FX6300+7950 or i5-3570k+7870 xt

[ballerslife]

They both are pretty much the same price, will be mainly be playing BF3 multiplayer, maybe some CoD, or Crysis 3 (not likely), and some strategy games, like Company of Heroes, or Shogun 2. Also I won't be upgrading for 3-4 years, so longevity is also an important factor.

This is the first option.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JLYd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JLYd/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JLYd/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($46.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNWD-N1502UBE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Hannspree HL229DPB 21.5" Monitor ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $857.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-24 00:08 EDT-0400)

Or alternatively, I can get:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LMwL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LMwL/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LMwL/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($46.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNWD-N1502UBE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Hannspree HL229DPB 21.5" Monitor ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $876.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-24 00:13 EDT-0400)

 

[Outlander_04]

There is only a small difference in performance between the 7950 and the 7870 XT . If you overclock the XT it might perform as well or better than a stock clock 7950

Of those two the intel/7870XT is the better choice . But it wont perform better in demanding games like BF3 or Crysis 3 , but it probably will in older games
Make sure the RAM you are using is rated 1.5 volt or less

And consider building using the Fx 6300 and the 7870XT so you can afford a bigger monitor . A 24 inch screen really doea make a difference

 

[ballerslife]

If I get, the fx6300, will there be a huge difference a 3-4 years down the road? And as for the monitor, I'll get something at microcenter. And will I need the hyper 212 evo cooler, to increase longevity?

 

[Outlander_04]

The FX processor gives you the option to upgrade to at least one more generation of AMD processors after the current one . Intels socket 1155 dies in 2 months when they release haswell

and there are already benchmarks for newer games like Crysis 3 that show the FX 6300 performing about the same as a 3570K when they are both overclocked