New PC FX-4300 vs i5-3470 or upgrade current?

Well... the Core i5 3470 and the AMD FX 4300 are in completely different leagues.The Core i5 is a mid range CPU while the FX 4300 is pretty much low end.
The CPU's on AMD's side that compete with intel's Core i5's are their octo core FX Series processors (the FX 8320 and the FX 8350).

And still in my opinion you do not need a new PC to play these games.
From a price-performance perspective upgrading your current PC makes much more sense.
Buy the Phenom.Upgrade the RAM and most importantly buy a new graphics card.The one you've got now is pretty good but you'll certainly notice the difference when you upgrade to a new, high end card.

Here's the link to the card i think you should buy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


The whole upgrade will cost you around 250-270$ and will give you pretty much the same performance in games that are not very CPU intensive.

And if you want a PC that will max those games out then you should look into a platform upgrade as well (motherboard + CPU).
If you're concerned about your PC's power consumption and are not into overclocking i reccomend this combo.

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=70542&vpn=BX80637I5355...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Or if you're into overclocking, aren't really concerned about power consumption and seek the best performance for your dolar this is for you.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Thanks for the suggestions. Any recommendation on a power supply? I think mine is going to become an issue as it's only 460w.

While Dell does make good power supplies, it never hurts to get a new one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Something like that should run pretty much all single graphics card solutions.

both the i3 and the 4100 will work great for the games you are playing as long as you have a descent graphics card. Also the upgrade you listed will great as well. just make sure the ram will fit and you may need to update you bios. A 460w psu should be fine if it is a good brand if you do get a new one make sure it is a good brand like cooler master or corsair.

If doing a modest upgrade, certainly agree probably better to upgrade existing, although obviously need to check will physically fit, and whether existing power supply adequate. I am however drawn to one word in original post, "currently". If you want something that is reasonably guaranteed to cope with some NEW game, you might want to play, you may be better to have a new build, that is more than adequate, for today, and allows for future upgrades, as necessary. If OP is happy to do upgrades, why not a new build. Doing it himself, will give a much better (usually) result, cheaper. The "backbone" of a new system may be.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($56.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $381.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Assuming stuff like hard drive, optical drive, and OS can be re-used, all that's needed is GPU. That could either be a $110 HD7770, to meet current needs, or $200+ on something much more powerful. Either way, a lot less than $900.
Build does include very good deal on CPU, at Microcentre. If that not available locally, it would cost $40 more for CPU, elsewhere.

I am thinking now I may look into building my own new computer with the following parts.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core $199.99 (amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 $87.55 (newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $35.99 (amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB $237.55 (newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower $39.99 (newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 550W ATX12V $54.04 (amazon)

Is there anything anyone would suggest changing that is better or less expensive?

The i5-3570 is fine. Depending on price difference (performance diff very small), the i5-3470 often better VALUE. If you live near a Microcentre, they have $40+ off i5's, for walk-ins.
Would prefer XFX, or Rosewill Hive, for PSU.
Even though you have locked processor, would still recommend using basically low profile RAM. If Vengeance, use a CML model, just in case you ever wish to fit better/quieter CPU cooler, in future.

I don't have a Microcentre anywhere near me so that's why I chose the i5-3570. With your suggestions I changed a few things.



CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core $199.99 (amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 $124.99 (newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $35.99 (amazon)
Video Card: HIS 7850 Fan 2 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card H785F2G2M $179.99 (amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower $39.99 (newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $49.99 (NCIX US)

The Asrock motherboard I had picked before has a lot of poor reviews on Newegg so that's why I changed to the Asus motherboard. Anybody with first hand experience on a good LGA1155 motherboard that is $130 or less?

Downgraded to the 7850 graphics card as I don't think with Empire or Civ V that I need the higher graphics card. Correct?

Wouldn't disagree with anything there. The Asus Z77 boards are very good, and software easy to use. That one doesn't have some of the features/performance of the plain "V", but is good value, at the price, and doesn't lack anything vital. Not that it's better, the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H is a reasonable alternative. The one thing, on choice of GPU, that one is quite good, and good value, but the old "rule" of always get the best GPU you can afford, does make some sense. It's true those games are not especially demanding, but tomorrow, when a game comes out, that you really like, but your GPU would struggle with, you COULD regret not getting a better one, if you could have afforded it. Just a thought.