Intel VS AMD

[Spartanman72]

I'm looking for a new CPU at the moment, but the problem is there are so many kinds, and I don't exactly know what I'm doing. I need to upgrade both CPU & MOBO, so I'm looking to get a relatively cheap processor, but I still want to be able to game. As far as brands go, I know that Intel is typically way more expensive, but is it really worth all the extra money? Basically what I'm asking is which brand (AMD or Intel) would give me better performance, but also keep prices reasonable.

 

[weberdarren97]

AMD is definitely cheaper, but lacks the performance of Intel. I would go Intel.

Moderate price build below:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/X874Bm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/X874Bm/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $458.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-16 12:45 EDT-0400

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High price but best performance build below:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B43fLk
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/B43fLk/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($343.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($156.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $525.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-16 12:46 EDT-0400

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Cheap moderate performance build below:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WwnHxr
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WwnHxr/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($149.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $268.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-16 12:48 EDT-0400

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Cheapest but low performance build below:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z8TBmG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z8TBmG/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $145.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-16 12:48 EDT-0400

The general difference between Intel and AMD is that Intel focuses more on single threaded performance while AMD tends to focus more on the total amount of cores. So if you want gaming performance, you need to consider that most games will not use all available cores and therefore will play better on Intel.

 

[genthug]

For price and performance, go with an i3. FX processors aren't worth it right now, AMD hasn't come out with anything in the last 4-5 years. I love AMD's stuff for budgets, but at this point, might as well go with an i3 as they run toe to toe with the top FX processors unless the program uses 4+ threads. You also have the added bonus of upgradability, which at this point you do not have with AMD, nor will you in the future on any motherboard+cpu that is currently out. With a skylake i3, you'll have the entirety of Skylake to upgrade to or Kaby lake once it launches, which is relatively soon I believe.

Edit: I would look into the above, but I don't like that both i3s and i5s are non existent in any of those four builds... and an i3 pretty much performs up to par with the 6xxx series even with all threads being utilized.

 

[weberdarren97]

I didn't include i3 or i5 series CPUs because OP said he wanted an UPGRADE, so I stayed away from lower tier CPUs.

 

[genthug]

Then why even mention an FX6xxx? An i3/i5 can definitely be an upgrade path. Example, Skylake i3s actually run about as well or better than a second gen i5. That would end up being a sideways move, but that means a Skylake i5 would be a major step up. And an i5 also outperforms an FX8xxx in 95% of applications due to their lack of 8 thread utilization.

Personally, I just don't think it's good form to leave a $200 price gap when OP could have a budget somewhere in that range, which an i5 build fits. Then it's also back to the fact that... i3s are simply a better path than a 6xxx cpu right now, so.

 

[weberdarren97]

Point taken.

i3 build:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Fnj2yc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Fnj2yc/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $200.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-16 13:07 EDT-0400

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i5 build:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hvyTcf
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hvyTcf/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $284.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-16 13:08 EDT-0400

I mentioned AMD because I wanted OP to see the price differences because he was saying that he wasn't sure if Intel was worth the money.

Although I agree with your argument. I should have included more budget friendly options from Intel.

 

[genthug]

edit: beat me to it.
I agree with that. I've loved my AMD cpu for it's entire life span (going on 4 1/2 years) and without this CPU, my build wouldn't have happened under $1000 with the same performance, because i3s at the time were being beaten by well threaded applications on 6xxx and 8xxx CPUs. It's honestly a shame that their newest CPUs still won't be here for another ~6+ months or so which puts them around 6 years of stagnation in the CPU department.

 

[uguv]

Could even save a few dollars more by pairing the i3/i5 with an H110, B150, or H170 board depending on the OP's requirements.

 

[gokitty199]

Could even save a few dollars more by pairing the i3/i5 with an H110, B150, or H170 board depending on the OP's requirements.

yep. no point in using a z170 board with those cpu's.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kxZ8NG

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4nNqvK


or
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KgDbVn

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VYvJBm

keep in mind, the jump from haswell to skylake is a very small improvement, just like the jump from skylake to kabbylake is a very small improvement, any of these will keep you up to speed for quite some time.

 

[genthug]

If you grab a k edition i5 I could argue for a good Z170 board for good overclocking capabilities, but I'm not 100% on how OC goes on the rest of the boards. i3 though, yeah no point to a z170.

 

[weberdarren97]

It offers a better base for future CPU upgrades though

 

[genthug]

Which should also be a consideration^ don't want to replace the CPU and motherboard when you should just be replacing the CPU