Intel vs AMD in $200 range?

ySiek · Feb 26, 2014

Hi!

I'm building my first-ever gaming PC and it turns out I'm going to spend around $200 on my CPU. I'm torn between choosing an Intel CPU - perhaps an i3-4440, with 4 cores 3.1 GHz each - or an AMD one - probably a FX-8350 (8 cores 4 GHz) or saving some money with a FX 8320 (8 cores 3.5 GHz).

AMD seem better on paper (More and faster cores) and I suppose it might be good for the future games, with both new consoles having an 8-core AMD CPU.

On the other hand, many people say Intel's performance would actually be better.

What are your suggestions? After all the research I've done I have no idea what to do (ironically).

Ahmadjon · Feb 26, 2014

Pairing Intel 4670 with B85 chipset motherboard will outperform FX-8350 because 990** chipset motherboards for AMD costs higher than B85 motherboards!

barto · Feb 26, 2014

$200 on a CPU? i5-4570 can be purchased for $193. I'd buy it over the 8350.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54570

Also, do not compare frequencies between the CPUs. Intel CPUs and AMD CPUs are different.

Danbuscus25 · Feb 26, 2014

i agree, however amd will give you more bang for your buck. anything lower than about $140 amd will outpreform, but higher than that intel comes out on top.

larrym · Feb 26, 2014

Are you near a Micro Center by chance? I picked up a i7 4770k there for $249 but they had the 8320 for $99 and the 4670K for $179. Not sure what the 8350 was.

maddogfargo · Feb 26, 2014

What games do you plan on playing, and how many CPU cores will they use?

Do you plan to go with a single GPU or Crossfire/SLI?

You really need to know those 2 things before this question can be answered properly.

For single GPU mainstream games using ~4 cores It's going to be pretty even between an i5 4670k and an FX 8350. Once you start getting into games that need high bandwidth to multiple GPUs and can use 6+ cores the 8350 will have a small lead.

Another Caveat: The FX 6300/6350 does very well on modern, multi-threaded games/apps and gan save you some $$$, but still works in a high end 990FX board so you can always upgrade to an FX 8320 or 8350 in the future.

PS - Don't pair a fast CPU with a cheap board.

Ahmadjon · Feb 26, 2014

larrym :

+1 you are lucky!!! in my country i could buy only i5-4670k for i7-4770k price!

maddogfargo · Feb 26, 2014

larrym :

+1 for that. Micro Center has some killer walk-in deals if you are near one.

logainofhades · Feb 26, 2014

maddogfargo :

Hence why I have two FX 8320 systems now on top of my 3570k and i5 2400. :lol:

Danbuscus25 · Feb 26, 2014

larrym :

dang! 4770k for $249? 0.0 and the fx 8320 for $99 will give you huge bang for your buck. but i would still recommend intel for preformance.

logainofhades · Feb 26, 2014

$99 8320, for a gaming rig, is the best value out there. Allows for a lot better graphics card for the same amount of money you would spend on an Intel rig.

larrym · Feb 26, 2014

Yea, I was tempted to get the 8320 for $99, but I just couldn't resist the 4770k at $249

ySiek · Feb 26, 2014

I'm actually not into any particular type of games. On one hand I want to play some Titanfall, Thief and Watch Dogs, but on the other I'm into some strategies and KSP. I guess this makes the choice even harder, oh well.

I was planning to build the PC around an i5-4440 and a single GTX 660, with 8 GB RAM. I'll give you some more precise prices for the CPU's we're thinking about here. I'm in Poland, so no PCPartPicker for me, but I still browsed around and found the best deals.

i5-4440 - 655 PLN = 214 USD
i5-4570 - 709 PLN = 232 USD
FX-8320 - 549 PLN = 180 USD
FX-8350 - 723 PLN = 236 USD

With this setup and these prices in mind, what could you suggest? Will the AMD processors be inferior at this price range? Maybe I should pick the cheaper FX-8320 and go for a better GPU? I'm getting really confused right now, especially because I've heard a lot of criticism on AMD CPU's.

larrym · Feb 26, 2014

All those CPUs are nice, if that was my choice, I would go for the 8320 and a better gpu..say a GTX 760 if you can swing it.

bkoop · Feb 26, 2014

How much money are you going to have left for the power supply and the video card?

ySiek · Feb 27, 2014

I want to spend around $550 on the motherboard, a power supply, CPU and GPU.

Danbuscus25 · Feb 27, 2014

i would get either the 8320 or 4440. also get a 760 or amd equivalent.

Ahmadjon · Feb 27, 2014

A bit exceeded your budget http://pcpartpicker.com/p/310yZ

barto · Feb 27, 2014

Ahmadjon :

But worth every penny.

Danbuscus25 · Feb 27, 2014

true, true. if you can afford it go with that, otherwise maybe the fx 8300.

bkoop · Feb 27, 2014

I don't know much about prices in Poland, but $200 for a CPU, $200 for a GPU, $100 for a motherboard and $50 for a power supply, is reasonable. What brands of power supplies do you have in Poland? A good quality power supply is very important and if it is on sale can be the same price as some of the lower quality brands.

ySiek · Feb 27, 2014

I don't think the brands are limited in any way here. I just copied the power supply brands from one of the online shops:

Fortron, Be Quiet!, SeaSonic, Chieftec, ModeCom, Corsair, SilverStone, LC-Power, Cooler Master, Aerocool, Gembird, Thermaltake, Enermax, Zalman, Super Flower, I-BOX, Whitenergy, XFX, Qoltec, Take.me, Tacens, Cougar, IN-WIN, Logic Concept, Antec, Tracer, SilentiumPC, Evolveo, Fractal Design, Arctic Cooling

For the i5-4440, GTX-660 PC I was aiming for a Corsair VS 450W, for $48. The AMD processors are more power-hungry, though, so I'm OK with something bigger and more expensive.

About the PCPartPicker setup - I really like it, but (sadly) with the prices here the whole thing will be around $710. The GPU is the most expensive, with an ASUS 760 at $335. The cheapest GTX 760 cards are from Gainward and Zotac ($285), each having just one fan and a reference-like look.

Not sure what to do now, an i5-4440/i5-4570 would do well with a slightly better GPU than a GTX660. I don't see any other GPU's to choose here, and saving on the CPU is not really a possibility - I'm not really sure i should buy an i3, however the AMD 8320 could be a good choice, looking at how it's actually cheaper.

I see two ways out here:
1. i5 4440/4570 + GTX 660
2. FX-8320 + GTX 760

Obviously I'm open to any other suggestions.

Ahmadjon · Feb 27, 2014

Go for second option, because it will be significantly faster than first in games!

logainofhades · Feb 27, 2014

#2 since it has a better gpu.

Danbuscus25 · Feb 27, 2014

yes, go with the fx 8320 and gtx 760.

Intel vs AMD in $200 range?

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