AMD or Intel?

sthill7 · May 12, 2015

I have been planning for a build for some while now and the original CPU I was going to get was the AMD FX-6300 Black Edition with an MSI 970 Gaming motherboard and an EVGA GTX 960 SSC. But then I started contemplating an Intel build because of the superior Z97 chipset version of my MSI board. I started looking for Intel processors equal to price and similar in performance. I was about to give up when I found the Intel i3-4170. It sounded nice, with it's 3.7GHz clock, lower power usage, and at only $25 more, it was a steal. I used cpuboss.com to compare them and found them to be almost identical in performance except for two key features: the i3 was locked, so no overclocking, and had nearly double the single-core power. Should I deal with the lesser mobo and overclock my FX, or should I get the i3 for its single-core performance? I should also note that I don't care about tiny percentages when comparing them; I just want to be able play games and maybe not suck at anything else. What I do care about is if one of these CPUs have a huge benefit over the over, not just "what is better."

andy_Man · May 12, 2015

The best way to get help from all of us here is to post a budget and what you are looking for component wise. (Full build, only motherboard/ram/cpu) etc

DeathRabit · May 12, 2015

i3 look ok until you do not want run BF4/ Crysis 3

Game test http://www.overclock.pl/articles/show/id/660,9,13,wydajnosc-po-podkreceniu-zestawienie-zbiorcze-r9-290x

Lets look on CPU Performance chart http://postimg.org/image/4vyf299cf/
Source: http://www.overclock.net/t/1493307/relative-access-to-execution-throughput-comparison-chart

crisan_tiberiu · May 12, 2015

It would be a hard decision for me to, because i am always budget limited

Gaming wise, it is always more important to get a better GPU. I am saying this because DirectX 12 knocks on the door, even if DirectX12 titles gonna be much later.
But, i could make a choice like this: the i3 costs X$, the FX 6300 costs X-25$. For 25 dollars i could get a better aftermarket cooler i.e and OC the FX (trust me, stock AMD cooler is loud...)

shakeel amlay · May 12, 2015

If you give us a budget, your current parts and what you want we can help and even give possibly better options. But as for me i'm an Intel fanboy. So you know my answer

sthill7 · May 12, 2015

andy_Man :

Okay. I don't want to go any higher than $125 for the CPU and $100 for the mobo.

Spudmaster · May 12, 2015

Get the Pentium G3258 it is a dual core but so is the i3 it's also much cheaper but I would recommend that you upgrade to an i5 or i7 in the future.

sthill7 · May 12, 2015

crisan_tiberiu :

That's what I thought, but is single-core performance very important? Because that's what really caught my eye about the i3.

shakeel amlay · May 12, 2015

AMD FX-8320E for $129 with a Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 for $95. It hurt to type(intel lover) but the man with the budget is boss.

shakeel amlay · May 12, 2015

single-core performance depends on what you do. Can you please tell us what this is for?

sthill7 · May 12, 2015

shakeel amlay :

Mostly gaming.

shakeel amlay · May 12, 2015

Then the 8320e and the mobo I suggested. It is overclockable and has the better multi-core performance ( for now :evil:

)

mlga91 · May 12, 2015

Do you plan to overclock? Do sli or anything? you can get a cheaper motherboard and a better cpu if you dont plan to do any of those things.

dudeman509 · May 12, 2015

+1 on the 8320 vs an i3/Pentium.

I've been lucky, with one that will overclock all the way to 4.7.

If you want to overclock, the stock cooler is a piece of crap though.

andy_Man · May 12, 2015

I recommend
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($126.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $211.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 16:08 EDT-0400

It's an dual core with HT. This also lets you upgrade to an i5/i7 further down the road. I keep running into posts of people with the fx 6300 or the fx 8350 who are disappointed with the cpu performance and want to save up for an i5/motherboard. If you can't afford an i5, at least make the upgrade easy for yourself down the line.

Skylyne · May 12, 2015

andy_Man :

From my experience/what I've seen, the majority of people who are let down by their FX processors are the ones who expected way more than what is realistic from them. I think a lot of people get into their heads that AMD is an Intel killer, and it will outperform Intel when you OC it right... and then they play the CPU lotto in hopes of getting that one chip that will destroy anything it's put up against. Seriously, I've seen that pepper more amateur AMD builders than I can believe. Then again, I've seen something similar to amateur Intel builders...

OP- For gaming purposes, Intel is usually going to be the most resourceful with what it has... but it's going to cost you more. Typically, your FX 8320 is going to be comparable with the i5 for performance in gaming. If you're debating between an i3 and the 8320, I'd go AMD. Also, while AMD is more of a power hungry machine, AMD CPUs aren't going to give you much of an issue with sky high power bills; the difference is noticeable, but it won't kill your power bill enough to notice within just a couple years.

If I was low budget building gaming rigs for people, I'd only use AMD CPUs... they're just cheaper, and they haven't really been beaten for low budget chips.

sthill7 · May 12, 2015

Skylyne :

andy_Man :

From my experience/what I've seen, the majority of people who are let down by their FX processors are the ones who expected way more than what is realistic from them. I think a lot of people get into their heads that AMD is an Intel killer, and it will outperform Intel when you OC it right... and then they play the CPU lotto in hopes of getting that one chip that will destroy anything it's put up against. Seriously, I've seen that pepper more amateur AMD builders than I can believe. Then again, I've seen something similar to amateur Intel builders...

OP- For gaming purposes, Intel is usually going to be the most resourceful with what it has... but it's going to cost you more. Typically, your FX 8320 is going to be comparable with the i5 for performance in gaming. If you're debating between an i3 and the 8320, I'd go AMD. Also, while AMD is more of a power hungry machine, AMD CPUs aren't going to give you much of an issue with sky high power bills; the difference is noticeable, but it won't kill your power bill enough to notice within just a couple years.

If I was low budget building gaming rigs for people, I'd only use AMD CPUs... they're just cheaper, and they haven't really been beaten for low budget chips.

Sounds great, but is there a really good AM3+ mobo you could recommend. I really liked what I saw with the MSI 970 Gaming, but I was told not to get it because because the chipset is outdated. If it has all the features I need, does chipset really matter? Also, as I should have noted earlier, I don't plan on upgrading the CPU for some time.

Skylyne · May 12, 2015

Well, chipset matters because of the way the CPU connects. For example, an AM3+ chip won't work with an AM2 chipset. The chipset on the motherboard is specific to a certain type of CPU. And while I haven't seen what happens when they're crossed, I wouldn't recommend it (most likely, nothing works right... obviously).

Whoever said the AM3+ chipset is outdated is right, there's really no reason to worry about it... depending on what you're using your machine for, and how long you want to stick with it. For a low budget PC build, you'll be doing fine with something like an FX 8320, or a 6350. They've been around for a while, and they're likely going to be replaced with a new chipset when AMD releases a new line of CPUs (I have no idea if or when that will happen), but they're still solid units for low budget gaming.

About the only way to get around this potential "outdated" problem is to go with a Haswell refresh CPU from Intel (or whatever equivalent that is with AMD), and get a motherboard that is projected to support the next generation of CPUs (or APU, if you go with AMD). Doing this will cost significantly more, though, and you may not benefit too much, depending on what types of games you play, and how much performance you're looking to get out of your machine over the next few years.

LookItsRain · May 12, 2015

i3 and an h97 mobo will be perfect here

Skylyne · May 13, 2015

tea urchin :

The reason it's 4 years behind is because it's 3.5 years old... so, yeah. And while it doesn't have low power consumption, it's still not that detrimental on the power bill. Also, you don't need an "enormously expensive" PSU. You won't be paying very much more to power the AMD chips, unless you're using substantially lower quality units on Intel chips (which makes no sense to begin with). Regardless...

Looks like the prices of Intel chips have dropped since I last was really active on here. I'd say the choice between AMD and Intel is really a personal preference, at this point. If all you'll be doing is gaming, then it looks like you have comparable Intel CPUs costs to work with. If you have other areas you want your computer to perform in, AMD isn't something you'd want to overlook for a low budget build.

sthill7 · May 13, 2015

Skylyne :

Well, I think what your referring to is the socket, not the chipset. AM3+ is the physical plastic tray that holds the CPU in the mobo; it shouldn't have any performance difference. What I was referring to by saying chipset was the layout of the mobo: 970. Everyone was telling me that it was much better to skip that and get the newer layout, 990FX. But if 970 has all the ports that I need or want, than what's the point of spending extra to get 990FX?

sthill7 · May 13, 2015

tea urchin :

I see, but what does CPU speed really mean in gaming terms? Faster frame rates? Smoother gameplay? In fact, I also should have mentioned that I'm coming from a console-gaming perspective.

shakeel amlay · May 13, 2015

Yes that would have helped abit. For some games it affects performance ALOT and for others maybe 1fps. It depends on how CPU-heavy the game you play is. Also if your CPU isn't strong enough it won't be able to utilize the full potential of your GPU so it won't be running at optial effieciency. You need to tell us what games you wanna play. ( P.s I moved to pc only 2 months ago. They are worlds apart in terms of performance and quality when playing games. Consoles are locked at 30fps and pc's generally go to 60fps+ ). You can do a new post on here and give what you want to do on your pc and what your budget is. Lots more people will be able to answer and you can be assured that it will be a good setup.

LookItsRain · May 13, 2015

http://www.techspot.com/review/943-best-value-desktop-cpu/

http://www.techspot.com/review/972-intel-core-i3-vs-i5-vs-i7/

sthill7 · May 13, 2015

shakeel amlay :

I want to be able to play any games coming out for consoles, such as Battlefield, GTA V, as well as some prominent PC exclusives like Star Citizen.

AMD or Intel?

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