AMD 6-Core, or i3, i5? Do I need faster sequencial processing?

DazleFrazle · Oct 7, 2013

First post but long time lurker.

Since going to University, I have been outside of the PC making world. I have lost touch with what's good and what isn't. I have googled time and time again, about which CPU's are fastest and right for me. The general consensus is that for high end products, intel seems to win. Though for a bigger bang for your buck, lots of people seem to go for AMD, especially if you are able to utilize the multi-thread processing to it's fullest. Please no AMD vs intel flame wars.

I am considering making a PC in the next few months. Once I feel I've learned enough. the PC I am making is going to be mostly to player higher-end games like BF3, GTA-V and other lower end games like League of Legends, StarCraft 2 and CounterStrike:GO (which I might start to stream and make youtube videos). This build is a budget sub-600$ build as well.

I also enjoy doing a bit of Maya modelling as a hobby. So ultimately, I know I need at least a roughly 200$ GPU.

Though now the CPU. I am really uncertain whether to go for faster sequential processing or a much cheaper card. Also, should I go for a 80$ extra i5 4430(or 4440) which cannot be overclocked or a 80$ cheaper 6350 that can be overclocked? I have seen no empirical data to see the differences then. Considering I'm saving 80$, I would get a 212 Evo, with a nicer motherboard sub 100$. If I get the i5, I would get a sub-60$ motherboard.

I have came to the conclusion that AMD might be better for me since the games would perhaps not see a dramatic loss in FPS, and the AMD would perform better if I stream or record. But would the 6350 be close to the i5 if overclocked?

I currently have a intel core 2 duo 2.66 ghz in my laptop currently. I have read that even that intel has faster sequential processing than the FX-6350. My intel is a 4-year card!

Would I see a significant difference in gaming or speed with a 8 core AMD? Wouldn't that be overkill for my needs, or would I observe much faster speeds?

What about durability? Is there a significant difference between the two?

Any additional thoughts?

Thanks

logainofhades · Oct 7, 2013

FX 6300 would be my pick so you can get a better GPU. (FX 6350 is just a factory clocked 6300) FX 6350 sits between an i3 and an i5 on performance. A heavily overclocked 6350 is still just short of an i5 3570k at stock. It would probably be really close to if not match the lower end locked i5's though, especially in the higher threaded titles like Crysis 3 and BF4. Another option is FX 8320, which when overclocked to just FX 8350 levels, will trade blows with the locked i5's, and will beat them in heavier threaded titles. Heavier overclocking would beat the locked i5's hands down. If you plan to record your gaming, then FX 6300 or better would be a better option.

DazleFrazle · Oct 7, 2013

Thanks for the speedie reply. In terms of single-threaded applications, is there a significant difference between the 8320 and the 6300? Or is it the same?

Also when you say "heavily overclocked 6350", do you means an overclock that anyone can do, or only with top tier coolers and Mobos?

logainofhades · Oct 7, 2013

This would be a good read for you with regards to the overclocking question. I would say anyone can do it on reasonable hardware. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/piledriver-k10-cpu-overclocking,3584.html

In single and poorly threaded workloads, the FX 6300 and FX 8320 chips would be pretty much even.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/699?vs=698

Avro Arrow · Oct 7, 2013

I agree with logainofhades. These are what I would recommend for you, keep in mind that the video card is on sale and is such an amazing deal that when NCIX had one that was even slightly better, I bought two of them...lol
CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-core - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Pro3 - $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157364
That motherboard, although only $65, has everything you could ask for. Solid capacitors, 2-Way Crossfire capability, USB 3.0 and overclocking utilities. The only thing it doesn't have is eSATA but who uses that anyway? In case you do, you can get a SATA to eSATA back plate for about $5.
Video Card: Powercolor Radeon HD 7870XT 2GB MYST Edition - $180 (-$30 mail-in-rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131484
Now the Radeon HD 7870XT should really be called the HD 7930 because it uses the Tahiti GPU of the 79xx series, not the Pitcairn GPU of the 78xx series. It's currently priced around the cost of the Radeon HD 7850 which makes it a steal since it's more powerful than the HD 7870 GHz Edition. As I said, I bought two of them and now I have more vidcard power than even the mighty nVidia GTX Titan. I ended up paying about $320 for both which is a ludicrous bargain!
With those three components under the hood, you'll be in good stead for gaming for a long time to come. If you get two of them like I did... well, my venerable twin XFX Radeon HD 4870s have lasted me 4 years in Crossfire, they still work perfectly and I would have kept using them if not for that phenomenal deal. My first one is in fact, the original ATi reference design for the HD 4870 and I've had it for over 5 years. I got the second (with the oddball XFX eggshell-shaped cooler) a little over a year later because the prices dropped to just over $100. I would expect similar, if not superior longevity from my two HD 7870XT cards. If you do spring for the second card, you'll have an undeniable gaming monster on your hands that will crush any and all Intel/nVidia-based gaming rigs within $300 of the price you paid for the whole system. Enjoy!

DazleFrazle · Oct 7, 2013

Thanks for the info. There was one other concern that I had when going with the AMD route. It is power. If I am running a overclocked 6300 with a 212 evo, and have a 7870, perhaps ghz, edition or xt edition. How much wattage would my PSU require? 500 watt more than enough? I can get a 430 watt corsair for 30$. Would that be enough?

Thanks.

yodmarn7 · Oct 7, 2013

Keep in mind if you buy an fx-6300, you're going to get poor performance on old, cpu intensive games. The fx-6300 can't run the first crysis unless you're on like very low and oblivion will drop into the 40's. If you're playing newer games though you should be fine

logainofhades · Oct 7, 2013

DazleFrazle :

I would go with a bit more powerful power supply. This one should be sufficient and really doesn't cost much more than a CX430.. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9

8350rocks · Oct 7, 2013

DazleFrazle :

500W PSU should be enough, that will give you some breathing room for upgrades too. Typically the most power costly device in your entire PC is really the GPU, as some can draw as much as 300W under load.

I wanted a bit of extra head room and went with a really good 620W PSU I found on sale for $40. Though you may not have such luck.

As far as single threaded performance goes, the AMDs will do well enough. Many on here still play original Crysis, and other such games and get 60+ FPS consistently.

That would be plenty for what you want to do. I would try to overclock as well as you can. You should likely break 4 GHz, perhaps hit 4.1-4.3 with a really solid board like the M5A97 R2.0 Asus, or other comparably equipped boards. Just make sure the board you choose has 4+2 VRMs.

DazleFrazle · Oct 7, 2013

Thanks 8350.

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