AMD CPU selection madness

[Matttt]

I'm in the throes of putting my first computer together and I just can't nail down the CPU. I've decided to go with AMD to keep costs down and I think I've narrowed it down to the 4350 or the 8350.

I can get the 8350 bundled with the ASRock Extreme 3 R2.0 ($185) or the ASUS M5A97 for a bit more ($200); however, the 4350 seems to not have any bundle deals at the moment.

I will say I have no plans to overclock in the near future. If I catch some computer tech bug, I may, but it's not foreseeable.

As far as uses, the most demanding function will be running recording software, Mixcraft 7, with many VSTi's, tracks, etc while recording and mixing.

I'd like to play games such as FFXIV, not very hardcore, but still somewhat demanding.

Because Mixcraft seems to be a multithreaded software, I was thinking the 8350, but is it overkill or not as well suited for my plans?

I've been thinking about it for too long and going in circles, even so much as thinking about the 6300. Any guidance is much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Martin1982]

You should stay away from the fx8350 with ASUS M5A97 you need the ASUS M5A97 evo, to get 8 power phases.
That means in short you will not be able to overclock with that board.
I really love amd but it's just not making any sense to go amd today am3+ is a dead platform.
A friendly advise look for an i3 i5 bundle. As you can see im an amd owner myself but I also have i5 4690k.. Not much more to say

 

[madmatt30]

If you're looking at amd seriously the only 2 chips I'd go for are the 6300 & 8320.
You do want an aftermarket cooler , you will want to over clock to get the most from them

Its a couple of clicks in bios to run the 6300@6350 speeds & the same for the 8320@8350 speeds.
They'll both do this with no voltage change & very little temp increase.

Steer clear of any as rock 970 extreme series board.
The m5a97 is fine if its the non LE model.the evo has exactly the same vrm setup as the standard r2.
Personally I would go with the gigabyte ud3p but the Asus is good enough.where are the bundle deals,micro center??

 

[madmatt30]

The 6300+ m5a97 is $140
The 8320+ m5a97 is $160

They are your best deals - spend the money saved on a decent 120mm tower cooler & you won't go wrong IMO.

 

[Matttt]

As I had said, I'm not planning on overclocking.

I would also like to stick with AMD as Intel is out of my price range.

Good call on the upgrades MOBO Martin1982, but if I don't plan on overclocking, are the 8 power phases necessary?

Madmatt30 - as I said, not looking into overclocking. If not overclocking, would you still consider the 6300 or 8320?

Thanks for the responses so far!

 

[madmatt30]

For $140 as a bundle the 6300 with the m5a97 is the best deal/choice easily.
I would lose 2 cores to gain a quality motherboard any day of the week.

But yes I would go with the 6300 or 8320 & the Asus board most definitely.

Irregardless of over clocking I would still purchase an aftermarket cooler - the stock amd ones are barely up to the job & very noisy.

 

[Martin1982]

http://forums.acoustica.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=11855

6 Cores or more will be great for mixcraft 7 and a lot of ram

 

[James Mason]

Out of your price range?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $180.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-18 17:33 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 PLUS ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ B&H)
Total: $234.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-18 17:34 EDT-0400

The i3 will outperform the 8350 in everything that's not video editing or BF4 with mantle.

 

[Matttt]

Thank you for the replies!

That's what I was thinking madmatt30, thanks for support!

Martin1982 and James Mason - I had read that mixcraft does utilize multiple cores pretty efficiently, which is why I was leaning away from intel in my price range. I had looked at the i3-4170, but I had read that it doesn't handle audio processing, even mixcraft, very well. To get the multiple cores in an intel package, I'd have to blow my price range.

It's looking like the 6300 is a good way to go. I understand it's not upgradeable, but I'm hoping I won't have to upgrade for quite some time.

Thanks again all!