New Gaming PC: AMD or Intel?

[Owl_Lick]

I have almost pulled the trigger on this gaming computer. I plan to play games like Elder Scrolls Online, Day-Z Standalone, and Minecraft w/ 150+ mods. I also plan to stream, edit, render, and record. What I want to know is; which build would be better for gaming/streaming to twitch/rendering? I plan on OCing in the future. I also want this to be future-proof.

The AMD Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vCaptainSavage/saved/4Dxe

The Intel Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vCaptainSavage/saved/4ABd

The obvious advantage to the AMD is that is about $100 cheaper. It also may be better for streaming from what I've read. Don't say that I will need a good upload speed to stream, because I am upgrading my internet in the near future.

 

[IRONBATMAN]

A war is gonna break out....

Anyway, here's my recommendation
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($154.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Orange ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $829.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 10:45 EDT-0400)

 

[TropicoSuarez]

I have almost pulled the trigger on this gaming computer. I plan to play games like Elder Scrolls Online, Day-Z Standalone, and Minecraft w/ 150+ mods. I also plan to stream, edit, render, and record. What I want to know is; which build would be better for gaming/streaming to twitch/rendering? I plan on OCing in the future. I also want this to be future-proof.

The AMD Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vCaptainSavage/saved/4Dxe

The Intel Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vCaptainSavage/saved/4ABd

The obvious advantage to the AMD is that is about $100 cheaper. It also may be better for streaming from what I've read. Don't say that I will need a good upload speed to stream, because I am upgrading my internet in the near future.

If you plan to do any 3D modelling or image editing, an AMD graphics card is the absolute best choice. AMD graphics cards have excellent Open CL capabilities, and 3D modeling and image editing programs like CAD and Photoshop rely heavily on Open CL.

For the precessor choice however, Intel processors outperform AMD processors for the most part. It's my personal preference to go for AMD because they are cheaper. But because the AMD chip has 8 cores, it will provide more power when programs and games really start taking advantage of the many cores that AMD chips have, especially with AMD mantle (which makes certain games use ALL of your CPU cores). But before you can use all of your cores in games and programs, an i5 will outperform the 8350 by a quite a bit because its cores are more powerful. Both of the chips you selected are excellent overclockers.

If you want to overclock with AMD, a 990 chipset mobo is nearly essential, and an A88 chipset motherboard for intel.

So really, it comes down to a matter of personal preference, AMD or Intel?

 

[cball1311]

A war is gonna break out....

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I would recommend changing the Corsair PSU to a more reliable adversary. The CX models are good for base budget builds. If you could throw in $30 more for this, you would get fully modulated and gold efficiency rating and much more reliablity.

Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)

 

[IRONBATMAN]

A war is gonna break out....

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I would recommend changing the Corsair PSU to a more reliable adversary. The CX models are good for base budget builds. If you could throw in $30 more for this, you would get fully modulated and gold efficiency rating and much more reliablity.

Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)

600 watts is recommended since he is over clocking and using an AMD CPU so some headroom would be safer. From my experience, modular PSUs are a ****M U S T**** , for convenience , and coloured sleeving. They make your PC look sexier

 

[IRONBATMAN]

*Accidental double post*

 

[Type75]

To answer this simply, AMD are good for the price but Intel is better for gaming. I do not know much about video editing and stuff like that but I think some of it depends on how much RAM you have.

 

[JOOK-D]

You'll only get to around 4.4GHz on that M5A97 R2.0 safely. It only has a 4+2 power phase, not ideal for overclocking at all.

Here's a 3rd option that will outperform the FX in all tasks.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($67.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1047.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 12:17 EDT-0400)

The Xeon 1230v3 is essentially an i7 4770, minus the Integrated Graphics (which are disabled when using a GPU anyway) and a few hundred MHz (negligible difference). I paired it with a Z87 Pro3, though you'd be fine with a B85 Pro4.

 

[IRONBATMAN]

If the Xeon is so good why is it cheaper ?

 

[JOOK-D]

I couldn't tell you, since pricing isn't up to me.

Probably due to marketing, people feel limited to the Core i series when looking at mainstream components. The Xeon 1230v3 is Haswell and will work just fine in most 1150 boards. It's 100MHz slower than a i7 4770 at stock, and turbo is 200MHz slower - negligible difference in soeed. It also doesn't have an IGP like the Core i series, but these are disabled when a dedicated video card is in use anyway. However, it is compatible with ECC memory, a feature which the Core i series lack.

 

[TropicoSuarez]

If the Xeon is so good why is it cheaper ?

Xeons are workstation CPU's and have no ability to overclock, that's why they are cheaper.

 

[Owl_Lick]

You'll only get to around 4.4GHz on that M5A97 R2.0 safely. It only has a 4+2 power phase, not ideal for overclocking at all.

Here's a 3rd option that will outperform the FX in all tasks.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($67.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1047.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 12:17 EDT-0400)

The Xeon 1230v3 is essentially an i7 4770, minus the Integrated Graphics (which are disabled when using a GPU anyway) and a few hundred MHz (negligible difference). I paired it with a Z87 Pro3, though you'd be fine with a B85 Pro4.

Would that mobo work with the 4670K?

 

[JOOK-D]

You'll only get to around 4.4GHz on that M5A97 R2.0 safely. It only has a 4+2 power phase, not ideal for overclocking at all.

Here's a 3rd option that will outperform the FX in all tasks.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($67.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1047.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 12:17 EDT-0400)

The Xeon 1230v3 is essentially an i7 4770, minus the Integrated Graphics (which are disabled when using a GPU anyway) and a few hundred MHz (negligible difference). I paired it with a Z87 Pro3, though you'd be fine with a B85 Pro4.

Would that mobo work with the 4670K?

Yes but with a 4+2 power phase you wouldn't want to overclock on it either.

 

[Owl_Lick]

You'll only get to around 4.4GHz on that M5A97 R2.0 safely. It only has a 4+2 power phase, not ideal for overclocking at all.

Here's a 3rd option that will outperform the FX in all tasks.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($67.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1047.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 12:17 EDT-0400)

The Xeon 1230v3 is essentially an i7 4770, minus the Integrated Graphics (which are disabled when using a GPU anyway) and a few hundred MHz (negligible difference). I paired it with a Z87 Pro3, though you'd be fine with a B85 Pro4.

Would that mobo work with the 4670K?

Yes but with a 4+2 power phase you wouldn't want to overclock on it either.

So what mobo should I use if I plan on overclocking?

 

[JOOK-D]

The Z87 G45 you had initially would be fine.

If you want more choices here are a few (bear in mind with a 212 EVO CPU cooler you won't get a far enough overclock to really stress or see a difference between them):

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87extreme4
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87extreme6
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z87mpower
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusvihero
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-sabertoothz87

Another thing to bear in mind: The Z97 motherboards are just releasing and they will also support Haswell but will also support Broadwell (Z87 will not). IMO it would be a waste to buy a Z87 now.

 

[Type75]

You'll only get to around 4.4GHz on that M5A97 R2.0 safely. It only has a 4+2 power phase, not ideal for overclocking at all.

Here's a 3rd option that will outperform the FX in all tasks.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($67.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1047.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 12:17 EDT-0400)

The Xeon 1230v3 is essentially an i7 4770, minus the Integrated Graphics (which are disabled when using a GPU anyway) and a few hundred MHz (negligible difference). I paired it with a Z87 Pro3, though you'd be fine with a B85 Pro4.

Would that mobo work with the 4670K?

Yes but with a 4+2 power phase you wouldn't want to overclock on it either.

How can you tell that it is a 4+2 power phase? and is that how many pins it takes for power?

 

[WoodenSaucer]

If the Xeon is so good why is it cheaper ?

Like TropicoSuarez said, they're locked so you can't overclock them. A locked i7 4770 is cheaper than an unlocked i7 4770k. But they're also even cheaper than that because they don't include integrated graphics, like the i7 does.

 

[Owl_Lick]

The Z87 G45 you had initially would be fine.

Alright, I think I'll stick with that. It looks cool 😛

 

[JOOK-D]

You'll only get to around 4.4GHz on that M5A97 R2.0 safely. It only has a 4+2 power phase, not ideal for overclocking at all.

Here's a 3rd option that will outperform the FX in all tasks.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3HnXd/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($67.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1047.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-10 12:17 EDT-0400)

The Xeon 1230v3 is essentially an i7 4770, minus the Integrated Graphics (which are disabled when using a GPU anyway) and a few hundred MHz (negligible difference). I paired it with a Z87 Pro3, though you'd be fine with a B85 Pro4.

Would that mobo work with the 4670K?

Yes but with a 4+2 power phase you wouldn't want to overclock on it either.

How can you tell that it is a 4+2 power phase? and is that how many pins it takes for power?

The power phase specification is on their site.

Unfortunately I don't understand your second question.

 

[Owl_Lick]

Alright guys, I think I'm pretty set on the Intel route. I made a few changes based on what you guys said.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/vCaptainSavage/saved/4ABd

There it is. Any last words before I start ordering?

 

[coolcole01]

looks pretty awesome but would go with 8.1 for windows just newer

 

[Owl_Lick]

looks pretty awesome but would go with 8.1 for windows just newer

Nah I'll stick with 7. Maybe just a personal preference.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

looks pretty awesome but would go with 8.1 for windows just newer

Nah I'll stick with 7. Maybe just a personal preference.

Let me ask why it's your preference? The thing about Windows 8.1 is that DirectX 11.2 is exclusive to it. You can't get the latest DirectX on Windows 7, and that could be important in future gaming. If your preference for Windows 7 is based on the fact that you don't like the new tile-based ModernUI of Windows 8, you might want to check out Classic Shell. It bypasses ModernUI, boots straight to the desktop, and gives you a classic Start Menu. Windows 8 is actually faster and more stable than Win7, and it has some decent new desktop features. With Classic Shell, I don't even know that ModernUI exists. It's just like Win7, only with the added benefits. To me, that's a worthwhile way to go, just for the fact that you can get the latest DirectX for future gaming.