FX-8320 vs i5 4690k

Malefic Grindylow · Oct 17, 2014

I'm looking for a CPU for my build. I narrowed it down to these two so far.
I know the benchmarks are better for the i5 but I'm also looking for something future proof.

I'll be using my PC mainly for gaming - RPGs, MMOs and that kind of thing.

The price difference isn't huge between the two, but with the i5 I'd be looking for a motherboard that is a little bit cheaper. I'd like to be able to overclock, but it isn't a necessity.

Here's a link to my build: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/maleficgrindylow/saved/WjkH99

I'll also need recommendations for a motherboard that is compatible with the CPU you choose.

Thanks a lot.

ifreestylin · Oct 17, 2014

Future proof? By the time gaming can use 8 threads effectively, the FX 8320 will probably be outdated. the games you want to play will be much better on the intel i5 4690k.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£169.60 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.85 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£106.19 @ Aria PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£67.36 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card (£208.79 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£69.59 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£71.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£13.31 @ Aria PC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£13.31 @ Aria PC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (£13.31 @ Aria PC)
Total: £758.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-17 15:55 BST+0100

I take it you don't need and HDD? Also i would change your PSU but i need to know your budget first.

Malefic Grindylow · Oct 17, 2014

ifreestylin :

Thanks for your reply, I think I'll go for the i5.

And no I have everything else, it's kind of an upgrade but I'm replacing most of my existing parts.
And yeah I changed the PSU from RM 650. With that build I don't have much left, what wattage would you recommend?

**Also would that motherboard be good for overclocking?

NightAntilli · Oct 17, 2014

I personally was having the same choice, and went for the FX-8320. Yes it draws more power and produces more heat, and yes its single core performance is slower. But a few things influenced my choice.

Since consoles currently have 8 'weak' cores, chances are that PC ports will also start utilizing more than 4 cores, giving the FX-8320 the advantage. Note that this is speculation on my part, and not a fact. I personally think it will be a fact soon though. Just my opinion, although there are a few games that support this already.
Mantle seems to be a great initiative to compensate for the weak single core performance.
The price difference between the processors is still close to $100.

If you decide to go for the FX-8320, I recommend the Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0
If you decide to go for the i5 4690k, I recommend the Asus Z97 Pro (or lower equivalent if you wish to save money to compensate for the processor)

ifreestylin · Oct 17, 2014

Malefic Grindylow :

ifreestylin :

Thanks for your reply, I think I'll go for the i5.

And no I have everything else, it's kind of an upgrade but I'm replacing most of my existing parts.
And yeah I changed the PSU from RM 650. With that build I don't have much left, what wattage would you recommend?

**Also would that motherboard be good for overclocking?

Any decent 600W PSU would be enough. Try getting XFX or seasonic. Yes that motherboard is great for overclocking. I have the same CPU and motherboard and overclock to 4.2ghz with ease.

Malefic Grindylow · Oct 17, 2014

NightAntilli :

I personally was having the same choice, and went for the FX-8320. Yes it draws more power and produces more heat, and yes its single core performance is slower. But a few things influenced my choice.

Since consoles currently have 8 'weak' cores, chances are that PC ports will also start utilizing more than 4 cores, giving the FX-8320 the advantage. Note that this is speculation on my part, and not a fact. I personally think it will be a fact soon though. Just my opinion, although there are a few games that support this already.
Mantle seems to be a great initiative to compensate for the weak single core performance.
The price difference between the processors is still close to $100.

If you decide to go for the FX-8320, I recommend the Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0
If you decide to go for the i5 4690k, I recommend the Asus Z97 Pro (or lower equivalent if you wish to save money to compensate for the processor)

I've been having that thought too recently, how are you finding the FX-8320 so far? Which GPU are you using with it?

Malefic Grindylow · Oct 17, 2014

ifreestylin :

Malefic Grindylow :

ifreestylin :

Thanks for your reply, I think I'll go for the i5.

And no I have everything else, it's kind of an upgrade but I'm replacing most of my existing parts.
And yeah I changed the PSU from RM 650. With that build I don't have much left, what wattage would you recommend?

**Also would that motherboard be good for overclocking?

Any decent 600W PSU would be enough. Try getting XFX or seasonic. Yes that motherboard is great for overclocking. I have the same CPU and motherboard and overclock to 4.2ghz with ease.

Okay thank you.

NightAntilli · Oct 17, 2014

Malefic Grindylow :

Well, my GPU is a bit outdated since I still haven't upgraded yet. I'm actually waiting it out a bit before buying a new graphics card. I'm using my old Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 as of now. I can still play most games I'm interested in at 1080p, but a few of them not on max anymore. I couldn't do that with my previous processor, which was a Phenom II X3 710, despite having the same graphics card. So in that sense, I don't regret my buy in the slightest. I find the FX-8320 processor to be great. I managed to overclock it to 4.4 GHz @ 1.38v with a Hyper 212 EVO. I can probably go further, but I'll be sticking to that overclock for now.

I can't really tell if the FX-8320 is bottlenecking anything since my graphics card is not the most powerful. But I did not notice a significant performance increase before and after the overclock with the games I play. And lowering the graphics settings increases my framerate. So... That leads me to assume it isn't bottlenecking. In benchmarks there was a clear difference in performance though, but it was more related to physics and the like, rather than framerate during rendering.

sora · Oct 17, 2014

NightAntilli :

I personally was having the same choice, and went for the FX-8320. Yes it draws more power and produces more heat, and yes its single core performance is slower. But a few things influenced my choice.

Since consoles currently have 8 'weak' cores, chances are that PC ports will also start utilizing more than 4 cores, giving the FX-8320 the advantage. Note that this is speculation on my part, and not a fact. I personally think it will be a fact soon though. Just my opinion, although there are a few games that support this already.
Mantle seems to be a great initiative to compensate for the weak single core performance.
The price difference between the processors is still close to $100.

If you decide to go for the FX-8320, I recommend the Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0
If you decide to go for the i5 4690k, I recommend the Asus Z97 Pro (or lower equivalent if you wish to save money to compensate for the processor)

I personally agree with you; I think that games will soon use 8 cores compared to 4 cores.

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