Help choosing a CPU

[kangkong70]

New to this forum, need help choosing between the Intel Core i5 3570k and the AMD FX 8350 for gaming. From what I've seen from other topics, the 3570k is better, but on sites like Legit Reviews, the 8350 is right behind the Intel i7 3370k. Here's the link to the page: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2055/5/
Also, on PassMark CPU Lookup, the benchmark tests were way above the i5. Link to the page http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-3570K+%40+3.40GHz
What are your thoughts for a better gaming CPU and why? And if you guys could recommend other good gaming CPU's at around $250ish, that would be great.

Thanks in advance!

 

[excella1221]

Get the i5. Most games are single-threaded and the FX series are having trouble in that particular part.

The reason the FX-8350 is more or less on par with the i7-3770K is because its 4 modules/8 cores are great for multi-threaded activities like video rendering.

PassMark isn't really the most reliable when looking for reference. They are usually individual submissions from people all over the world with different settings.

CPU suggestions for gaming?
w/ OC = i5-3570K / FX-8320
w/o OC = i5-3450 or 3470

The 8320 is basically the 8350 minus the 0.5GHz which you can easily overclock.
Games are mostly GPU-reliant so don't worry so much about the CPU, put more insights on the GPU choice.

 

[kangkong70]

Thanks for the help, I didn't expect an answer that fast thought

 

[socialfox]

I would go with the 3570k as well, but if you want to bring its full potential out then you should consider overclocking it. To overclock it you may want to start out with a Z77 Chipset board, I typically recommend Asus or Asrock for high end motherboards. Anyways if you are on a real tight budget for a video card which is also important for gaming consider the HD 7770. There are several better cards (much better) but they are a bit pricy. Give some thought on the motherboard and video card. It would be best if you can post a budget for a video card.

Anyways might want to take a look at this CPU hierarchy list:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

Edit: Forgot to mention this, if you are overclocking you need to also invest in a CPU cooler. For starters, I would say a Hyper 212 does a good job based on its low price.

 

[kangkong70]

This is the build I want to go with right now.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n83F

 

[socialfox]

It is a nice build, you could however re-select your power supply. It's a bit too much wattage and you could go for something a bit higher in terms of quality. Cougar is an ok-good brand for power supplies but there are better. I am a bit worried about the mixed review for that power supply.

Here are some suggestions:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182132
^ that one kind of defeats the purpose of me saying too much wattage but its on sale and is pretty good in terms of quality.

Just a general rule I believe in is to never skimp on a power supply.

Take a look at this power supply tier list:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

 

[excella1221]

This is the build I want to go with right now.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n83F

There's little point in a B75 motherboard with an unlocked CPU.
The main question here is if you are going to OC or not - If yes, you'll need to get a z75 or z77 board. If not, drop the 3570k and get a 3450 or 3470 instead, whichever you find cheaper.

I would suggest the 7950 instead; it outperforms the 660 Ti at basically the same price point. If you really want nVIdia though, forget about the EVGA - It uses reference cooling which would give you fairly high temps under high load and that probably wouldn't be too good for the GPU in the long run. Get a Gigabyte Windforce x2 or x3($10 more) instead.

I don't believe Cougar has a good reputation for PSUs. This component should be one of the last things you cheap out on since it could possibly fry your components if ever it fails. Get this instead,
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=59615&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1257

Not too sure about that RAM line either, best stick with the Vengeance series or G.Skill. Also, 1600MHz is the sweet spot for frequency, price difference isn't big.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231546&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Do you have a specific budget to meet? Maybe I can help you get things going on balanced parts.

 

[socialfox]

Woops forgot about the motherboard, like I said in my previous post and what excella said you should consider the Z77. However not all Cougar power supplies are terrible there are maybe a few that are tier 2 which means they are top quality. The one you selected though is not on the list at all and there are mixed review so you should re-consider it.

 

[kangkong70]

My budget is around $800

 

[socialfox]

Here is a updated list:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nbFN

Anyways from taking a closer look I can't guarantee the hyper 212 will fit in your case but if it does it will be a real tight fit. Also are you willing to increase your budget a bit, we can improve on the computer case.

 

[kangkong70]

I can go up to about $850

 

[socialfox]

Hi there, thanks for upping your budget, it was enough to make good changes. Anyways check the link now and see if its okay:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nd6B

Anyways there are two issues with this build right now, you have usb 2.0 right now because the computer case does not support 3.0. I myself find USB 2.0 just fine for me and is fast enough. The other issue is you may need to update the bios or ask Asrock to send you a new board that has the latest firmware. There is a good chance that you will get a board with newer firmware so you wont need to update it. If you find the computer case and motherboard too much of an issue let me know and I will do my best to change it up.

 

[kangkong70]

Do you think I should switch Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 to the GeForce GTX 660TI because it performs better at the same price? Here's where I got my info from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTujzlj11I8&feature=related

 

[socialfox]

I believe both cards trade blows (punches) and their performance are based on different video games, some video games will prefer the Nvidia card and others will go for the Ati/AMD one. Anyways for overclocking the HD 7950 wins hands down. I would still say its a draw for both of them if at stock clocks.

 

[kangkong70]

Which one would you prefer?

 

[socialfox]

I like the HD 7950 because of its great overclocking capabilities.

Edit: This link will tell you all about that thing I said they both trade blows
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/08/27/nvidia_geforce_gtx_660_ti_at_high_aa_settings_review/7

And you should take a look at this:
http://www.hwcompare.com/13144/geforce-gtx-660-ti-vs-radeon-hd-7950-3gb/

 

[excella1221]

The 660 Ti doesn't beat the 7950 on anything anymore after the bios boost and the recent Catalyst drivers.

Though even without those it would still be a better buy with the higher VRAM and the fact that the 660 Ti is crippled by its 192-bit bus rate.