Intel i5-3570k or AMD FX-8350?

muhtaseemjabbar · Oct 30, 2013

Hello all, this is my first question here on toms and I'd really appreciate if you guys can answer.

I'm planning to upgrade my gaming pc with a new processor and looking to buy either one of the mentioned processors on a 230 dollar budget. I have a midrange pc that can play most games maxed out at 60fps.
My specs-
Intel i5-2400@ 3.10Ghz with stock motherboard
12 GB ddr3 Ram
Amd Radeon hd 7870 Ghz edition 2 GB
Windows 8
Specifically, I'm wondering which processor would be better for games of next-gen and improve the performance of current ones. I know the fx-8350 has 8 cores which is supposed to help in next-gen games and Intel has hyper threading which is supposed to compensate for lack of 8 cores.

rolli59 · Oct 30, 2013

Neither CPU is a worthwhile upgrade from what you currently have, I have both I5 2400 and I5 3570K @ 4GHz both matched with HD7950 in my household and there is no noticeable difference between them gaming. Most I have seen is 3-4 fps but that is on a frame rate already in the 60+.

getochkn · Oct 30, 2013

i don't think it's going to be a huge increase either way ove your current one and $230 is only going to buy you a cpu, not a motherboard which you'd need with the AMD for sure and possibly with the intel if it's a name brand PC motherboard.

robax91 · Oct 30, 2013

Currently, I don't think there are any games that can utilize 8 cores for a big difference on 4 cores of higher frequency. I also want to point out that the 3570k doesn't have hyper threading. So which is better? Both are great, but as of now, I'd go with the i5-3570k. I have one because I did a lot of looking and got mine for $180 about 6 months ago. It currently is faster than the AMD processor on most games, but you could always get the AMD and hope for better core utilization in games for the future.

Tom's recommendation for your price: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html

logainofhades · Oct 30, 2013

Save your money. If you are truly worried about gaming performance, you could either add another 7870, for crossfire if your motherboard supports it, or you could sell that 7870 and pick up a faster GPU.

enemy1g · Oct 30, 2013

Most games are still not utilizing all the cores in a CPU, so upgrading a CPU would give you the least performance gain (your i5-2400 is fairly decent) for your money. If say you got a 7970 Ghz, r9 280X, or anything around that, you would see higher gains in FPS. But it also depends on whether or not your PSU can handle it, which I'm sure it will be able to.

geofelt · Oct 30, 2013

In your price budget and above, I would pick Intel.
Few games today can use more than 2-3 cores. That makes the extra cores of a FX-8xxx or the i7 hyperthreads largely irrelevant.
Few game developers will build games that require 8 threads to run; they would not sell many.

Nothing wrong with a 3570K, but for about the same price, I would use a i5-4670K and a Z87 based motherboard.
A mild overclock of the "K" will boost your cpu performance by 20%.

rolli59 · Oct 30, 2013

Lets put it this way your I5 2400 would not be far away from the I5 2500K at std clocks in this test http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/battlefield-4-graphics-card-performance,3634-10.html

logainofhades · Oct 30, 2013

If your motherboard is a P67 or Z68, you can overclock to 3.4ghz on that cpu by setting the multiplier to 34. Some boards can stably run with a base clock increase to 105 from 100 giving you 3.57. http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1811622 Only reason I have a 3570k now over my i5 2400, is the i5 2400 was used as a quick fix for my file server that seemed to have a motherboard going out.

JOOK-D · Oct 30, 2013

Agreed with everyone. You're probably not going to see an improvement from what you currently have. I've learned that there's not much point in speculating about future-proofing until your current parts are already too slow and an upgrade is necessary. If you really want to upgrade, wait until the next-gen of games are out and look at the benchmarks with particular processors, and you'll see whether it would be beneficial upgrading to an 8 core.

Personally, I've just ordered an FX 8320 since it makes the most sense for me at the moment (OEM Windows, already have an AM3+ board) and it performs well enough for my needs from what I've seen.

So yeah, to reiterate, just wait and see what the next gen brings. If the 8 core performs better than waht you have currently to the point where you'd see a significant improvement, get one; currently, I don't think you need to.

muhtaseemjabbar · Oct 30, 2013

rolli59 :

Neither CPU is a worthwhile upgrade from what you currently have, I have both I5 2400 and I5 3570K @ 4GHz both matched with HD7950 in my household and there is no noticeable difference between them gaming. Most I have seen is 3-4 fps but that is on a frame rate already in the 60+. [/quotemsg

getochkn :

You guys are sure my processor isn't bottlenecking my gpu cos that's the reason I was looking to buy a new processor. Specifically, I'm looking to make my pc so that is adept at playing next-gen games which are supposed to use 4 CPU cores or more (Watch Dogs which will require more than 4 cores, for example). Say, I'll be buying either one of the two CPUs, which one should I get as I'm looking for balanced performance in multi-threading (for next-gen games) and traditional dual-core utilization of today's games.

logainofhades · Oct 30, 2013

Neither of those CPU will give you a significant boost, even in more highly threaded titles. The FX 8350 might pull slightly ahead, but not enough to justify the cost of a new motherboard and CPU. What is the exact model of your motherboard?

rolli59 · Oct 30, 2013

I am absolutely sure the CPU is not bottlenecking your GPU, it is capable of handling stronger GPU's.

geofelt · Oct 30, 2013

You might want to conduct a test.
Disable one of your cores in the bios so you are running on just 3.
If you see little impact, you can conclude that your games are not sensitive to more cores.

Most games respond to faster graphics cards more than a cpu change.

muhtaseemjabbar · Oct 30, 2013

logainofhades :

My motherboard is the stock motherboard that came with my i5-2400. It's the DH61WW.

rolli59 · Oct 30, 2013

Well if you ever need to upgrade for more threads your board supports http://processormatch.intel.com/CompDB/SearchResult.aspx?BoardName=DH61WW so this XEON would work http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117286&Tpk=1230%20v2 basically a I7 with out the GPU.

muhtaseemjabbar · Oct 30, 2013

Thanks guys for all the helpful answers and answering some of my seemingly noobish questions (still new at pc gaming and hardware). I guess I've made my decision and that's to buy a new motherboard for overclocking and future crossfire cos my current one has only one pci X16 slot. Thanks again

logainofhades · Oct 30, 2013

rolli59 :

That is probably the best deal for the money if truly worried about multithreaded support. No need to change motherboards or install Windows. Just make sure bios is up to date and your board meets the revision requirements.
http://processormatch.intel.com/CompDB/SearchResult.aspx?BoardName=DH61WW

geofelt · Oct 30, 2013

muhtaseemjabbar :

Here is my canned rant on planning for dual cards:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690,7990, oe R9-290X is about as good as it gets for a single card.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, then sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX780 only needs a 575w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 150-200w to your psu requirements.

Even the most power hungry GTX690 only needs 620w, or a 7990 needs 700w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual gpu's do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual gpu support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) dual cards up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The Maxwell and amd 8000 or 9000 series are due next year.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------

muhtaseemjabbar · Oct 30, 2013

geofelt :

muhtaseemjabbar :

Here is my canned rant on planning for dual cards:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690,7990, oe R9-290X is about as good as it gets for a single card.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, then sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX780 only needs a 575w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 150-200w to your psu requirements.

Even the most power hungry GTX690 only needs 620w, or a 7990 needs 700w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual gpu's do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual gpu support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) dual cards up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The Maxwell and amd 8000 or 9000 series are due next year.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------

Woah, thanks man. Your reply has been really helpful, informative and I've learned plenty of new technical stuff about gpus, CPUs, and motherboard configs. And to answer one of your questions, I'm simply looking to play all desired games maxed out on a single monitor at 1080p. So my current build is enough for now and I'll only upgrade to a better single gpu when my current 7870 isn't cutting it anymore. Thanks again.

Intel i5-3570k or AMD FX-8350?

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