AMD or Intel for "budget" gaming and video build

jtl7125 · Dec 2, 2015

I know, this question has been asked a hundred million times but I now that the Skylake i3 is out I'm not finding as much info on it as I'd like.

I'm building a rig for myself and passing my others on to my kids. I need to do some video editing for youtube (nothing too fancy) and basically play BF4 as maxed out as I can get it. I also play Skyrim, Fallout 4, and the occasional MMORPG.

At this point, my budget for MOBO, chip and memory is about $250, i7 is out and i5 unlikely. I've build a couple PCs but have mainly been a Mac guy because I've done a lot of audio and graphic stuff for the past 20+ years. I'm 44. Yes, I'm old.

Right now I'm considering the i3 6100 or amd 8320, maybe 6300 or 6350. I don't know if I'm going to get deep into overclocking, but I guess it's a possibility. It would be nice if I could upgrade down the line, but not a deal breakers, as I figure that any mobo I buy in this price range could do with an upgrade as well.

I'll be using an EVGA GTX 960 FTW ad I have a Corsair CX850M PSU. I plan of 8gbs of RAM and it's all going into a NZXT h440 red/black.

Luminary · Dec 2, 2015

This is just about the best $250 Skylake package I could put together, at $253 the best CPU would be the i3-6100:

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $253.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-02 09:01 EST-0500

You would be looking at a $40 price jump up to the i3-6300, and a $75 jump to get to the first i5. You wouldn't be able to overclock any of these components, the CPU's aren't unlocked 'k' models and the motherboard isn't a Z170 chipset. For Skylake you have to be able to sink quite a bit more money to be able to overclock.

Honestly for $250 you will probably get the most bang for your buck with an AMD lineup. Here's a good AMD build, though it is capped, so if you go AMD you won't have very many ways to upgrade this hardware. When you want to upgrade from AMD, you'll have to invest in a more expensive Intel build:

CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($145.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $248.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-02 09:11 EST-0500

Karsten75 · Dec 2, 2015

What exactly is your current rig? That would indicate if an upgrade is even possible for $250. Since you intend passing it on, I expect you're not able to cannibalize it for components such as case, RAM, etc. so you will need everything, including an OS?

bicycle_repair_man · Dec 2, 2015

I would take Luminary's build and replace the Z170 motherboard with an H170 instead. There's no point having a Z170 chipset with a locked CPU.

The FX-6xxx and FX-8xxx CPUs are practically dead in the water these days. I wouldn't recommend them at all.

Luminary · Dec 2, 2015

I only recommended the Z board because it is on sale right now at a price comprable to other H170 boards. No harm in recommending a good piece of hardware if it is at a good price.

You're quite correct though, without an unlocked processor it isn't neccessary.

almostageek · Dec 2, 2015

jtl7125 :

If you want to play Fallout 4 or BF4 at max, $250 for CPU, mobo and memory is NOT ENOUGH, but you can run Skyrim and BF4 at High fine with $25 for mobo, chip and memory. Memory must 10GB or more (8GB for Fallout 4, 2 for Windows), I recommend 16gb
P.S. 44 is not really old for me. You can still do many other things great, and I'm just 14, and I help my father who is exactly at your age with his PC business

almostageek · Dec 2, 2015

Luminary :

This is just about the best $250 Skylake package I could put together, at $253 the best CPU would be the i3-6100:

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $253.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-02 09:01 EST-0500

You would be looking at a $40 price jump up to the i3-6300, and a $75 jump to get to the first i5. You wouldn't be able to overclock any of these components, the CPU's aren't unlocked 'k' models and the motherboard isn't a Z170 chipset. For Skylake you have to be able to sink quite a bit more money to be able to overclock.

Honestly for $250 you will probably get the most bang for your buck with an AMD lineup. Here's a good AMD build, though it is capped, so if you go AMD you won't have very many ways to upgrade this hardware. When you want to upgrade from AMD, you'll have to invest in a more expensive Intel build:

CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($145.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $248.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-02 09:11 EST-0500

Forget Skylake absolutely if you are really interested in those games, they have rather sluggish price-to-performance compared to their predecessor Haswell, whilst still being questionably more expensive comparing the sum price, Even the classic Ivy Bridge can defeat Skylake if really properly invested

geofelt · Dec 2, 2015

Most who ask for a "budget" build are looking to go cheap.
I think a budget build should be one that allows for future upgrades.
To that end, I think you are spot on with a skylake i3 plan.
The high clock rate of a single thread will be most beneficial for MMO games, sims, and strategy games.
The FX cores are slow, and more of them will not compensate.

There is no real value in ram faster than 2133 with skylake, Think 1-2%.
No value in fancy heat spreaders either.
Any lga1151 motherboard will be fine for a i3 which does not permit overclocking.
Consider spending a bit more for a Z170 motherboard that would permit you to overclock a future i5 or i7 "K" cpu or even the kaby lake processors due out next year.

bicycle_repair_man · Dec 2, 2015

Luminary :

Completely agree; if there's an offer and the price is much the same then go for it.

ComputerSecurityGuy · Dec 2, 2015

It comes down to gaming vs editing. The FX chips still annihlate the Skylake i3 at editing, but the i3 in turn wipe the FX chips out at gaming. But especially if you are fine overclocking AMD likely wins out.

maddogfargo · Dec 2, 2015

AMD or Intel are fairly even for budget builds. So it's down to the games you play and how they will act with your hardware.

For example, on my FX 8 core Fallout 4 runs at a solid 60+ FPS on Ultra with a GTX 970 and it uses all 8 CPU cores. Neither the CPU nor the GPU are anywhere near 100%. But if I go to an older game that only uses 1-2 cores, an i3 would be faster, even though it's only 2+2 cores.

An FX 6300-6350 with a decent OC would be fine for a midrange budget build and can drive a GTX 960 or 970 nicely in most modern titles. Slap a Hyper 212 EVO on it and 4.5-4.6GHz is achievable. It will be very capable in most modern games, but probably 5-10 FPS behind an i3 in some older or poorly optimized games.

if you're concerned about the age of the FX platform, then go with an i3 build.

jtl7125 · Dec 2, 2015

I'm thinking I'd like to be able to upgrade, knowing myself.

So would I be right in thinking that going with Skylake would be the best way forward with that in mind, even if it would be an i3 to start with, since Haswell is long in the tooth and AMD is likely to release new stuff soon that will make the old stuff obsolete?

Luminary · Dec 2, 2015

Yes, go with the Skylake build I posted above if you want room to upgrade. It includes a Z170 chipset motherboard which would be able to handle an evenutal upgrade to an unlocked 'K' model i5 or i7 processor.

jtl7125 · Dec 2, 2015

Another quick question. I checked out the mobo you suggested on Amazon and it's only $99, but this one is $89. Can't see any significant difference between them aside from the manufacturer.

Thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0131GA4VE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Luminary · Dec 2, 2015

I don't recommend getting a motherboard from MSI, they are notorious for poor quailty control on their motherboards. The Gigabyte I linked is much more reliable.

jtl7125 · Dec 3, 2015

Was just browsing Amazon and found this deal on the step-up Z170X. Worth the extra $40?

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-LGA1151-Motherboard-Motherboards-GA-Z170X-GAMING/dp/B012IBPPWG/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1449162585&sr=1-2&keywords=gigabyte+z170x

Luminary · Dec 3, 2015

If you can afford it, absolutely. The Gigabyte Gaming 5 is a great motherboard.

AMD or Intel for "budget" gaming and video build

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