contemplating upgrade AMD FX or go Intel

[Shazamo1213]

Currently have PII X4 970 Denab @3.5 can be OC to 4.0 with
212 evo
Asus 990fx sabertooth 1.0
8gb ddr3
GTX 580
Corsair CX600 PSU
128 gb Sandisk SSD
antec 200 mid tower(wanna upgrade too)

Thinking of upgrading to FX8350 or 9590 and overclocking or going with intel and getting a broadwell i5 when it comes out or haswell if not a big diff.

If i stay with amd it will be cheaper? Only have to upgrade PSU and cooler (h100)?
but if i go with new system i need new motherboard and maybe i can get by with the same psu?

I feel that my CPU is kinda slow and holding back my GPU.
SC2 really lags in really big battles. like down to 1 FPS sometimes (500+ units)
System is 4+ years old maybe time for new PSU anyways?
I have overclocked the CPU but didn't really notice difference except increased heat so went back to stock speeds.
Kinda want to try an intel. But dont want to pay the premium if not that much faster. Energy consumption not that much of an issue; I have a laptop for non gaming uses.
Computer only used for gaming (D3 SC2 Bio) and some web browsing.


Whats the best bang for the buck. Maybe point me in the right direction for upgrades and tweaks.
i like amd but they have really been lagging, thats why i went intel laptop but would like to stay amd. They coming out with something new?

Thanks

 

[gregbattis]

Go for the intel build you can keep your psu and hdds.

 

[johnnyb105]

Well next year they are suppose to come out with a all new socket and cpu called the zen last I heard but we have no cpu to compare it with at this time about performance. The 9590 which is cheaper then almost all I7 chips from intel but your board has to be able to handle this mammoth amount of heat and wattage... The 8370 is out and will run on am3+ socket given your board maker has kept up with the changes.. Going to a I5 will give you stronger single core performance yes I own a 4690k and I also own a 8320 to me I see no difference in speed ... So I know I haven't answered your question but if you must upgrade now I would go to the I7 in order to see a great improvement.. But I am curious as to what the ZEN chip is going to have to offer I have 3 personal builds and one of them will always be amd if not all if they pull a rabbit out of there arse lol, hope this helps some.

 

[John Lin]

It may be cheaper to use Intel instead, because the cost pay off in the long run. If you replace with Fx 8350, you may be looking at replacement in 2 years. At that point there is no certainty if AMD would have a suitable replacement for you. AM3+ socket is likely getting phase out, next ten AMD will likely to be a different socket. That CPU is already 2 years old. Going Intel haswell would be a good choice, wait for a sale and get them for good price. Then your computer system will last for another 4 years (CPU wise, you still may need to upgrade GPU later)

 

[LucoTF]

Starcraft only uses two cores, any FX upgrade will be a waste of money as the IPC isn't far off your phenom.

Get an i5-4590 and H97 board, or a 4690k and Z97 board (budget depandant)

 

[NightAntilli]

Right now, an i5 is the best choice... But most people only think about 'right now' and don't have a forward thinking mentality... I actually recommend that you don't upgrade. Wait for Windows 10 and DX12 to see what will happen.

- If the CPU overhead reduction is as much as they say, your current CPU can go a couple more years, or you can upgrade to an 8-core FX for a lot cheaper than switching to Intel. Or wait for the Zen CPUs
- If DX12 was just PR talk, you can upgrade to current Intel hardware for cheaper (probably) or get the 'superior' Skylake instead.

Right now is a very bad time to be upgrading your CPU.

Also, regarding SCII, this might help you get some perspective:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-processor-frame-rate-performance,3427-8.html