AMD FX-6350 or Intel I5 4670k to keep up with next gen games.

KreitzAIC12 · Jul 1, 2014

My PC Specs-
GPU: Sapphire HD-7870 Ghz
CPU: AMD-FX 4130 @ 3.8 Ghz
Mobo: MSI 970A-G46 AM3+
RAM: 8Gb Corsair Vengance 1600mhz

So here's my issue, I'm starting a summer job in a week or so and I want to upgrade my PC.
I can either stick with my AMD board and get a nicer graphics card (Like an R9 280x or GTX 770)
and then only have enough to upgrade my CPU to an FX-6300 or 6350. Right now I'm having bottleneck issues. I play mostly open world RPGs (Assassin's Creed, Skyrim, Watch Dogs, Arma 3 ect ect) And I'm noticing, in these games when I'm just out in the wilderness without a lot of AI, my framerate is very high and my GPU usage is at 99%. But for instance in Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed 4, when I go to the cities, my GPU throttles down to 50% or 60% usage because my CPU can't handle all the AI on screen. Keep in mind, if I buy the Intel I5 CPU, I will also have to shell out money for a decent board, and possibly Windows. So is the 6350 a safe bet? Or should I switch platforms and save up for a better GPU down the line? Thanks,

logainofhades · Jul 1, 2014

I would keep your board an upgrade to an FX 6300/6350 and a better GPU. Might want to consider an FX 8320.

i7Baby · Jul 1, 2014

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-4670K-vs-AMD-FX-6350

The i5 is a lo better. Best AMD cpu for regular use is FX8350.

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-4670K-vs-AMD-FX-8350

and the 8350 still isn't as good as the i5.

tabascosauz · Jul 1, 2014

i7Baby :

Link to a site like CPUBoss or Hwcompare again and I swear I will-

correct you because I hate those POS sites.

I do agree, the 4670K + Z97 board seems to be a better bet because many games like Arma3 are extremely CPU dependent and it doesn't matter if he has a 280X if he has Vishera on the CPU side.

Your 7870 is very good already, don't bother upgrading that. Plus Z97 will give you Sata Express if you buy the correct board (that means no MSI).

KreitzAIC12 · Jul 1, 2014

logainofhades :

Thing is my board........ so I hear can't handle the 8 Core. So the max my board can do is a 6350. I'm worried I would still have bottlenecking. 7870 bottlenecked from my 4130. So I imagine a 280x would bottleneck from a 6350..

i7Baby · Jul 1, 2014

The 6350 will do a lot better then the 4100. It probably won't bottleneck a 7870.

RookieOfTheYear · Jul 1, 2014

i7Baby :

Those really are bad sites to try and compare CPU's. That is just their opinion on which is better. If you'll notice on the link you posted, when both CPU's are overclocked, the 8350 had twice the Passmark score of the i5.

KreitzAIC12 · Jul 1, 2014

tabascosauz :

Thanks, that's what I was originally thinking, I needed verification. If I upgraded, my GPU, but only got a 6350, I still wouldn't use 100% of that card either. Switching platforms to an I5 setup, would grant me 100% usage from my 7870. Then down the line I can upgrade to a better card when devs start making more demanding games....Thanks man!!!

logainofhades · Jul 1, 2014

If going Intel, I would go with an H97 pro4 with a 1231v3. You get i7 4770 performance for less.

KreitzAIC12 · Jul 1, 2014

I think I'm going to go with Haswell this time, use my 7870 until its end. Down the road I can get a newer card and an I7 if I really need it. Thanks guys for replying!

logainofhades · Jul 1, 2014

KreitzAIC12 :

Or you could get the i7 performance now, for about the same cost as going with a 4670k, Z97 board, and cooler.

RookieOfTheYear · Jul 1, 2014

Logain is right. You should just go with the Intel Xeon E3 1230 v3. You will get better performance than the i5 4670K. And its pretty much the same price.

logainofhades · Jul 1, 2014

RookieOfTheYear :

You can get the haswell refresh 1231v3 now for roughly the same price as the 1230v3. Free extra 100mhz boost and better TIM, so a bit cooler running chip as well.

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=E3-1231V3B

tabascosauz · Jul 2, 2014

KreitzAIC12 :

He is right about the 1230V3; I have a 1230V2 (the Ivy Bridge member of the E3-1230 family), and I have nothing but good things to say about it. People who criticize it based on its relatively low clockspeed compared to the 4770 should shut their mouths; if you're not planning to overclock it, 1230V3 offers incredible (and I say again, incredible) value. 4cores/8threads at the price of an i5, and doesn't bottleneck in games either because it has a more than adequate clockspeed.

I would still get a Z97 board though; many manufacturers reserve their best technologies and quality for Z- series boards. This includes Sata Express which is pretty much a given on any mid-range to high-end Z97 board (barring MSI of course, just avoid MSI for 9-series), better VRMs because Z97 is geared towards overclocking, better-designed VRM and chipset heatsinks, more features, etc.

WhiteSnake91 · Jul 2, 2014

I recommend the Xeon 1230v3 or 1231v3 with an h81 mobo, it still has usb 3.0 and sata 6. I wish I had of known about the Xeon when I was building my pc. I could have gotten a cheaper mobo and a better CPU. Intel is already so strong per core overclocking isn't even needed, it's pretty much just epeen.

I've seen decent z97 mobos that cost the same as h97 mobos, might as well go z97 in that case. Your 7870 gpu is pretty good for 1080p gaming so you don't really need to replace it.

KreitzAIC12 · Jul 4, 2014

Will new gen games even use the extra threads of the Xeon series? Also, is putting a Xeon in a Z87 or Z97 1150 board a safe bet? I don't hear much about Xeon's in the gaming community. But I also agree, it's not worth paying the money for an I7 with integrated graphics. If I get an I5 I would probably do a mild OC to 4.0 or 4.1, but the ability to overclock isn't a deal breaker either.

WhiteSnake91 · Jul 4, 2014

yeah it would be fine putting the Xeon in whatever 1150 board you wanted, it's essentially just an i7 4770 without the integrated graphics. I would have definitely got one instead of my i5 when I built my pc if I had of known about them.

KreitzAIC12 · Jul 5, 2014

WhiteSnake91 :

I do like the idea of "Xeon is an i7 for i5 prices"...but for gaming, I'm not certain on what's more important, the extra threads
or higher clocks.... "Lol this thread should be called Xeon or i5"

WhiteSnake91 · Jul 6, 2014

the Intels are already so good per core now even ever since Sandy Bridge (it's kinda stagnated since then with maybe 10% improvements in IPC per year) that you don't even need to overclock. There was a topic here a couple months back about a guy who was having problems with BF4 multiplayer even his overclocked (decently high at ~4.5ghz) i5 3570k and he upgraded to the ivy bridge version of the Xeon called the 1230v2 and even though it's clocked lower at 3.2ghz if I remember correctly, and would turbo boost to like 3.7 or 3.8ghz, the game smoothed about alot and basically fixed his problem. It would also be a monster at multitasking

I know the term is very cliche now but I really do feel like the Xeons and i7s are futureproof with the probably hundreds+ hours I've read up on the subject partly due to my own problems in BF4 multiplayer. There are still many people gaming fine on their first gen i7 920s,etc and even people on the first gen i5s. Even though the Xeon was clocked much lower it helped him. And as time goes on I think games are only going to start taking advantage of more cores because both consoles have 8 core AMD cpus

you can't go wrong with an overclocked i5 though, but for the same price (or even cheaper since you wouldn't need an aftermarket heatsink nor overclockable motherboard) the Xeon is very enticing.

AMD FX-6350 or Intel I5 4670k to keep up with next gen games.

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