Intel i5-3470 vs AMD fx-8350

Are you only considering these CPUs or are you willing to get a Haswell i5? A 4570 would still be better than a mildly overclocked 8350... for gaming. Most other multi-threaded apps the 8350 will own any i5 of course.

Just gonna chuck my draft in here as usual.

The difference between AMD and intel for gaming.
Firstly, you need to decide what your priorities are, and what you will use the PC for.
Things such as: light gaming, heavy gaming, basic work (e.g. MS Office), heavy work (e.g. video editing, 3d modeling).
For the most part in current games the biggest difference will be made by the selection of the GPU. Get a great GPU + worse CPU rather than worse GPU + great CPU.

The AMD FX CPU's have many cores, which are weaker.
intel i5's have less cores, which are stronger.

The intel's consequently have better performance per core. In older games, the intels perform better as those games are optimised for good performance with only a few cores (single-threading).
In newer games, the AMD FX's really shine due to the introduction of games using more cores (multi-threading).

The difference comes in depending on what you want to use the PC for. If you're on a tight budget, save some money and go with the AMD and spend the extra money on a better GPU that will give you better performance than any CPU could.

i5: Good for older games (single-threaded), Good for newer games (multi-threaded), Good for general work, great all-round CPU and probably the best around for current games (may change in future).
AMD: Slightly worse for older games (single-threaded), Great for newer games (multi-threaded e.g. BF4, Crysis 3), Good for light/heavy work, extra cores are great for 3d modeling and video editing or rendering, great CPU whilst costing much less than the intel. Even though it's worse in older games it will run them perfectly well and smoothly.

Regardless, both will perform well.
For an i5, I would recommend an i5 3570k or a 4670k. Why? They are king for gaming performance at the moment and since they are the k version they are unlocked and can be overclocked in future for a performance boost.

For an AMD, I would recommend a FX 6300/8320/8350 (might as well get the 8320, it's an 8350 clocked lower at stock which you can change) [Do NOT go with a bulldozer CPU, only piledriver. List here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piledriver_(microarchitecture) <-- That should all be one link, not sure why it splits.]. Why? Great multi-threaded performance for newer games and heavy work, are just fine in older games (not overkill, can deliver smooth frame rates maxed with a good GPU), and are great for productivity with a tame pricetag.

In conclusion, budget gaming/work: AMD. Not on a budget gaming/work: i5. The i5 currently delivers better performance but don't get the impression that the AMD is lagging behind. They are great for gaming and work with a really great pricetag, just not currently up there with intel. In newer games though such as BF4 the AMD's have caught up in performance and in some cases deliver better performance than the intel's for much less money. You will get great, smooth FPS with either.
Either solution will game just fine with a nice GPU, focus mainly on that.

Some non-synthetic benchmarks between the FX 83xx series and the i5/i7's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4et7kDGSRfc & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu8Sekdb-IE

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TL;DR: I'd go for the 8350 because it's unlocked whereas the i5 is locked. Get the cheaper option so you can get a better GPU, even an 8320 (lower stock clock 8350, can be boosted to that speed with a multiplier bump easily) would be good. GPU > CPU for gaming. Both are capable.

The 8350 will destroy the 3570k in livestreaming (see the 2nd youtube link). In normal gaming the FX and 3570k will trade blows. The 3570k will be on top in older games like the valve source games (GMOD, CSS) but in newer games the benches are similar, i5 generally a bit on top. If you choose to go the intel route, get a i5 4670k not a 3570k since the 4670k will have one more generation of upgrades available (most likely).

I don't know what your current GPU is, but if you're planning on getting a GPU too I'd get the cheapest good CPU and the best GPU. Save money on the CPU and get the best GPU available as you'll yield the highest performance out of a better GPU. So I'd go with an FX 8320, not 8350, in that situation. And yes as the guy above said get a decent CPU cooler like a Hyper 212 EVO.

The 8350 will destroy the 3570k in livestreaming (see the 2nd youtube link). In normal gaming the FX and 3570k will trade blows. The 3570k will be on top in older games like the valve source games (GMOD, CSS) but in newer games the benches are similar, i5 generally a bit on top. If you choose to go the intel route, get a i5 4670k not a 3570k since the 4670k will have one more generation of upgrades available (most likely).

I don't know what your current GPU is, but if you're planning on getting a GPU too I'd get the cheapest good CPU and the best GPU. Save money on the CPU and get the best GPU available as you'll yield the highest performance out of a better GPU. So I'd go with an FX 8320, not 8350, in that situation. And yes as the guy above said get a decent CPU cooler like a Hyper 212 EVO.

As I said in my first post, just set your priorities straight. Come up with an order (I'm guessing gaming would be first). And start the list from there. If you're looking to do video editing/3d modeling or other multi-threaded apps the 8350 would be better for you, also better at livestreaming. Pure gaming, i5 4670k. If you want the best of the best go with an i7 4770k, probably outside of your budget though.

What I've found is that the intels tend to boss most everything. Older games, they win. However I'm still getting a comfortable 120 average FPS in most low threaded games (such as valve source games) on max settings. Sure the i5 might be able to get 200 average but there's no point when you're on a 60Hz monitor. Then there's newer games where the i5 may beat out the FX by 10-20 FPS or they will be equal, or the FX might slightly pull ahead.

As I said, just get your priorities straight. If you were recording gameplay (via software) I'd say FX. Livestreaming FX. Pure gaming i5, although the FX holds its own. You have a nice GPU too. It's all down to what you need, so just have a think about it.

You could list some of the games you play (or are planning to play) most frequently and I could try and give a recommendation based on that.

Sorry if I was a bit repetitive haha.