Question: Upgrading from Phenom II 955

Tismo

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I am planning on upgrading my CPU pretty soon and I can't decide between the I5 3570k or the FX 8350. I know that the 3570k is better at gaming, but I want to know if the extra performance is worth the extra money.

My current specs are:

AMD Phenom II 955 @4.0
MSI NF750-g55 AM3 socket
8 gigs ram @1600
XFX 850 watt psu
Sapphire HD 7950

I'm assuming that the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 mobo would be an okay choice for either the I5 or the FX.

Prices without 8% tax and shipping charges.

I5 3570k + ASrock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 = $365

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293


FX 8350 + ASrock Z77 Extreme4 am3+ = $290

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262


Is the extra performance worth the extra $75~?
Also, which CPU/MOBO combo would be better for futureproofing?

I'm sorry if this threading is beating a dead horse, but I couldn't find a thread that quite answered my question.
Thank you for the help.

EDIT: Forgot to mention my PC is used mostly for gaming.
 
The intel build many will say is the best choice as with an i5 theres no gpu bottlenecking, and usually wins against all amd cpu, well the fx 8350 is a competitor and is on avg only prob 7-15fps off from the i5, and in ur case $75 may be worth taking, if it comes down to money being an issue.

LGA 1155 is dead with this gen IB, and next will be lga 1150, and continuation with ivy bridge extreme and lga 2011 sockets. AMD will have steamroller yet to come to finish off am3+.
 

Tismo

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I looked at some more benchmarks. I think I'm going to try to get the 3570k. The problem is that the cpu/board is pretty much a started college/birthday present so it might be a bight out of my budget, but I'm going to try lol.

I know you really can't predict how games might change but, the 3570k should be good for gaming for a couple years right? In your opinion.
 

stantheman123

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Amd am3+ will have steam roller too. So if you get the amd build you get a motherboard that you can just chuck a new cpu in later on.

Also either of those cpus will last a long time. Games are starting to use more and more cores. For example farcry 3 i just recently bought is using all my 6 cores. I cant recmoned a dead Motherboard to you.

If you get the 8350 You have better multitasking capabilities also games are starting to use more cores and also Its cheaper AND steam roller will be on the am3+ mobo too. Your choice This is just my 0.02cents

That being said the core i5 3570k Is a faster in gaming however thats by 5-15fps. And both cpus will push over 60fps+ and it will use less power and supports pcie 3.0

Honestly there is no wrong choice I just dont like the idea of a dead motherboard This is just my 0.02cents Good day!

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2208525/amd-sticks-with-socket-am3-for-steamroller

Also here is farcry 3 using all my 6 cores http://imgur.com/N3gCEmV

Feel free to ask any questions
 

Tismo

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I was actually thinking of getting an FX6300 along with a mobo and just upgrade to Steamroller when/if needed. (Assuming SR will use am3+) and maybe buy an SSD or a second monitor with the extra money.

How much of a performance hit in gaming would I see (if any) if a bought the FX6300 instead of the FX8350?
Also, would that AM3+ board I linked be a good buy if I plan to upgrade to SR and also plan you Crossfire 7950s in the future? I also plan on overclocking.
 

stantheman123

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Perfomance hit? None What so ever. the amd 6300 is the Same chip as the 8350 with one module disabled. Also that motherboard is fine is supports x16 single card or dual x8 which is very nice for the price of the motherboard Also Make sure you overclock

Here is a good cheap cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099&Tpk=coolermaster%20hyper%20evo

I got to about 4.5-4.6 with that cooler good temps.
Or if you wanna be naughty and go over 4.8+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

At 4.5ghz This cpu blazes i run skyrim fully maxed. I run far cry fully maxed. i run battlefield 3 fully maxed and i payied $140 for it :pt1cable: :pt1cable: :pt1cable:

Get it Overclock it enjoy it.
 

Tismo

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The only thing I'm worried about is getting a motherboard that ends up not getting a bios update to support Steamroller.
I actually bought my current mobo under the impression that it would have a bios update to support am3+.
 

Tismo

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I think I'll get the Asus Mobo you linked. It's actually cheaper than the ASrock one since it has the $10 off promo and free shipping.
I think I'm going to try to get this. Comes out to around $370 including tax and shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286

I have an Hyper evo 212, but with a $30 rebate I can't pass this up.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118134


EDIT: Might be a stupid question, but have you noticed you FX6300 bottlenecking your HD 7970 at all?
 

stantheman123

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Overclocked there is No bottleneck what so ever. However ill put my cpu back to stock clocks and see

Tried battlefield 3 single player getting 95%+ gpu usage Its fine there. Ill try multiplieayer and see if it changes
 

Tismo

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Sounds good. I shouldn't have any issues on my 7950 then. Thank you testing it for me.

I need to walk to the store so my next reply might be a bit delayed.
 

ocmusicjunkie

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I'm a little late to the party here, but I can DEFINITELY vouch for the M5A99FX Pro R2.0 mobo as being an excellent choice. I've clocked my X4 965 past 4.6ghz on that board on air cooling, and have been pushing my new FX8350 up past 4700 and have yet to find a ceiling. VERY good motherboard with very good power regulation.

IMO however, I'd either go with the 8350 or I'd stick with the 955 and overclock it for now. The 8350 is so superb at running multiple threads, it makes up for the single-threaded performance loss from the old Phenom II chips. I don't know if I'd be happy with only six cores (actually, only three physical, six virtual) as a replacement to the Phenom. Trust me, just the overclocking potential of the newer mobo will make more difference than you can imagine if you opt to stay with the 955 in the short-term.
 

Tismo

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It looks like I can get the Asus mobo and an FX 6300 at tigerdirect for $285 that's with 2 day shipping and a $10 rebate.

After looking at my shitty case I don't think I would be able to mount the radiator to that water cooler anywhere so I'll just stick with my Hyper 212.

I've never bought from Tigerdirect. Do you know if they are good with customer service, rma's etc.?
 

stantheman123

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Ive never either howeve i found a review site for them

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Tiger_Direct

Some people have a good experience some not.
 

Tismo

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I might spring for the FX8350.

I've been trying to find a definitive answer on whether the FX6300/FX8350 have 6/8 actual cores or not.

Aslo, it boggles my mind that a Phenom series processor could out perform either of the FX CPUS at anything.
 

ocmusicjunkie

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The cores each function as capable of running two simultaneous threads, but there are four physical cores in the 8xxx and three in the 6xxx. I don't know enough about processor engineering to do more than speculate, but this might be why single-threaded operations are actually faster in the Phenoms.

All you need to do is checkout the HWBot.org scores for the Phenom 965/955 processors running SuperPi and then look at ANY FX processor. The Phenoms are miles ahead because it's not multi-threaded. For example, my best SuperPi 1m benchmark with the Phenom is 14.914 seconds, while the best in the world for ANY 8350 on air cooling is 17.772 seconds.... mine is in the 19-second range. Don't take this as being some vital measure though- the feel of the system to a human using it in the real world is much, much faster with the 8350. In real life, you have multiple threads running on your system anytime you are doing something besides specific benchmarking.
 

stantheman123

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http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=699

thats the 965 BE vs the 6300
The 6300 is faster in everything And in gaming if you look at the bottom

Also its debatable whether the cores on the amd fx are True cores

Since on intel im pretty sure. for each module theres a core so the i5 3570k is 4 modules 4 cores

However the fx put 2 cores on one module. So the 6300 has 3 modules and 2 cores on each module. So yea.

Anyway the fx 6300/8350 is a faster gaming cpu then the phenom so yea
 

satyamdubey

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AMD and Intel jargons are not totally interchangeable. Intel does not employ Modules. AMD does. Sarinaide has been pointing this out in several threads. For the most general level comparison lets just say that comparing an i5 and 6300, intel's cpu package has 4 cores while AMD has 6 cores arranged in 3 modules. The six cores share certain front end features in a module. Fetch, Decoder and fpu.
 
I think if you really want a true upgrade you'll go with Intel. I have had and do have various AMD processors and still use them. I have an older Intel Q9550/775 set up that still snaps data quicker than anything AMD has....... this machine is about 5 year old ( don't know exactly ).

why throw money away on "old" technology. going from what you have now to an I5 3570k is kinda like going from the 478intel to the 939amd..... back in the day......... big difference "same clock speed".

don't crap on yourself.
 


Focusing on the BOLD part, you cannot pair a AMD FX CPU on a Intel Chipset, i.e you cannot use the Z77.

If you get a FX6300 $140 + MSI 990FX GD80 $140 = $280 or alternatively a Gigabyte 990FXA UD3 or UD5 good value 990FX boards. You can save some by going with a Gigabyte 970XA UD3 which is sub $100 which will cut your costs a bit.
 

Tismo

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Ah, that was a bad copy and paste. I meant the AM3+ version of that board. I'll take a look at that Gigabyte board.



@Swifty


The reasoning behind going with AMD is that I would hopefully be able to upgrade to Steamroller in the future using the same board.

That's assuming that:

1. Steamroller doesn't suck
2. Steamroller uses am3+
3. The mobo I get will support Steamroller when it comes out.

On kind of a separate note. Do you guys think there is any chance in hell that games might start to use multiple threads within the 3570ks life that would the fx8530 better for gaming? I'm really tired, sorry if that doesn't make sense.

Also, how long do you think it will be before the 3570k starts to struggle in games?
 
Tismo, honestly the best bet is the Gigabyte 990FXA UD5 or MSI 990FX GD80 both similarly priced and have good helping of everything.

The 970 is cheaper but does a very good job, go to any hardware reseller or anyone for advice on a low cost AMD motherboard which is good value and offers requisite performance, then the 970XA UD3 is the standard norm as nothing remotely comes close in that bracket.
 

ocmusicjunkie

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I am no gaming expert, but I do know that the majority of games are HEAVILY reliant on the GPU as compared to the CPU. Radeon GPU's do need a bit more processor power than Nvidia to get their full workload in, but either the 8350 or 3570k are more than enough to keep your 7950 going for the foreseeable future. Once that GPU is obsolete and it's time to upgrade, there is no saying what will be on the market. The 8000-series Radeon cards could have drivers more, less, or equally CPU dependent as the drivers for the 6000 and 7000 series cards. There is just no sure bets in predicting technology. Most people who purchased the Phenom quad-cores wouldn't have ever imagined that Bulldozer would flop and they would be tops within the AMD family for nearly as long as they were.

At any rate, before you would see any of the CPU's you've talked about start to "struggle" by any serious degree, I think you'd be looking at your GPU being long replaced. You'd almost have to have some imagined, futuristic graphics card to require a processor faster than the 8250 or 3570k to keep it from dropping frames beyond what you'd notice in benchmark numbers.