Question 1

How high is the factory heatsink and fan?  I want to install this in a case that is 4 inches high.  Thanks.

Accepted Answer

The factory fan and heat sink that came with mine stick out approximately 2.125" from the surface of the motherboard.  A 4" case will most likely work from a physical clearance perspective.  You'll want to make sure that you have clearance for the 5.25" diameter and sufficient air flow.  Otherwise, you'll get reduced cooling efficiency.

Question 2

Is it precoated with thermal paste?

Accepted Answer

The processor itself is not, but the heat sync that comes with it has a layer of thermal paste. If you plan on using the included cooler then you do not need to buy thermal paste. However if you plan on using an after market cooler then you will need to buy thermal paste separate.

Question 3

What reasonably inexpensive, 3rd party cooler/heatsink would you recommend for this i3-4330 CPU?

Accepted Answer

I used the stock cooler that came with the I3-4330. I tested it using Prime 95 overnight, and it did not get excessively hot. The fan is also pretty quiet. I didn't use the HD Graphics, and used a PCIE video adapter instead. That may have helped it run cooler. I don't think an inexpensive aftermarket cooler would be any better.

This was installed in a PC that I built for someone else. When I build my own, I look for a cooler with lots of fins and heat pipes and a large, low-speed fan (for low noise) or no fan at all. As you might expect, these are fairly expensive.

Again, unless you're looking for very low noise/ no noise, I would recommend the stock cooler.

Question 4

I'm thinking about purchasing this for a budget gaming/everyday use machine. Plan on pairing it with a 2GB 750Ti SC and a 256GB SSD.

Thoughts?

Accepted Answer

I still use this exact setup to this day as an HTPC/Xbone replacement. The 750Ti easily matches console performance and is silent. The i3 runs cool, though admittedly I put a totally overkill Corsair AIO on it so the fan can stay at idle speeds and still easily cool this. It makes for a great media/gaming machine in a budget.

Question 5

Hi! Is this processor compatible with a MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Intel Z87 LGA 1150 Motherboard?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is a socket 1150 CPU, which is what that motherboard has.

Question 6

does this processor support 1866 speed ram?

Accepted Answer

If you put 1866 Ram in but it will run at 1600 speeds. 1866 Ram is overkill for an i3 that cannot be overclocked. 8Gb of 1600 is really all you need in my opinion.

Question 7

Can this overclock ?

Accepted Answer

Most CPU's today can be overclocked to a small degree via the motherboard BIOS. This processor is not one you'd want to seriously overclock for gaming purposes or something like that. It's designed primarily to be used in a home theater computer that plays one DVD or BluRay movie at a time.

If you want to overclock, get yourself an appropriate "K" series i5 or i7 CPU. These are unlocked processors that allow you to play around with the internal timing clocks.

Question 8

What are the specs of the integrated audio through onboard HDMI? This would be very helpful to people building an HTPC. Thank you

Accepted Answer

I've never come across any information regarding audio information that passes thru the CPU. I believe "integrated audio" refers to circuitry and electronic devices built into the motherboard (m-b) by its manufacturer.

Intel has incorporated a dedicated "onboard graphics" engine in their CPUs. This graphic engine produce an encoded video stream that can be used instead of adding a separate video card to the system.

For your information, all data flowing to and from the CPU passes through the m-b's CPU socket. It is the m-b's manufacturer, not Intel that determines where data flowing through the CPU comes from and goes to.

On the CPU socket opposite the side where the CPU is mounted there are a large number of small sockets or pins that have to be connected to the m-b's electronic circuits. I couldn't tell you what the actual manufacturing process to do this is. The i3-4330 CPU has exactly 1150 pins that match up with the CPU Socket's pin receptacles.

Intel provides m-b manufacturers with detailed engineering schematic that show what each pin does. A few of these pins carry very small DC voltage that power the CPU; that voltage is generated by the computer's power supply and passes through dedicated circuits embedded in the m-b. There are probably hundreds of pins devoted to a data buss connected to the computer's RAM sockets.

Some of the pins carry the CPU's video output. There are numerous other data streams flowing in and out of the CPU pins. This includes raw data associated with audio contained in data files that pass through the CPU.

Unlike the video data coming from the CPU, the audio data is raw data. It has no coherence of its own. It is passed by the m-b to discrete audio processing chips placed on the m-b by the manufacturer. Those chips decode the data and passes it through to the m-b's HDMI circuits.

To the builder, the audio specs of a CPU are transparent. The relevant information must come from the m-b's manufacturer, and are model specific.

Question 9

Does this processor have AES-NI support?

Accepted Answer

Yes the i3 4330 has AES-NI support.

Question 10

how do i know if i can upgrade my current cpu with this processor?

Accepted Answer

Check the socket on the motherboard.  Long as it's an LGA 1150, you can use this processor.

Questions & Answers