> I was using a core i3 2100 @ 3.1 for about 2.5 months and MAME games ran well with > it,as did PC games,even some of the more demanding ones.Ive upgraded to a i5 2500k @ > 3.3 since then and TBH,I havent noticed much of a difference MAME-wise.
The point of the -K series CPUs is that you are encouraged to overclock them. Stock, they're nothing special and AFAIK you can get a non-K equivalent a bit cheaper.
Regarding the original question, I don't think an i3 would give you much advantage over a 3 GHz Core 2 Duo. You'd want to go to an overclocked -K series i5 or i7 to see significant boosts in 3D MAME games from where you're at.
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