i5-4690k or FX-8350

[Martin Vennerstroem]

Hey guys

So recently I bought a GTX 970, its a great card, but it feels a bit held back by my aging processor, Phenom II X6 1055T. I want to upgrade the CPU, so the question is, should I get a new motherboard compatible with the i5, or is the FX-8350 a decent alternative? How does it perform in gaming for example?

 

[Zombiefighter57]

the i5 4690k would be the best choice out of the 2 that you stated

 

[Martin Vennerstroem]

Hey thanks for the quick reply,
Is it that much better that its worth the switch of motherboard?

 

[ilicalek]

I would actually suggest on getting i5-4460 if you do not plan on overclocking as getting intel k series would be a waste without a decent z97 mobo and aftermarket cooler as they perform similarly on stock. You can also get a h81 cheap-ass mobo with intel i5-4460 and that will go pretty nicely with that GPU.

 

[Zombiefighter57]

Hey thanks for the quick reply,
Is it that much better that its worth the switch of motherboard?

yes, its so much faster. id say a little more than double the performance

 

[Martin Vennerstroem]

Awesome, yea i doubt i will be going in to overclocking, so that combination would be the best fit for my needs? the h81 mob with the i5-4460? I just want to set up the gtx 970 so theres no bottle-necks

 

[Martin Vennerstroem]

Oh and btw, if I was getting a new mobo, i was planning on doing a mATX build, do you have a motherboard suggestion for that?

 

[ilicalek]

If you are thinking of getting a h81 board, asus has a pretty nice range of motherboards with that chipset so you can choose according to your budget 😀

 

[madmatt30]

The i5 has nowhere near double the performance of a 8350!!
What's your current motherboard ??
A 8320 with a decent overclock would push the gtx 970 pretty well IMO.

 

[ilicalek]

The i5 has nowhere near double the performance of a 8350!!
What's your current motherboard ??
A 8320 with a decent overclock would push the gtx 970 pretty well IMO.

Yes zombiefighter87 did overestimate AMD. It surely won't give you double the performance as that is just blatant fanboyism, but it will noticeably outperform AMD on stock no question about that. AMD is great if it is really a necessity to have a budget build as it truly shines when you overclock it, but I will still go with intel i5 any day as it gives better performance with newer technology and manufacturing process.
The cost of getting AMD FX-8320 + decent overclocking motherboard + after market cooling solution will be very similiar to the cost of just going for the straight-forward intel i5-4460 and h81 approach without messing up with overclocking.

 

[madmatt30]

^ I agree but it would appear he already has a am3+ compatible motherboard so in this instance if so the 8350 would be more viable financially.

 

[slyu9213]

Whenever a change in motherboards (or a complete new build) is required I will almost always suggest building with an Intel. Same case for you. The i5 will get you all the performance you need compared to an FX 8350 that will be behind. The FX 8350 is already a few years old now and the only thing that will keep it from playing games decently will depend on how well they make games utilize the 8-cores.

Now if you have an AM3+ motherboard that can support an FX 8350 then things may change. But at that point you need to ask yourself several things. High Performance (i5) vs High/Mid Performance at Lower price. Lower power usage/heat vs Higher power usage/heat. If you're even contemplating on i5 vs FX 8350 I would think about an i5. You don't necessarily need an unlocked i5. A locked i5 and a decent HX7 motherboard will be fine and cheaper than a ZX7 + Unlocked i5. Going with an FX 8350 might cost only ~$140-150 vs the ~$200+ for new i5/Motherboard but you could sell your current motherboard and cpu to make up the cost honestly.

 

[jshoop]

for the price of the i5 go with a xeon e3, its basically a lower clocked i7 with integrated graphics disabled

EDIT: talking about an unlocked i5, the 4460 is significantly cheaper then the xeon

 

[ilicalek]

^ I agree but it would appear he already has a am3+ compatible motherboard so in this instance if so the 8350 would be more viable financially.

Good point but I'm still with the intel route as AMD's processors are quite aged and utilization of their cores is really a big question mark as we cannot predict the future. Of course we can spend days discussing which CPU would suit better and we still won't come up with the "one CPU to rule them all". It all comes down to OP's budget and preference.

 

[Martin Vennerstroem]

Thank you guys for all your inputs, I think i will go with the i5, and get a motheboard to match it. I'm looking for an mATX with 4 ram slots, I'm looking for cheap but not something that will burn down do you guys have any suggestions?

 

[ilicalek]

Thank you guys for all your inputs, I think i will go with the i5, and get a motheboard to match it. I'm looking for an mATX with 4 ram slots, I'm looking for cheap but not something that will burn down do you guys have any suggestions?

Check out some of the H97 or H87 boards or if that goes out of your budget, there are always before mentioned H81 boards as a last resort. I would definitely suggest on reading this article if you have the time to read up on this subject.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2383150/motherboard-tier-list.html

Building PCs is fun and rewarding as the knowledge you get off of it gives plenty of room for endless discussions 😀