Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: January 2012 (Archive)

[Onus]

Well, gamers would buy a better discrete graphics card anyway, so the question is, can the 750K keep up in games? It may be a bang/buck winner, but does it provide enough bang? And, will overclocking draw so much power it kills the VRMs on budget FM2 boards?

 

[Onus]

Tourist, that is an excellent summary of what I would have expected myself (particularly on a cheap MSI board). Did you blow some boards, or did they overheat and shut down gracefully?

 

[Onus]

The Gigabyte A85 blew? Wow, I thought their VRMs were a LOT better than that...

 

[pegleg1960]

About 1 month ago I built my most recent desktop. I don't do proprietary computers. Period. For over 10 years. I installed an AMD FX-8350 CPU, 16GB DDR3 1866, Windows 8 Pro, and a 4GB Video Card. My computer is pretty darn fast as far as I can tell. I used to be an Intel guy to the core........until I installed my first AMD processor.

 

[pyro226]

About 1 month ago I built my most recent desktop. I don't do proprietary computers. Period. For over 10 years. I installed an AMD FX-8350 CPU, 16GB DDR3 1866, Windows 8 Pro, and a 4GB Video Card. My computer is pretty darn fast as far as I can tell. I used to be an Intel guy to the core........until I installed my first AMD processor.

By proprietary, you mean buying prebuilt computers by name brands, right? Because Microsoft Widnows is proprietary and most motherboards are closed source. I believe Nvidia graphics cards are also mostly closed where as AMD is a bit more open with their graphics cards (hence better open source linux drivers for AMD cards, but Nvidia used to run a bit better in Wine, maybe still do).

For my build, I went with an I5-2400. The alternative would have been a Phenom II X4 because their socket numbering made much more sense to me at the time. Numbering sockets where the higher the number the newer the socket and a plus indicating forward support makes much more sense. Compare that sockets numbered as 1156, 1155, then 1150 I know it's by pin-count, but I'd prefer dummy ground pins just so the numbers increase each generation. Would have been much easier to keep track of sockets that way.

 

[ojas]

About 1 month ago I built my most recent desktop. I don't do proprietary computers. Period. For over 10 years. I installed an AMD FX-8350 CPU, 16GB DDR3 1866, Windows 8 Pro, and a 4GB Video Card. My computer is pretty darn fast as far as I can tell. I used to be an Intel guy to the core........until I installed my first AMD processor.

You know, i've heard this "proprietary" refrain from AMD a lot, and i've not a clue what they're on about. Unless you're saying AMD's tech is completely open source? Which is odd, as it would imply x86 is open source, which in turn would imply that Intel's tech isn't proprietary...or something. I dunno. You definitely sound like you're in AMD's marketing dept.

About 1 month ago I built my most recent desktop. I don't do proprietary computers. Period. For over 10 years. I installed an AMD FX-8350 CPU, 16GB DDR3 1866, Windows 8 Pro, and a 4GB Video Card. My computer is pretty darn fast as far as I can tell. I used to be an Intel guy to the core........until I installed my first AMD processor.

By proprietary, you mean buying prebuilt computers by name brands, right? Because Microsoft Widnows is proprietary and most motherboards are closed source. I believe Nvidia graphics cards are also mostly closed where as AMD is a bit more open with their graphics cards (hence better open source linux drivers for AMD cards, but Nvidia used to run a bit better in Wine, maybe still do).

For my build, I went with an I5-2400. The alternative would have been a Phenom II X4 because their socket numbering made much more sense to me at the time. Numbering sockets where the higher the number the newer the socket and a plus indicating forward support makes much more sense. Compare that sockets numbered as 1156, 1155, then 1150 I know it's by pin-count, but I'd prefer dummy ground pins just so the numbers increase each generation. Would have been much easier to keep track of sockets that way.

I though Nvidia has better (official) Linux drivers than AMD? But i don't run linux, so can't talk.

Well maybe we can assume lower number of pins is progress...till the day there's only one pin...(rank 1 and all XD ).

 

[jrstriker12]

About 1 month ago I built my most recent desktop. I don't do proprietary computers. Period. For over 10 years. I installed an AMD FX-8350 CPU, 16GB DDR3 1866, Windows 8 Pro, and a 4GB Video Card. My computer is pretty darn fast as far as I can tell. I used to be an Intel guy to the core........until I installed my first AMD processor.

By proprietary, you mean buying prebuilt computers by name brands, right? Because Microsoft Widnows is proprietary and most motherboards are closed source. I believe Nvidia graphics cards are also mostly closed where as AMD is a bit more open with their graphics cards (hence better open source linux drivers for AMD cards, but Nvidia used to run a bit better in Wine, maybe still do).

For my build, I went with an I5-2400. The alternative would have been a Phenom II X4 because their socket numbering made much more sense to me at the time. Numbering sockets where the higher the number the newer the socket and a plus indicating forward support makes much more sense. Compare that sockets numbered as 1156, 1155, then 1150 I know it's by pin-count, but I'd prefer dummy ground pins just so the numbers increase each generation. Would have been much easier to keep track of sockets that way.

Add dummy pins each generation? How big would that socket be in 10 years? 😉

I"m assuming smaller chip = smaller socket.

 

[Kirk Martin]

This proves that Tom is biased to Intel, I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life. You can get an 8350 for just £160 and its just as fast as an I7... I am using a AMD 8150, which rocks. Im disgusted in this sites rubbish. I really cannot believe Intel is still playing its dirty tricks on AMD. And its a true 8 core processor, not like any of the others on here!

 

[daswilhelm]

This proves that Tom is biased to Intel, I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life. You can get an 8350 for just £160 and its just as fast as an I7... I am using a AMD 8150, which rocks. Im disgusted in this sites rubbish. I really cannot believe Intel is still playing its dirty tricks on AMD. And its a true 8 core processor, not like any of the others on here!

kinda looks amd biased to me on the low end, but im not gonna sit here and call is rubbish just cause i dont agree.

 

[Sakkura]

This proves that Tom is biased to Intel, I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life. You can get an 8350 for just £160 and its just as fast as an I7... I am using a AMD 8150, which rocks. Im disgusted in this sites rubbish. I really cannot believe Intel is still playing its dirty tricks on AMD. And its a true 8 core processor, not like any of the others on here!

The 8350 is not as fast as a Core i7. It's pretty close in some situations with highly threaded workloads, but in gaming or single-threaded workloads it can't keep up.

 

[Kirk Martin]

This proves that Tom is biased to Intel, I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life. You can get an 8350 for just £160 and its just as fast as an I7... I am using a AMD 8150, which rocks. Im disgusted in this sites rubbish. I really cannot believe Intel is still playing its dirty tricks on AMD. And its a true 8 core processor, not like any of the others on here!

The 8350 is not as fast as a Core i7. It's pretty close in some situations with highly threaded workloads, but in gaming or single-threaded workloads it can't keep up.

You are better off multitasking on an AMD system than an Intel system. It can handle so much more. I have tested it, and seen the difference. I dont look into bench marks, most of them are bias anyway, and written for Intel chips. If you require a really good system, get an AMD true 8 core processor. Most of the products on the market now have AMD chips in them. So even the main console makers are seeing the benefits.

 

[daswilhelm]

This proves that Tom is biased to Intel, I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life. You can get an 8350 for just £160 and its just as fast as an I7... I am using a AMD 8150, which rocks. Im disgusted in this sites rubbish. I really cannot believe Intel is still playing its dirty tricks on AMD. And its a true 8 core processor, not like any of the others on here!

The 8350 is not as fast as a Core i7. It's pretty close in some situations with highly threaded workloads, but in gaming or single-threaded workloads it can't keep up.

You are better off multitasking on an AMD system than an Intel system. It can handle so much more. I have tested it, and seen the difference. I dont look into bench marks, most of them are bias anyway, and written for Intel chips. If you require a really good system, get an AMD true 8 core processor. Most of the products on the market now have AMD chips in them. So even the main console makers are seeing the benefits.

so we shouldn't believe the benchmarks, but we should trust your word...

 

[Kirk Martin]

This proves that Tom is biased to Intel, I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life. You can get an 8350 for just £160 and its just as fast as an I7... I am using a AMD 8150, which rocks. Im disgusted in this sites rubbish. I really cannot believe Intel is still playing its dirty tricks on AMD. And its a true 8 core processor, not like any of the others on here!

The 8350 is not as fast as a Core i7. It's pretty close in some situations with highly threaded workloads, but in gaming or single-threaded workloads it can't keep up.

You are better off multitasking on an AMD system than an Intel system. It can handle so much more. I have tested it, and seen the difference. I dont look into bench marks, most of them are bias anyway, and written for Intel chips. If you require a really good system, get an AMD true 8 core processor. Most of the products on the market now have AMD chips in them. So even the main console makers are seeing the benefits.

so we shouldn't believe the benchmarks, but we should trust your word...

You said it 😉

 

[daswilhelm]

This proves that Tom is biased to Intel, I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life. You can get an 8350 for just £160 and its just as fast as an I7... I am using a AMD 8150, which rocks. Im disgusted in this sites rubbish. I really cannot believe Intel is still playing its dirty tricks on AMD. And its a true 8 core processor, not like any of the others on here!

kinda looks amd biased to me on the low end, but im not gonna sit here and call is rubbish just cause i dont agree.

Only because for some reason the supply of gtx650ti without boost is drying up or price is moving up. the preceding months you could get a gtx650ti for 100bucks or less after rebate.

i thought this was the cpu write up?

 

[Sakkura]

You are better off multitasking on an AMD system than an Intel system. It can handle so much more. I have tested it, and seen the difference. I dont look into bench marks, most of them are bias anyway, and written for Intel chips. If you require a really good system, get an AMD true 8 core processor. Most of the products on the market now have AMD chips in them. So even the main console makers are seeing the benefits.

But benchmarks are the only place where the FX-8350 can get anywhere close to a Core i7. In real-life performance it often gets demolished by the Core i7.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

FX-4130 isn't Vishera/Piledriver. It's Zambezi/Bulldozer. Did you mean FX-4300?

 

[envy14tpe]

Still can't believe 8350 and 8320 are considered on tier with i3s not i5s. Real head scratcher.

 

[abitoms]

Perhaps you should have included the Piledriver FX 4300 instead of the FX 4130 (Bulldozer I presume?) as you have done

 

[CaptainTom]

OMG FIX THE CHART!!! The FX-9590 does not lose to an i5-2300!!!

 

[ojas]

I remember seeing the FX 6300 do much better at recent threaded games than an i3?

And the hierarchy chart is seriously messed up, if an i7 is in the same tier as an A10 or Core 2 Quad (and below an i3).

 

[ojas]

This proves that Tom is biased to Intel, I have never seen so much rubbish in all my life. You can get an 8350 for just £160 and its just as fast as an I7... I am using a AMD 8150, which rocks. Im disgusted in this sites rubbish. I really cannot believe Intel is still playing its dirty tricks on AMD. And its a true 8 core processor, not like any of the others on here!

I prefer using silicon-based processors over rocks, but to each their own.

OMG FIX THE CHART!!! The FX-9590 does not lose to an i5-2300!!!

You're right, it doesn't loose at efficiency, value, single/moderately threaded performance and games.

 

[butremor]

Hey, at least give us definitive answer either you're planning to finish this review as promised or not ? "CPU Charts 2012: 86 Processors From AMD And Intel, Tested"

 

[Kirk Martin]

You are better off multitasking on an AMD system than an Intel system. It can handle so much more. I have tested it, and seen the difference. I dont look into bench marks, most of them are bias anyway, and written for Intel chips. If you require a really good system, get an AMD true 8 core processor. Most of the products on the market now have AMD chips in them. So even the main console makers are seeing the benefits.

But benchmarks are the only place where the FX-8350 can get anywhere close to a Core i7. In real-life performance it often gets demolished by the Core i7.

Oh so you can have 20 + programs opened, and have a few games going at the same time without any frame skip... I have seen what happens to a Intel processor when its asked to beef up, it does not look good at all!

 

[ojas]

You are better off multitasking on an AMD system than an Intel system. It can handle so much more. I have tested it, and seen the difference. I dont look into bench marks, most of them are bias anyway, and written for Intel chips. If you require a really good system, get an AMD true 8 core processor. Most of the products on the market now have AMD chips in them. So even the main console makers are seeing the benefits.

But benchmarks are the only place where the FX-8350 can get anywhere close to a Core i7. In real-life performance it often gets demolished by the Core i7.

Oh so you can have 20 + programs opened, and have a few games going at the same time without any frame skip... I have seen what happens to a Intel processor when its asked to beef up, it does not look good at all!

Hmmm. So...you open 20 programs together and play multiple games simultaneously.

I'm not surprised there aren't any frame skips, with all that alt-tabbing you do.

Tell me, does that 8350 eliminate all them jaggies in IE10 as well?

 

[fsafsfasafs]

I would like to see a similar article, but not focusing on gaming specifically.