AMD FX-8320 or Intel Core i5-3470S

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hi guys im new here and im about to buy a cpu but i cant decide which, as the title says FX-8320 or i5-3470S, i know that the 8320 is slightly more powerful than the i5 according to passmark cpu benchmarks, the 8320 has 8284 points and the i5 has 6925 points, in my country the price is the same for both of them, but the 8320 is the 2nd most powerful cpu in AMD so i wont be able to upgrade later, but i'll be able to upgrade if i would buy the i5 so honestly idk what to do.
i've heard some bad things about the new fx series cpu's and i heard some good things, so idk what to believe and im asking for ur opinion :)
 
If power use is a major concern in your country then your best bet would be the i5-3470S as it uses half the power of the FX-8320. If power is expensive where you live, the Intel cpu will be far less expensive over the long run. But if power costs are no concern, the FX-8320 is the more powerful of the 2 processors.

Yes, there are more powerful Intel cpus you can upgrade to later, but the FX-8320 is easily overclockable and could provide a nice boost later if/when you need it.
 
The Intel® Core™ i5-3470S is designed to be a low power chip. You might want to check out the Intel Core i5-3470 or better yet the Intel Core i5-3570K in a gaming system. It is about the best gaming processor out there for performance and value.

"X" is for our Extreme Edition top of the line processors.
"K" is for unlocked and able be overclocked easily.
"P" is for no IGP (Integrated Graphics on Processor)
"S" is a low power processor
"T" is a very low power process that is disigned for thin form factor cases and boards. This of this in an HTPC.
 
Get the FX8320, as its more powerful, and later on you wont need to upgrade as its quick enough already and as stated with a CPU cooler upgrade you can OC this CPU too 4.5ghz and beyond.
 
@IntelE: "It is about the best gaming processor out there for performance and value. " No it isn't. That is a blatant ad for Intel. Not like anyone would expect anything else from ya, though.

The 8320 is the better choice. You can do shez-loads with that thing.
 
Since you say you're using your P.C. mostly for gaming, you'll want the I5. The I5 absolutely spanks pildriver when it comes to gaming, and there is no evidence whatsoever to contradict that:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-14.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-15.html
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/697?vs=701
http://cdn.overclock.net/e/e6/900x900px-LL-e62d7182_bit-tech.png
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e316/blibba/skyrim-99th.gif

Gaming-wise, intel wins hands-down every time.

However, if you are going to use your P.C. as a work-bench, and use lots of programs that use multiple cores, bulldozer might be a better option. Bear in mind that it draws a lot of power, even if you don't overclock it. And if you do overclock it, it's hot. You'll need a liquid cooler, and that costs extra.
 


Yes, an i5-3570K does better at gaming. However, the OP is looking at an i5-3470S which is only 2.9GHz. So in regards to the i5-3470S vs. FX-8320, the PileDriver will be more powerful. And you do not need a liquid cooler in order to overclock a PileDriver unless you try and go over 4.5GHz.
 
But the 3470S actually costs more than the regular 3470 because it's a specialty chip. The fact that he also is looking at an 8320 means power is not a big issue. So we are trying to set the OP straight about what to buy.

 
thank you everyone for your replies, i still havent decided YET which one to buy, and power is not an issue in my country, it doesnt cost alot here, and i think i have a 600 or 700 watt psu, which i think would be enough for my whole system, and there is one thing that concerns me


http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-3470+%40+3.20GHz&id=822


http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-3470S+%40+2.90GHz&id=823


why does the Intel Core i5-3470S have more points than the regular 3470? and another questions is: is the only difference between 3470 and 3470S is the clock speed? and 1 more thing to note to Twelve25 is that as weird as it may be but its the opposite in my country the regular 3470 costs around 17.5 euros(~23-24$) more than the 3470S
 
passmark is all user submitted, unverified benchmarks. It's a good guideline, but there is no possible way to take the same processor, clock it 10% slower and then get higher performance.

Weird about the prices. How much is a i5-3450 or 3350P? I'd get either of those over the 3470S.
 
hello Blazer134

There is one more thing for you to consider when you are deciding between any two processor and that is upgrade path. If you go the i5 route, you get a powerful processor which will be great at gaming but you won't be left with much of an upgrade path as the new Intel architecture, Haswel, will not be backwards compatible with Sandy Bridge socket.

With an 8320, you do get a chance to upgrade to AMD steamroller when it comes out. Which means you won't have to go run buy a new Mobo

In terms of gaming performance the AMD part may be left behind but by how much?...well quiet a lot...is it unplayable FPS?...Not at all!

My vote is with 8320 :)
 
Between just those two processors, I'd go with the 8320 because you can upgrade it later without having to buy a new motherboard and also overclocks really well (that specific i5 does not).

I'm also curious as to why you chose the S model? Since power is not an issue where you are and your PSU is plenty powerful, you don't need to buy that processor. Get the regular version of it.
 
I don't think the OP will be overclocking when he considers an i5-3470s.

Intel has the best gaming CPUs, the FX 8320 can't leep up with the regular i5-3470

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested/5

I'd say, that you should go with the i5-3570 (non-k version), just because I'm sure you won't be overclocking and buying the k-version would be a Waste of money. Ofc only if your budget allows it, else go with the i5-3470, it's still better at gaming than any of the AMD FX CPUs.
 


Here is the list of best cpu's that i can get with my budget

FX 8320 - 157,98 euros - 201.86$
i5-3470S - 158,58 euros - 202.62$
i5-3350P - 159,90 euros - 204.31$

 



Thank you very much for your reply, you just made my decision 50% more towards the 8320, im very glad you wrote this, because i didnt know this :)
 


The reason for that is because the S model is cheaper in my country :)
 
it depends on your needs .. if you are planning to do 3D rendering and video editing, 8 cores can be handy ..
but when it comes to gaming i5 3470 easily beats 8320 ... even 8350 by significant margin in most of the times ..
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested/5

when it comes to power consumption 8320 draws too much power ..that is a big red flag for me ..
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested/6

since you are planing to use this on gaming.. I can easily recommend i5 3470 over this 8320 anyday ..
 
Thank you everyone for your replies, i have decided to go with the FX-8320 because as satyamddubey says, i can upgrade it later without having to buy a new motherboard :)
 


It's a low power version, but can turbo to 3.6...
Made for pre-build home style desktops i.e. Dell, Gateway and others
 
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