform, and if you release a paid product for a more productive system, then the purchasing power will be too small. Normal business is nothing personal.
Work with software
Resource-intensive applications have completely different requirements: the throughput and power of a single core are the key to performance, both for office programs and for video, graphics and 3D modeling editors. The joke told by one of Microsoft's developers that only Intel Xeon (a crystal for servers) can outperform an Intel processor is the best suited for understanding that AMD has no place in the professional market.
But if we are talking about the Intel Pentium G3220 OEM processor, then one drawback was still found in software testing. It's about encryption. The entire cheap line of AMD rival processors has AES hardware support, which allows you to work with protected data in multi-stream mode (including enumeration of security keys). Intel products only have this feature on the 4-core Core i5 / i7 platform. A clear flaw in the manufacturer led to the fact that some developers gave their preference to the low-cost products of the competitor.
The fight for the office segment
The presence of integrated graphics on the processor, and not on the motherboard, as it was on older Intel platforms, made many fans of the company switch to AMD products, because the competitor did not succumb to market trends and left the video controller on the motherboard. When buying an office computer, the end user is guided by the minimum cost, so many buyers prefer AMD products in the budget segment.
After the inexpensive Intel Pentium G3220 processor with integrated graphics appeared on the market, the office computer market was divided into two camps. An important role in the choice of the system was played by energy consumption, which is exactly half as much for an Intel product than for an AMD processor. But as experts say in their reviews, this segment has already been lost for cheap Pentium-based new products.
Weak link
Conducting a review and comparison with AMD products on the Intel Pentium G3220 processor, one unpleasant news emerged - an inexpensive Intel chip is not intended for overclocking. In any tests performed, whether it be games or software, nobody succeeded in increasing the core frequency by more than 5%. The Pentium processor, unlike its more productive counterparts with 4 cores, can not overclock. There is no limit to the exultation of fans of AMD products - any budget representative in the same price category shows better performance.
There is only one conclusion - the Intel Pentium G3220 product will be of interest only to those buyers who are not going to further increase the processor performance by increasing the core frequency (as practice shows, there are about 95% of such people). This means that purchasing power will remain the same.
Finally
Inexpensive, economical and powerful enough with integrated graphics, the Intel Pentium G3220 processor can be considered the best purchase in the budget segment. Games, office programs and all kinds of editors are within the power of a novelty from a well-known manufacturer. Overclocking a device from a budget class? Judging by their reviews, the recommendations of IT professionals are quite understandable - processors with high potential should be sought in the High-End class. After all, a priori no one is looking for gaming solutions in a budget class.