AMD vs. Intel

[sciamwow]

So I just got some money from my parents to add to my build budget.. I'll probably save some of it for a new monitor. Should I upgrade my CPU to an i5? Or add an SSD? Or get a better GPU? This is for gaming, by the way. I can add maybe $100 to the budget. Thoughts?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R9L9Bm

 

[PCBuilderMonster]

Crappy CPU with Good GPU = Bottlenecking = Bad
Good CPU with BAD GPU = Bottlenecking = Bad
Bad CPU and Bad GPU - No Bottlenecking = Good. but Low Performance = Bad
***********Good GPU and Good CPU - No Bottlenecking = Good. High Performance = Good.*****************
i5 4690k with a r9 270x by MSI or ASUS will do good. SSD is nice to have, but not needed at all.

 

[Gam3r01]

At that point I would say an SSD, its almost essential in this day and age.
I thought I didnt need one, until I installed my 850 EVO.

The intel route would give more flat performance, but you would get more benefit from the SSD I would think.

 

[clutchc]

Changing to an Intel platform will require a different MB too. But that won't change much for gaming. The FX-6300 can keep up with the R9-270X. Adding a SSD will make the rest of the system seem faster. Upgrading to a R9-280 will only make a small difference in frame rate in games.

 

[Gam3r01]

Crappy CPU with Good GPU = Bottlenecking = Bad
Good CPU with BAD GPU = Bottlenecking = Bad
Bad CPU and Bad GPU - No Bottlenecking = Good. but Low Performance = Bad
***********Good GPU and Good CPU - No Bottlenecking = Good. High Performance = Good.*****************
i5 4690k with a r9 270x by MSI or ASUS will do good. SSD is nice to have, but not needed at all.

The 6300 is a fine CPU, it can run a 970 with some decent OCs, let alone the 270x...

 

[PCBuilderMonster]

At that point I would say an SSD, its almost essential in this day and age.
I thought I didnt need one, until I installed my 850 EVO.

The intel route would give more flat performance, but you would get more benefit from the SSD I would think.

850 Pro SSD Boot and WD 2TB Black Secondary in my build.... SSD Is lightning fast, but I don't think he cares about 5 seconds vs 15 seconds loading a game up... It's the performance during the game that matters, and considering he has a smallish budget, I would buy an SSD after a CPU or GPU upgrade.

 

[Gam3r01]

The SSD would provide and overall "snappier" more responsive system, which is beneficial when you are not gaming, which most people do not solely game on systems.
He doesnt have the budget to make a meaningful upgrade, hence the SSD. An intel CPU wont increase frames in game, nor would the small graphics upgrade.

 

[sciamwow]

The SSD would provide and overall "snappier" more responsive system, which is beneficial when you are not gaming, which most people do not solely game on systems.
He doesnt have the budget to make a meaningful upgrade, hence the SSD. An intel CPU wont increase frames in game, nor would the small graphics upgrade.

So I'm basically getting the most bang for my buck CPU/GPU wise for my price range?

 

[IamTimTech]

Save your $100 dollars until you can buy an H97 board and a Skylake processor.

Edit: I bet if you show your parents you can save money they will end up helping you out more on your machine.

 

[Gam3r01]

The 6300 and 270x are a great pairing, they are great price/performance parts.

 

[sciamwow]

Save your $100 dollars until you can buy an H97 board and a Skylake processor.

Edit: I bet if you show your parents you can save money they will end up helping you out more on your machine.

They actually gave a lot more than I thought they would, so I'm not pushing my luck 😛

 

[sciamwow]

The 6300 and 270x are a great pairing, they are great price/performance parts.

I'll leave the build as is, then Thank you

 

[sciamwow]

The 6300 and 270x are a great pairing, they are great price/performance parts.

You do mean this 270x, correct? I see a bunch of cards with the same name and it confuses me because they look different and are different prices..

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9270xcdfc

 

[Gam3r01]

The 270x is the base card, they just have different coolers on them.
So yes, that 270x 😀

 

[sciamwow]

The 270x is the base card, they just have different coolers on them.
So yes, that 270x 😀

Ahh I feel like it's all coming together after weeks of confusion Thank you

 

[Jeff Baffalo]

I hate to be that guy to throw builds at you but...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($2.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $687.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 22:49 EST-0500

 

[sciamwow]

I hate to be that guy to throw builds at you but...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($2.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $687.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 22:49 EST-0500

What makes that better than the build I had? (I would try to OC the CPU, by the way)

 

[sciamwow]

The 270x is the base card, they just have different coolers on them.
So yes, that 270x 😀

And a 270x would be better than a 280?

 

[Gam3r01]

The 280 is marginally better than the 270x.

In the build listed, though it does have a better processor, that is a very cheap motherboard. I would not recommend using said board.

 

[Jeff Baffalo]

I hate to be that guy to throw builds at you but...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2R-20AC-GP 69.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($2.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $687.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-13 22:49 EST-0500

What makes that better than the build I had? (I would try to OC the CPU, by the way)

The i5 will out perform the fx6300 pretty significantly. The i5 is also a lot more future proof than the fx 6300. As for oc, you probably going to have to oc a lot to get a 6300 to i5 performance. I doubt that the cooler you have will allow major oc anyways. Lastly, I have added a better gpu.

 

[Jeff Baffalo]

The 280 is marginally better than the 270x.

In the build listed, though it does have a better processor, that is a very cheap motherboard. I would not recommend using said board.

Just cause it doesn't cost a lot, doesn't mean its bad. It has a four star rating so I highly doubt it will do that bad.

 

[Gam3r01]

MSI has low QC on most of their low budget motherboards.
Its an H81 chipset, when have you seen anyone running that chipset recently. I dont recommend it with any modern processors. You should aim for an H97/Z97 at this point.

I meant cheap in terms of quality, not cost.

 

[Jeff Baffalo]

MSI has low QC on most of their low budget motherboards.
Its an H81 chipset, when have you seen anyone running that chipset recently. I dont recommend it with any modern processors. You should aim for an H97/Z97 at this point.

I meant cheap in terms of quality, not cost.

DUDE, I have an h81 with an i5 4440. Anyways, It would be a pointless waste of money to buy a z97 with a locked i5.

 

[Gam3r01]

Hence the H97/ in there.

You are also running a CX PSU, so I wont consider that the best choice either...

 

[sciamwow]

MSI has low QC on most of their low budget motherboards.
Its an H81 chipset, when have you seen anyone running that chipset recently. I dont recommend it with any modern processors. You should aim for an H97/Z97 at this point.

I meant cheap in terms of quality, not cost.

I'm hardly following you two's conversation.. Are you saying you would change something about my build?