Replace FX 8350 with I5 4670k?

56curious · Dec 20, 2017

I was just wondering if I should replace the FX 8350 @4.2Ghz for an I5 4670k i've got my hands on for free? the Mobo and extra RAM is there too so I could setup a second PC if needed. I've currently got a 1070 with the FX due to an upgrade in the near future (I know it's a bottleneck and stuff but that's not the point).
Is it work the replacement for the next couple of months or should I just build a second PC and add a HDD with the games on? I could have two PCs as I plan on playing ArmA 3 (Currently at 20-30 FPS on the FX, but any intel chip will be an improvement on that ahah), PUBG, COH 2, Cities Skylines, I also do terrain rendering for ArmA 3 and the FX just blitz through that.

photonboy · Dec 20, 2017

I don't see the point of having two computers.

(you mention "terrain rendering for Arma 3" however I doubt the FX-8350 would be much faster than an OC'd i5-4670K)

Just create a new PC using the past parts, buy anything you are missing, and if required buy a new W10 64-bit Home license and reinstall your software.

STEAM:
You can avoid downloading your games again by doing this:

1) copy "Documents" folder (to copy back SAVE files later on a per-game basis for those without Steam saving of saves)

2) copy "Steamapps" folder somewhere, or perhaps buy an SSD to install Windows on then just make a new directory called "E:\Steam" on the HDD and MOVE the entire "Steamapps" folder from the current Steam directory

3) Clean install W10 (to SSD?)

4) reinstall Steam, login

5) In Steam go to library settings and add a new FOLDER. Point to the one on the HDD (i.e. "E:\Steam")

Other:
What do you mean "next couple of months"?

I thought you had the CPU, motherboard, and RAM already?
Or are you planning a different PC build entirely such as Ryzen or 8th gen Intel?

photonboy · Dec 20, 2017

PASSMARK isn't 100% accurate as it varies by the program, but it shows:

1) per-core (single thread):
2193 vs 1508

45% faster on i5-4670K

2) TOTAL (100% usage)
17% faster on FX-8350

Even without the i5 overclock it's unlikely the rendering would use all EIGHT threads of the FX-8350 so the performance may be similar.

Again, it's a bit of GUESSING but the take-away is at best it probably isn't much in favor of the FX-8350. At worst it's less, so no point having two systems and paying extra money for a Windows license and probably other components.

The Paladin · Dec 20, 2017

Firstly to answer you initial question; is the 4670K an "upgrade " from an FX-8350, that could be debated in a many ways, the FX is 4 cores/8 threads the I5 is only 4 cores, the FX is a 4.0Ghz OC's 4.2Ghz, The 4670K is 3.4Ghz OC's to 3.8Ghz (ref: =1780&cmp[]=1921]https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1780&cmp[]=1921 )

Follow up question: What is the motherboard you have supporting that 4670K, for 2 reasons, a) if it is not a Zxxx series motherboard it will not permit you to Overclock the said 4670k b) what is the heat sink that you have with that 4670K, because it will also be important item to consider when Overclocking it.

should you have 2 computers, well being a person that utilizes a number of computers (desktops and laptops) myself, I would only say Yes if the requirement is there... does it make sense to build a "new" computer out of the Intel system, sure, slap the 1070 , get a new PSU, case, drive for it, and when it is done, sell for parts the old system you have. or format hard drive slap windows 10 on it and make a donation to a local organization that collect and provides computer for families that cannot afford them.
(windows 10 download : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 ) don't register (skip license it will function, permit utilization just not customization)

regarding gaming on the I5, only PUBG will be deficient , but you will be gaming at 60fps on a i5-1070 combo. but make sure you have at least 16GB of ram .

photonboy · Dec 21, 2017

Very few games use more than four cores, so we can "debate" all day long but it's best to use actual benchmarks.

https://www.bit-tech.net/reviews/tech/intel-core-i5-4670k-haswell-cpu-review/5/

Aside from just these two games I've looked at many others and discovered an i5-4670K @4.6GHz vs FX-8350 at roughly 4.2GHz is up to just over 60% faster in some games.

It varies a lot but if I was forced to guess the AVERAGE with a good graphics card at 1080p I'd say about 30% difference but again it will vary from almost NO difference to just over 60% faster on the i5-4670K system.

The MINIMUMS are even worse with sometimes over 2x the FPS on the i5-4670K (such as 32FPS vs 15FPS).

photonboy · Dec 21, 2017

Part of the surprisingly poor performance explanation is that the SHARED core design can sometimes cause the games main thread of code to run slower on the "core" due to another thread of code running on the 2nd core of the same shared module.

So while basic testing may show the "SINGLE THREAD" performance being some number, actual testing in some games can be much less whereas the i5-4670K has four cores which are each completely separate so the games main thread of code runs on one core.

(I've oversimplified a bit as it's actually a bit more complicated with how buffering, thread jumping works but the above reason is still valid)

*But you say aren't you ONLY comparing the i5-4670K at 4.6GHz?

Actually, the STOCK difference in one of the above games is about 54% (34FPS vs 22FPS). I've actually seen just over 70% difference in a couple games comparing 4.6GHz i5-4670K vs 4.2GHz (ish) FX-8350.

So yeah, it can be a big deal in some games. Starcraft 2 only has TWO code threads so during large battles there would be a huge difference such as maybe 15FPS vs 30FPS at times.

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Replace FX 8350 with I5 4670k?

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