Intel I3-4330 3.5 3 LGA 1155 Processor BX80646I34330

When this CPU was available for only $5 more than the 4130 I opted for it without a second thought. It has far exceeded my expectations.I've built well over 100 computers during the past decade and this might be the fastest of the bunch. How much of the speed is due to the SSD that is paired with it I don't know, but I've used the same drive with 3 other computers, including an i5 and a AMD 8-core , and this is the quickest system of the group. For those who don't know, these i3's have 4 threads even though they are dual cores. Windows device manager shows them as having 4 cpu's as though they were quad cores.Also, the newer Intel 4600 graphics are a big improvement of previous on-chip models. They are on par with discrete cards in $70-$90 range--at least they bench mark that high. I'm not a gamer, so I haven't tested them in the "heat of battle", so to speak.In a nutshell I have nothing but good things to say about this chip. It uses only 54 watts and even the CPU fan that so many users have complained about (not necessarily this one, but stock Intel fans in general) has worked fine. It is very easy to install, keeps my system cool, and runs quiet.Key components of System:Intel i3-4330 Dual CoreGigabyte LGA 1150 Intel H81 USB 3.0 SATA 6Gbps8GB (2 x 4) G.Skill Ripjaws 1600MhzKingston SSDNow 120GB Solid State Drive1TB Seagate Baracuda 7200 RPM 64MB Cache storage driveThermaltake TR2 500W Power Supply

Part of my new build.This one replaced an old Athlon II X250 @3.0ghz. Performance is mind blowing coming from an AM3 platform.The Athlon did everything i needed except for hardware AES enc/dec. Years ago i coded an AES library wich i use almost every day. Now i'll be able to implement the AES-NI instruction set in my library. I've seen the benchmarks and i expect a big improvement in bytes/sec decoding AES with this CPU. Will play with AVX in future, that should come in handy.Really, performance is mind blowing and is 10 watts TDP lower than my beloved Athlon. By upgrading my old CPU, my ram can now run to its full 1600 mhz. IPC in Intel really is important and with extra 500 mhz i'll be done for decades.Runs cool (35ºC range avg). Fan is inaudible in my setup. Heatsink looks flimsy but seems to be more than enough and is very low profile. Really adequate for HTPC, no need for aftermarket cooling in my case. I liked the AMD AM3 heatsink attachment more than the Intel.I've been doing my own stuff (programming only) and light gaming but this thing obviously does the job perfectly. Paired with an SSD, my system response is instant. I optimized a Windows 7 installation for SSD. A crazy new experience for me.I prefer this processor to any AMD Octa core to come, it smokes them out of the water.My last Intel CPU was a Pentium 3 Katmai Slot 1 @ 500 mhz and now this?...hahaha. It feels good to be back.

But I didn't buy it for that. As of late 2013 you can't beat it for price to performance value. Most home users don't need an I5 for skype and checking facebook and some light online gaming. I think people get the wrong impression because so many of the 'built' computers come with I5 chips and they can without bumping the price up because of the quantity of chips that the Mfg's buy processors in.But for us 'builders' on a budget, this is a great chip.I did put a 'better' heatsink on this because I wanted a larger (200mm) and slower turning fan, and I did see the difference in stress testing/burn in, but in normal day to day use, the stock cooler was more than fine.

I was trying to decide whether I would go with a slower 4 core or a faster two core. This processor surprised me, I thought it would be a dog, slow as molasses. Compared to my other systems, which are high end i7s, this is definitely not as fast, but it's not embarrassingly slow either.Would I put this in my high end gaming rig? No way.Would I put this in an everyday pc for light/casual gaming and movie watching, web surfing? Absolutely.

I've had this product for 3 years now, and over the course of three years, it repeatedly froze up with "display driver not responding." It is literally unable to play games, hardly plays videos without freezing every few seconds, and even documents have been a nightmare.The integrated graphics have had a ton of driver updates over the years, and nothing has worked. I re-set the processor, with new thermal paste, updated the BIOS, changed systems from Windows 7 all the way through 10... changed all kinds of system settings, basically reinstalled system software... and nothing worked.Do NOT buy Intel processors with integrated GPUs... if you doubt me, just look at their support forums online to see how common these issues are. The engineers are completely incompetent at solving this issue. I hope nobody goes through the same experience I did. Going back to AMD for life. Never AGAIN, Intel. They took enough of my time.

Processor arrived on time just as expected but when i went to open it. It appeared to be stolen. THANKS THIS WAS A LITTLE GIRLS X-MAS PRESENT.

Went from an i7 930 to this and haven't noticed any performance degradation in the programs that I use. After dealing with the heat output of the the 930 for three summers, I decided I wanted something that was capable but cooler-running. This processor fits the bill. It's only two cores, but it's hyperthreaded, so the few demanding programs that I run take advantage of the "4" threads, but the rest of the time it's barely breaking a sweat.I'm not a heavy gamer: I like flight simulations and Civ V, so this with a GTX 760 is more than enough for those apps. I also frequently run Word, InDesign, Illustrator, and Acrobat concurrently. With 16 GB of RAM, my computer handles all of this with ease AND! I definitely noticed a reduction in my monthly power bill.It's truly a bargain in a blue box.