Should I go Intel or?

Solikewhat · Jun 1, 2014

Hi. So i'll just get straight to the point.
I'm a compulsive shopper and can't help but continue to spend money on my pc.

This week I face a dilemma. My specs:
FX 6300 @ 4.7 gh/z 1.36v - Sabertooth 990fx r.2
Noctua nh-d14.
8gb 1600 G.skill sniper.
Gtx 770 2gb MSI TF.
128gb samsung 840 evo. 1 TB WD Blue.
Antec HCG 750w M. Corsair 230t.
Nocuta case fans.

Im stuck. So the reason i want to go intel is because i feel my 770 is being bottlenecked. Having confirmed so as well being logged at 75% usage at max, with cpu at 100 to 85% in bf4 64 player maps.
On ultra it drops down to 39-40 fps sometimes. I feel like If I go intel, these minimums will raise a bit and make it slightly more playable or maybe even more than slightly.

So I can afford to get a z97 motherboard and a 4670k this week. BUT!
Just this morning iv'e been pondering whether or not it would be better to grab another 770 and SLi it. Even though i'm currently bottlenecking would it outweigh the cons and be smarter than going for an i5?

Also, if i wait a week, i can buy an i7 if that makes any difference.
PLEASE HELP ME! MY BRAIN IS GOING TO EXPLODE HERE

Zircoben · Jun 1, 2014

Solikewhat :

I would go ahead and upgrade your CPU. If your CPU is bottlenecking with one GTX 770, what is it going to do with two?

I would get the Xeon 1230v3. It is essentially an underclocked i7-4770, yet it costs just $10-20 more than the i5-4670K. You cannot beat it for the money, and you won't believe the performance jump you will get from the FX-6300.

Hope that helps!

wurkfur · Jun 1, 2014

You can simply grab a FX-8320 or FX-8350 and not be bottle necked in any game. In the Watch Dogs performance review on this site, it kept up with an i5 at stock frequencies. Only the 6 core i7 was faster. With your cooler, 4.5 - 4.7 Ghz should be easy.

If you want to spend the money and go through re-installing windows and all your stuff, you can. But this would be a far cheaper and easier solution.

Zircoben · Jun 1, 2014

wurkfur :

Good idea, but it's really probably not worth the money.

If you want to SLi it later, I think you would have better luck with an Intel CPU. The FX-8350 really is not that much better than the FX-6300, and a big upgrade can only come from going Intel.

Going from a 6300 to an 8350 would not be a big enough upgrade for your "compulsive shopper" self, and honestly, you will want the best performance, and that will come from an Intel i5/Xeon.

wurkfur · Jun 1, 2014

If you really feel inclined to go SLI, Intel would be the better choice. The FX would be the easier choice. Even better would be if you had an AMD GPU and then mantle would alleviate much of any bottleneck if you are a battlefield fan.

leeb2013 · Jun 1, 2014

if your CPU is the bottleneck, then adding another GPU won't help! You need a better CPU. An AMD FX CPU would fit your mobo, so would be the easiest and cheapest option, if not I'd recommend an I5-xxxxK or Xeon E3.

Solikewhat · Jun 1, 2014

Alright it's pretty much a consensus then.
Ill be picking up a 4670k this wednesday.

Now I just need to pick a motherboard.

filippi · Jun 1, 2014

You have a Sabertooth 990fx r.2. Its a fabulous motherboard. Not to mention your cpu cooler... and BF4 is optimised for up to 8 cores...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $0.00)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $139.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-01 20:00 EDT-0400)

Solikewhat · Jun 1, 2014

filippi :

I was under the impression the stronger single core performance of Intel would provide a better minimum and a possible higher. I can still get an i7, Or if you guys think its worth it and i should wait a fortnight and buy one of the 2011 socket chips?

Zircoben · Jun 1, 2014

Solikewhat :

This will work great!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($148.99 @ Mac Mall)
Total: $377.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-01 20:08 EDT-0400)

ASUS makes excellent motherboards, and this should serve you well. The Z97 chipset gives you a level of future proofing that no AMD option can offer, with future support for Broadwell CPUs.

That pair will work wonders compared to your FX-6300 and should have no bottleneck, even in SLI.

Have fun!

WoodenSaucer · Jun 1, 2014

Solikewhat :

I think you need to reconsider the Xeon E3 1230v3, like a lot of people have said. It's exactly the same as an i7 4770, minus the integrated graphics and 200 MHz, and it's closer to the price of the i5 4770k. The only reason to not go with that is if you feel like you have to overclock. With the Xeon, you get i7 performance at the i5 price.

Zircoben · Jun 1, 2014

WoodenSaucer :

I wholeheartedly agree, however, he already has a Noctua NH-D14. If he already has that, he might as well overclock and he will see pretty big performance jumps with the overclock you can get with that Noctua.

You can probably sell that motherboard for a pretty good price, as long as you find a good buyer or list it well on eBay. It is a good motherboard and it is a shame to not use it, but Intel is the way to go.

Solikewhat · Jun 1, 2014

WoodenSaucer :

Yea im just really into overclocking lately. This system is my first. I built 2 months ago just for fun out of disappointment of the next gen consoles. So far its been really fun tweaking and I wanna continue that trend into intel. Cause like, hitting 5gh/z on air for me was so fun ^.^
I'm actually considering a full custom loop atm aswell to go with the setup this week. However it's looking like steep costs apparently for good quality cooling components. Also id have to consider a new case and and what not so it might end up being alot of planning that im not ready for.

Zircoben · Jun 1, 2014

Solikewhat :

WoodenSaucer :

Yea im just really into overclocking lately. This system is my first. I built 2 months ago just for fun out of disappointment of the next gen consoles. So far its been really fun tweaking and I wanna continue that trend into intel. Cause like, hitting 5gh/z on air for me was so fun ^.^
I'm actually considering a full custom loop atm aswell to go with the setup this week. However it's looking like steep costs apparently for good quality cooling components. Also id have to consider a new case and and what not so it might end up being alot of planning that im not ready for.

If you want help with choosing your cooling solutions, I would recommend starting a new thread in the Overclocking and cooling threads on Tomshardware.

Have fun with your 4670K! You'll love it!

leeb2013 · Jun 2, 2014

Zircoben :

not necessarily, my I5-3570k at 4.4GHz was not able to match my Xeon E3 @ 3.4GHz except for specific single thread benchmarks. The Xeon takes significantly less power and makes less heat than the o/c I5. My I5 o/c well too, easily hitting 4.4GHz at 1.14v and 4.8GHz @ 1.3v, but the temps were a bit high by then, so it was 4.4GHz 24/7.

The Xeon (same price as the I5-xxxxK), uses only 40W flat out and peaks at 50C vs 65C for the o/c I5.

I5-4670K generally won't o/c as much, plus it's the silicon lottery, some struggle to get 4GHz or 4.2GHz stable. Cooling beyond the common Evo 212 cooler is of little help as due to the IHS the heat cannot be transferred away from the CPU no matter how good the cooler.

Additionally, 8 weak cores aren't necessarily as good as 4 strong cores in a game that can use 8 cores. Most benchmarks show the I5 ahead of the FX-8350 in BF4, despite only 4 cores. In fact the 8350 is only 3-4 fps ahead of an I3 in this game.

WoodenSaucer · Jun 2, 2014

Zircoben :

True, but he seems to have an itch to buy some new Intel.

Solikewhat :

In that case since you really want to overclock, I would seriously just wait one week and buy the i7 4770k, unless it's going to make things tight for you. It would give you better longevity. I think that we'll start seeing more games supporting hyperthreading in the future. If it's only a matter of waiting one week, 6 months down the road you'll be sorry you didn't wait the week.

Solikewhat · Jun 2, 2014

WoodenSaucer :

Zircoben :

True, but he seems to have an itch to buy some new Intel.

Solikewhat :

In that case since you really want to overclock, I would seriously just wait one week and buy the i7 4770k, unless it's going to make things tight for you. It would give you better longevity. I think that we'll start seeing more games supporting hyperthreading in the future. If it's only a matter of waiting one week, 6 months down the road you'll be sorry you didn't wait the week.

Agreed. I'm going to wait until next wednesday and buy the 4770k (pending devils canyon doesn't launch today) and the sabertooth z97mk1 because I like my current sabertooth.
Yeah, id rather not turn around in six months and have buyers remorse with the 4 cores w/o HT.

Zircoben · Jun 2, 2014

Solikewhat :

WoodenSaucer :

Agreed. I'm going to wait until next wednesday and buy the 4770k (pending devils canyon doesn't launch today) and the sabertooth z97mk1 because I like my current sabertooth.
Yeah, id rather not turn around in six months and have buyers remorse with the 4 cores w/o HT.

I'd get the Xeon 1230v3. It has the HT 4 cores, basically an i7 4770, just slightly underclocked. It is a steal for the price.

Solikewhat · Jun 3, 2014

Zircoben :

Solikewhat :

WoodenSaucer :

Agreed. I'm going to wait until next wednesday and buy the 4770k (pending devils canyon doesn't launch today) and the sabertooth z97mk1 because I like my current sabertooth.
Yeah, id rather not turn around in six months and have buyers remorse with the 4 cores w/o HT.

I'd get the Xeon 1230v3. It has the HT 4 cores, basically an i7 4770, just slightly underclocked. It is a steal for the price.

How does it fair with overclocking? Also are the Xeons backwards compatible with z97 chipsets?

WoodenSaucer · Jun 3, 2014

Solikewhat :

Zircoben :

How does it fair with overclocking? Also are the Xeons backwards compatible with z97 chipsets?

That's the only thing about the Xeon 1230v3. It's locked, and you can't overclock it. Overclocking is the only reason you wouldn't want to go with this Xeon. If you didn't need to overclock, that would definitely be the way to go. You're pretty much getting a 4770 without integrated graphics for around the price of a 4670k. But yes, this particular Xeon works with Z87 and Z97. Not all of them do, but the 1230v3 does.

Since you really want to overclock, just wait until next week and get your 4770k. Make sure to get the one with the "k" or you won't be able to overclock, and you'll be wasting your money.

PC-Padawn · Jun 3, 2014

Hi since you're always buying more thing for your PC. I advise that you probably get an Intel core i7 4770k. That way you can over clock because of its unlocked multiplier and it is just a great CPU! Also buy a decent motherboard to suit (1150 socket) make sure the mobo supports Sli too. Then later on if you want to, you can get another compatible graphics card to add to your rig and it will run like mad! Should bottle neck either. Remember, you can overclock the gpus aswell to push more clock speed out of then and get the best bang for you buck. Hope this has helped. If someone has something to add to my comment, please add it, or correct it. Cheers.

-Kohan

Should I go Intel or?

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