Me v My Brother, Which is Better?

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

Hi guys,

I would just like to know which setup is better out of the two, the one my brother built or the one I'm looking at building? They're both mainly going to be used for gaming.

Brothers rig:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670k Processor (3.4Ghz, 6MB Cache, LGA1150).
GC: MSI Radeon HD 7850 OC (2GB GDDR5).
MOBO: Gigabyte Z87X-D3H.
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory.
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB.

= £524.42 ($869.89 or €659.18).

My rig:

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core or AMD FX-8320 8-Core 3.5Ghz.
GC: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB OC Black Edition DD Graphics Card.
MOBO: A88X-G45 GAMING AC Edition AMD A88X (Socket FM2+).
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory.
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB.

Price with the FX-8320 = £452.50 ($750.28 or €568.78).

Would the FX-8320 make a massive difference to using the FX-6300 in my build or is it not worth the extra £15? Also any recommendations for different components that do the same/ similar job or would improve my build as the ones I've listed would be much appreciated as well (Preferably cheaper components out of the ones I've listed).

lightcloud · Aug 25, 2014

Sorry but I am with your brother. His GPU might be slightly weak but when it is overclocked it will be the 280.

No the 8320 wouldn't be much if a difference with the 6300. But if you don't mind spending an extra £15 then it is worth investing in that.

I will give some recommendation to your build but not your brother's:

Change the GPU to a Sapphire as it is one of the best and biggest manufacturer for AMD GPU currently. They are cheaper than Asus or Gigabyte but perform either similar or better.

Condoned and SSD and it will still be cheaper than your brother' build. If not consider the 280X then.

Hope this helps.

Quaddro · Aug 25, 2014

Your rig is better for gaming..because far more stronger graphic card compared with your brother's..

get the fx8320..

Massive difference..? for today games no..but future game will use more cores..

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

But wouldn't the graphics card in my build be better than the one in my brothers once they're both overclocked Joeteoh99? Cheers Quaddro, I was thinking the FX-8320 might make it a bit more future proof.

lightcloud · Aug 25, 2014

HarveyDG :

If you can overclock your 280, then definitely.

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

Well the 280 it is then. But you would recommend the Sapphire 280 over the XFX one?

Sapphire: http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/amdradeongraphicscards/amdr9280series/11230-00-20g.html

XFX: http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/amdradeongraphicscards/amdr9280series/r9-280a-tdbd.html

lightcloud · Aug 25, 2014

HarveyDG :

Yes I would.

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

Okay, I'll trust your judgement and go with the Sapphire one because your knowledge of all this is a lot better than mine. Cheers once again Joeteoh99.

Quaddro · Aug 25, 2014

HarveyDG :

Oops, sorry, i didn't see this one..

FX6300/FX8320 is AM3+ based cpu..
You can't pair it with FM2+ mobo..
Get the AM3+ mobo then..

As a suggestion, asus m5a97 r.2 is good motherboard AM3+ for budget..

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

Ah damn it! Is the Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 one of the best motherboards I'll get for under £100?

speely · Aug 25, 2014

I'm agreeing with Quaddro above me. Your CPU won't pair with your Motherboard. There's two options:

First, and the one I'd prefer, would be to replace the motherboard with this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130677
which is close to the same cost as the FM2+ board you chose, and as far as I can tell is roughly similar. That motherboard will support your FX-series CPU. (Don't be startled by the PCI-E 2.0 compatibility only - even though your video card is PCI-E 3.0, it will not be bottlenecked in a 2.0 slot, you'll be fine.)

The second option would be to replace the CPU with an APU that will fit in your chosen motherboard. For gaming, I'd recommend the other option, though. The APU's are good, but not as good as the FX CPU's for gaming.

I would also suggest you consider the FX 6350 over the 6300. It's basically the same CPU, with higher clocks and a little higher TDP. You could overclock the 6300, but I am under the impression the 6350's are higher-binned chips and may be more agreeable to overclocking anyway.

Edit: It's sorted by USD$ but these should all be in your range. 990FX chipsets are better than 970 but the 970 are still very good. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007625%204027%20600138080&IsNodeId=1

speely · Aug 25, 2014

Also, don't let the Intel fanboys get you down. My best friend has an Intel based computer (i7-4770K, GeForce 760, 16gb DDR3-1866) and I have a computer kinda similar to what you're building (FX-4350, two HD 7850's in Crossfire, 8gb DDR3-1333) and while his computer scores better in most benchmarks, when it comes to gaming, they perform the same. You could walk into the room where we were gaming side-by-side and not be able to tell which of us was using Intel and which was using AMD.

You've got a pretty good rig planned out and it's going to game very well for you. Enjoy!

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

Oh wow speely thanks a lot man. It looks like I'll be changing my motherboard then, but what do you think of this motherboard http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851 over the one you suggested? Better or worse? Haha, I won't fella I'm just trying to get the best bang for buck deal, whether that be Intel or AMD.

SnakeGTX · Aug 25, 2014

I with your brother. Intel just seems like a better way to go, to me.

Your rig is only going to be better in gaming. Everything else, and your brother's build will pull ahead. Here is a comparison of the CPUs, and here is the GPUs.

Though, this is a better build than both.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£126.14 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G55 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£74.46 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£35.94 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card (£221.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £518.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-25 16:31 BST+0100

770 vs 280

I left out the case and PSU because I assumed that you didn't need one. But make sure you get a good PSU. Here is a useful list.

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

Thanks SnakeGTX I'll check out your build. Ideally I would go for an Intel CPU but I just think with an AMD one I'll get more for my money. But do you reckon the FX-8320 would perform better at everything else than my brothers CPU or would that even falter in those areas? Yeah I've already found the case I want, it has good ventilation all around and for the PSU I was looking at getting an XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply.

SnakeGTX · Aug 25, 2014

HarveyDG :

The 8320 would probably pull ahead slightly in rendering and memory intensive applications. Other than that, the 4670K would be faster on everything else, mostly because its single core performance is much better. Here is a decent comparison. You can see that the 4670k has nearly 70% better single core performance.

I can say that Intel is somewhat overpriced compared to AMD. Though I see it as its worth it, for PCIe 3.0 compatibility and a cooler CPU. Since the 8320 uses 40 more watts, eventually the electricity cost will catch up with the Intel CPU after a number of years (technically $13 a year in the US).

And good choice on a PSU, that's a very decent one.

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

Well I'll have to look into the 8320 and 4670K a bit more then and see which one is true value for money. Would you if possible be able to suggest a decent value motherboard SnakeGTX to go with the 8320, since I'll probably have to change the one I was looking at? The MSI 990FXA-GD80 seems a pretty good solid choice to go with it, along with the suggestions other people have made.

SnakeGTX · Aug 25, 2014

HarveyDG :

I'd say that motherboard looks very good. Might be kinda pricey though. If you were wanting more than 6 USB ports, you could go with the Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0, with 12 USB ports. Here is also a good but cheaper motherboard.

HarveyDG · Aug 25, 2014

SnakeGTX said:
I'd say that motherboard looks very good. Might be kinda pricey though. If you were wanting more than 6 USB ports, you could go with the Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0, with 12 USB ports. Here is also a good but cheaper motherboard.

Yeah I was just looking at the Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 you suggested but I can get the Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 for £10 cheaper, so I'll probably go for the EVO because the only real difference I can see is the ability to run dual graphics cards at 16x on the FX. Thanks for all your help SnakeGTX, it's been much appreciated.

SnakeGTX · Aug 25, 2014

HarveyDG :

Yeah the EVO looks good. And your welcome, glad I could help.

Me v My Brother, Which is Better?

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