Will a FX 8350E or more/faster RAM benefit me more?

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Skyl3r

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Nov 23, 2012
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Hello everyone,
Right now I have a Computer with the following specs:
CPU: AMD A10-5800k @ 4.3GHz
RAM: 4x2GB HyperX modules @1600MHz
GPU: Nvidia GTX 760
HDD: 1TB WD Black, 500GB WD Blue, 128GB Samsung SSD

I'm looking to either:
A. Upgrade my mother board and processor so I'm not running on an APU anymore. The ideal would be an AMD FX 8350E for the price point and the cores, as I am a heavy multitasker.

B. Upgrade ram so I dont have 4 - 2gb modules and I would have higher clock speeds.

I dont want to go the Intel route, because its too expensive and doesn't provide as much freedom to my knowledge as an unlocked AMD processor.
I am only looking to spend >$300 on this upgrade.

Which one might benefit me more?

Computer usage:
I play SC2 pretty often, I run streaming software, program in several IDEs often times having multiple open at a time while always having several (8-10) browser tabs up.
To me this points to a better processor with more cores providing the most benefits.
I'd like some opinions though.
 
Solution
logainofhades
Intel is faster, per core, than AMD. It uses far less power also. Keep in mind, for the combo deals, any compatible board is eligible for the $40 discount. ;) A 4690k is best paired with a Z97 board, but if you can get a 4690k, with a cheaper board, for less than a locked chip and a cheaper board, it is kind of a no brainer.
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AdviserKulikov

AdviserKulikov

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If you live near a Micro Center, you can pick up an i5 4690K with a matching motherboard for under $300, upgrade to i7 with just as many threads as the AMD option and you come in around $340.

Since you already use dedicated graphics, you will see minimal benefit from faster ram. It only really impacts performance if you are using an APU for graphics. at 8GB you are fine for ram, and you get the benefit of using all lanes. Unless you are regularly using >7GB of RAM, you don't need to upgrade that yet.
 
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Skyl3r

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Nov 23, 2012
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I do live near a micro center, but the problem with that is that the i5/mobo combo costs $280 + tax which comes at to be about $305. I didn't really want to spend that much unless I would see very large performance gains.
Is it worth spending the $100 more to get an i5 over an FX 8370E?
 
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Dark Lord of Tech

Dark Lord of Tech

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Jeff Baffalo

Jeff Baffalo

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You could always get a locked i5
 
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Skyl3r

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Nov 23, 2012
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What makes Intel such a better choice?
Is spending an extra $100 actually worth the performance gain over an FX 8370E?

From checking Microcenter's website, it looks like the viable Intel options are:

i3-4370 + Asus Z97-AR ($250)
i5-3570k + Asus P8H61-M ($235)
i5-4590 + ASRock H97M Pro ($250)
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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Apr 27, 2009
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Intel is faster, per core, than AMD. It uses far less power also. Keep in mind, for the combo deals, any compatible board is eligible for the $40 discount. ;) A 4690k is best paired with a Z97 board, but if you can get a 4690k, with a cheaper board, for less than a locked chip and a cheaper board, it is kind of a no brainer.
 
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Solution
WhiteSnake91

WhiteSnake91

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Jun 16, 2013
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What's your current ram usage? Starcraft 2 is an old game that only uses 2 cores. Since you already have a gtx 760 you weren't even using the integrated graphics on the APU anyway. What's your current CPU usage? You could certainly do worse than a 4.2ghz quad core....my bro has the same cpu paired with a gtx 660ti superclocked 2gb and has been able to play any game on 1080p pretty much as well as me, and he always has several programs and chrome tabs open too.

If you play SC2 and/or MMO and RTS alot, going intel would give you much better FPS than AMD. Go with the locked i5 and h97 combo
 
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