I5 over FX-8350

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

Guys I currently have an Intel C2D E7200 clocked at 3.6 GHz.
I am thinking of upgrading to to something better which can give me a great performance boost overall including games.
I am stuck in deciding as to which one I should buy, i5 2500k or FX-8350, both are costing me same. I need more upgrade options in future but I am not sure when I will make my next upgrade(3-4 years may be). Just help me finalize my decision making :pt1cable:

Also suggest a good mobo under 6000INR
Sites I use for buying:
flipkart.com, ebay.in and theitwares.com

Just one more doubt, will my Zalman CNPS9500A cpu cooler be able to let me overclock any of them? :na:

Thanks in advance

3ogdy · Apr 26, 2013

It's an easy choice. Go with the FX-8350.
If you need a computer that can last you half a decade, you should go with the FX - why?

You will see a HUGE performance boost form a C2D. In video editing - the FX-8350 smokes the i5. And it should prove itself faster in other multimedia tasks.
One thing you have to realize about this is the fact that if you check most upcoming games system requirements you will notice they will all now how to take advantage of multicore (quad-core+) processors , so the I.T. world is becoming more and more threaded and it's leaning towards multi-core CPUs.

Even professionals in the industry stated that, if they had to configure a computer that can last them for a while, they would go with the FX-8350 over the 3570K.
Consider that and the fact that you can assign specific cores to specific applications so you could run a game on Core0, Core1, Core2, Core3 and perform video editing at the same time on the other four cores / run software that only takes advantage of 2 cores on the remaining number of cores. I personally own an FX-8350 and I am VERY happy with it. I upgraded from a Phenom II X4 965BE(which is faster than a Core 2 Duo E7200) and I noticed an impressive performance upgrade.
As for the motherboard, given your budget I would go with something like this:
http://www.flipkart.com/msi-990fx-gd65-motherboard/p/itmd9mpjzwh2zue4?pid=MBDD9MPBGZWHVTTP&ref=cf9e332e-7610-4f9e-a7ed-ddfdfaef8086

OR:
http://www.flipkart.com/gigabyte-ga-970a-ds3-motherboard/p/itmdegdcpjujfrsc?pid=MBDDEG8JCM2W6Z7S&ref=f0224531-0fc5-4d53-a731-0076f8eb04ad

OR:
http://theitwares.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=1_61_8&product_id=1472#!prettyPhoto

Either motherboard will definitely be a great purchase.

Oh, and yes, your Zalman cooler will be absolutely capable of handling an overclocked FX-8350. You may get 4.4GHz - 4.8GHz from the chip with that cooler. I wanted to get that cooler too, but some unexpected stuff got in the way, so I postponed the purchase.

Given how long you would need your computer to handle your software and be up to the task in the next half a decade.
Moreover, your PC's performance should even improve as software gets more multithreaded and more programs get to take advantage of multiple cores.

gopher1369 · Apr 26, 2013

3ogdy :

Umm, do do realise that the i5 is also a quad core processor, right?

Someone Somewhere · Apr 26, 2013

3ogdy :

It's an easy choice. Go with the FX-8350.
If you need a computer that can last you half a decade, you should go with the FX - why?

You will see a HUGE performance boost form a C2D. In video editing - the FX-8350 smokes the i5. And it should prove itself faster in other multimedia tasks.
One thing you have to realize about this is the fact that if you check most upcoming games system requirements you will notice they will all now how to take advantage of multicore (quad-core+) processors , so the I.T. world is becoming more and more threaded and it's leaning towards multi-core CPUs.

Even professionals in the industry stated that, if they had to configure a computer that can last them for a while, they would go with the FX-8350 over the 3570K.
Consider that and the fact that you can assign specific cores to specific applications so you could run a game on Core0, Core1, Core2, Core3 and perform video editing at the same time on the other four cores / run software that only takes advantage of 2 cores on the remaining number of cores. I personally own an FX-8350 and I am VERY happy with it. I upgraded from a Phenom II X4 965BE(which is faster than a Core 2 Duo E7200) and I noticed an impressive performance upgrade.
As for the motherboard, given your budget I would go with something like this:
http://www.flipkart.com/msi-990fx-gd65-motherboard/p/itmd9mpjzwh2zue4?pid=MBDD9MPBGZWHVTTP&ref=cf9e332e-7610-4f9e-a7ed-ddfdfaef8086

OR:
http://www.flipkart.com/gigabyte-ga-970a-ds3-motherboard/p/itmdegdcpjujfrsc?pid=MBDDEG8JCM2W6Z7S&ref=f0224531-0fc5-4d53-a731-0076f8eb04ad

OR:
http://theitwares.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=1_61_8&product_id=1472#!prettyPhoto

Either motherboard will definitely be a great purchase.

Oh, and yes, your Zalman cooler will be absolutely capable of handling an overclocked FX-8350. You may get 4.4GHz - 4.8GHz from the chip with that cooler. I wanted to get that cooler too, but some unexpected stuff got in the way, so I postponed the purchase.

Given how long you would need your computer to handle your software and be up to the task in the next half a decade.
Moreover, your PC's performance should even improve as software gets more multithreaded and more programs get to take advantage of multiple cores.

That sounds like quite a fanboy response. Agree with gopher.

Also, the i5 smokes the Piledriver in single-threaded performance, and games generally won't use all eight threads. Which isn't actually a "benefit", as it means you have performance doing nothing.

See if you can wait for Haswell/Steamroller though. Could be interesting.

Saehon · Apr 26, 2013

i5 will be better in almost every aspect.

These benchmarks is with stock and overclocked.

Multitasking:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/11/06/amd-fx-8350-review/5 - i5 wins

Gaming performance:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/11/06/amd-fx-8350-review/6 - i5 wins

Editing and encoding:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/11/06/amd-fx-8350-review/4 - i5 wins

Power consumption:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/11/06/amd-fx-8350-review/7 - i5 wins under load, AMD FX 8350 wins during idle.

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

Ok. I don't want Intel and AMD fanboys fighting in my thread.
Haswell, I am expecting it to be priced beyond my budget. So, Steamroller will be the only thing with in my reach and of course FX-8350
The main reason I am confused is the mixed opinions. Some says 2500k is better and some says FX-8350 is better. Is Steamroller worth waiting for? I was thinking of upgrading my system with in few days as I needed this extra compute power for my project(cloud computing

). Also new Haswell will be on a new socket(correct me if I am wrong, and what about Steamroller? ). So now its 2500k vs FX-8350. What if both are overclocked to their max(on air)? I can't find any reviews comparing them both when overclocked.
Edit: ok, saw the comparison of overclocked performance now only

Someone Somewhere · Apr 26, 2013

If cloud computing, the extra cores of the FX are likely to be useful, as I expect it's quite parallel.

Haswell is LGA1150, so new socket. Not sure about steamroller.

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

Ok, so not much info other than it will have FX chips too, so I am assuming it to be on AM3+. If I can find a cheap Core2Quad like Q8400 or something better then is it worth buying this C2Q and wait for steamroller(I can use my current mobo)? or upgrading to FX 8350 now itself? I am not gonna get 2500K as if I have to upgrade later on I will have to get a new socket.(I hate Intel for this).

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

dirtyferret :

Ok, I can see both of them performing nearly same in those benchmarks. Can you suggest a good board which can handle SLI too under 6k INR?
The GA-970A-DS3 don't support SLI I will get one more card in few months. Also I've heard that MSi 970 boards have VRM issues.

3ogdy · Apr 26, 2013

Saehon :

Wait a minute....EDITING AND ENCODING:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-12.html

The FX-8350 gets the job done more quickly than even the latest-generation i5 3570K. Who are you talking to here, Intel fanboy?
GAMING on the FX will definitely be better than on the i5. I said "will" because a lot of game developers are improving their games and making them use multiple cores. Gaming + other applications in thebackground =FX-8350 will most likely WIN.

And when it comes to the REAL difference - it's either 10 FPS OR it's 30FPS but once overall performance is well over 60-70FPS, in which case you will see NO noticeable difference in performance.

WHO'S WHO, YOU INTEL FANBOY?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-8.html

SAY WHAT?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-9.html

Beating the LATEST generation i5, that is the i5-3570K, right?
I own both Intel and AMD systems - so no "fanboism" here - look at the charts.

In AE CS6 there was a difference of 10 seconds between the CPUs - do you REALLY think you would notice that?

PRODUCTIVITY: FX-8350 WINS 3 OUT OF 5 BENCHMARKS:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-10.html

COMPRESSION: FX-8350 WINS 2 OUT OF 3 BENCHES:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-11.html

MEDIA ENCODING - 2 OUT OF 3 BENCHMARKS WON BY FX-8350
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-12.html

YOUR OWN LINKS - QUIT CHERRY PICKING THE PAGES:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/11/06/amd-fx-8350-review/3
FX-8350 BEATS THE i5-3750K

YOUR GAMING PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS ARE TRASH - EVERYONE KNOWS Skyrim runs better on Intel - so those results are useless for a general statement when it comes to performance superiority.

Skyrim is your choice? Then Crysis 3 is mine:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1363058/pc-games-hardware-crysis-3-in-the-cpu-test-amd-fx-processors-dominate-our-benchmarks

http://media.bestofmicro.com/O/M/375430/original/Crysis3-CPU.png

SO: instead of having that sheep attitude of following what's "trendy" nowadays, recommending the i5 just for the sake of it, do your homework and quit being a fanboi.
It's all about FUTURE-PROOFING a computer, not about whose power consumption is lower.

3ogdy · Apr 26, 2013

gopher1369 :

Umm, you do realize I wrote "(quad-core+)" which means more than 4 cores, right?
You do realize you can assign cores to specific applications, right?
You do realize he's gonna keep his computer for about HALF a decade, right?

3ogdy · Apr 26, 2013

mjsharma :

Someone Somewhere :

Ok. I don't want Intel and AMD fanboys fighting in my thread.
Haswell, I am expecting it to be priced beyond my budget. So, Steamroller will be the only thing with in my reach and of course FX-8350
The main reason I am confused is the mixed opinions. Some says 2500k is better and some says FX-8350 is better. Is Steamroller worth waiting for? I was thinking of upgrading my system with in few days as I needed this extra compute power for my project(cloud computing

). Also new Haswell will be on a new socket(correct me if I am wrong, and what about Steamroller? ). So now its 2500k vs FX-8350. What if both are overclocked to their max(on air)? I can't find any reviews comparing them both when overclocked.
Edit: ok, saw the comparison of overclocked performance now only

Steamroller IS worth waiting for - AMD clearly stated Steamroller WILL be released on AM3+. I also remember they said it wasn't going to be the last CPU on AM3+.
DDR4 is coming in 2014, which means AMD MIGHT release the AM4 socket by the end of 2014, BUT you will have AM3+ hardware on the market to upgrade to because they said they would be releasing at least 2 more CPU revisions on the AM3+.
Keep in mind Intel is changing sockets just like people change their socks - so once you go with Intel, "upgrading the CPU " will mean " upgrading the CPU AND the motherboard (and most probably the RAM too (to DDR4) .

gopher1369 · Apr 26, 2013

3ogdy :

Let me clarify. The core i5 is a quad core processor. The FX 8350 is also a quad core processor.

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

gopher1369 :

How is 8350 a quad core? :ouch:

even my 3 year old nephew will say that its octo-core processor.

gopher1369 · Apr 26, 2013

mjsharma :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_FX_microprocessors#.22Vishera.22_.2832_nm_SOI.29

Well Wikipedia certainly agrees that it's a quad core....

3ogdy · Apr 26, 2013

mjsharma :

The 8 integer clusters inside the FX-8350 share some resources. That's why some people say it should be more of a quad-core+hyperthreading equivalent rather than a true 8Core design.
The thing is, they made sure they minimized possible bottlenecks when integer clusters made use of the shared resources. So, it's obvious that they have the right to claim this is an 8 core CPU. It's just that the cores share some resources - and one thing they're doing is to further give each integer cluster more independence.
Integer clusters don't need the shared resources 100% of the time, so they optimized which integer needs what and when so that they don't bottleneck each other.
This is marketed properly, as an 8 Core CPU. It is not a quad-core processor.

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

3ogdy :

mjsharma :

Steamroller IS worth waiting for - AMD clearly stated Steamroller WILL be released on AM3+. I also remember they said it wasn't going to be the last CPU on AM3+.
DDR4 is coming in 2014, which means AMD MIGHT release the AM4 socket by the end of 2014, BUT you will have AM3+ hardware on the market to upgrade to because they said they would be releasing at least 2 more CPU revisions on the AM3+.
Keep in mind Intel is changing sockets just like people change their socks - so once you go with Intel, "upgrading the CPU " will mean " upgrading the CPU AND the motherboard (and most probably the RAM too (to DDR4) .

gopher1369 :

Well all others say its an octo-core
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested

3ogdy · Apr 26, 2013

http://www.bjorn3d.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/AMD_FX_8350_01.jpg

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

3ogdy :

mjsharma :

Steamroller IS worth waiting for - AMD clearly stated Steamroller WILL be released on AM3+. I also remember they said it wasn't going to be the last CPU on AM3+.
DDR4 is coming in 2014, which means AMD MIGHT release the AM4 socket by the end of 2014, BUT you will have AM3+ hardware on the market to upgrade to because they said they would be releasing at least 2 more CPU revisions on the AM3+.
Keep in mind Intel is changing sockets just like people change their socks - so once you go with Intel, "upgrading the CPU " will mean " upgrading the CPU AND the motherboard (and most probably the RAM too (to DDR4) .

Ok, so I am gonna go with FX-8350.
I couldn't find any SLI board with in my price range so I thought of increasing my mobo budget. how is this board? http://www.theitdepot.com/details-MSI+990FXA-GD65+32GB+DDR3+AMD+Motherboard_C13P17040.html
Also ASRock 970 EXTREME 4 mobo is in that range. which one would be better?
Also will a crossfire supported board allow me to use my GTX560 for physx?

melikepie · Apr 26, 2013

The i5 beats the FX by quite a bit. Nothing more, nothing less. Just though I'd add that here.

ASHISH65 · Apr 26, 2013

@op please avoid msi mobo as msi shops are been closed in india.

avoid asrock extreme 4 mobo due to issue of vrm design

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

ASHISH65 :

Are you sure about MSi? I know that they stopped their laptops in India but other products also? :??:

ASHISH65 · Apr 26, 2013

- http://hardwarebbq.com/2013/04/msi-india-re-structured-business-operations-handled-taiwan-rma-handled-digicare/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

mjsharma · Apr 26, 2013

So that means I can still get RMA in India which says "Yes" to MSi board

. Still better than OCZ which I had to ship my SSD to Taiwan

melikepie · Apr 26, 2013

What happened to OCZ?

I5 over FX-8350

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