Should I get the FX-8350, or wait for the upcoming "Zen" processors?

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atariman72

atariman72

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Jan 21, 2014
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I have been planning an AMD based PC for gaming for quite a while now, and have put considerable thought into it. I intend to use the FX-8350 in a AM3+ 970 motherboard. However, there are leaked official AMD roadmaps that indicate that in 2016 they are planning to release their "Zen" CPU line, utilizing the 14nm mfg process, fitted into the upcoming FM3 socket. The FX chips are dirt cheap right now, and I am wondering if I should build now, or hold off until the next generation of CPUs are released? In addition, the R9 3XX series of GPUs are purportedly to be released in this quarter, and I was planning on purchasing a R9 290X for this system. Should I revise my plans and hold off, or go budget and get the current gen hardware?

My planned build:

-AMD FX-8350 "Vishera" 4.0GHz CPU

-MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard

-AMD RG2133 Gamer Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory

-AMD 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

-Western Digital VelociRaptor 1TB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive

-MSI Radeon R9 290X 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card

-Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case

-Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

-Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

-Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

 
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The FX8350 is cheaper as the performance is not there. If you want to build a system now, go with a Core i5-4690k from Intel.

If there was a CPU to wait for, it is the Intel Skylake which should be out 6 mos from now. Early reports indicate a 15% performance increase over the Haswell parts which had plenty of power.

AMD Zen is not worth waiting for IMHO. It is an unknown CPU, with no leaked benchmarks to indicate anything about the CPU. In addition, new AMD parts are consistently late, and also overpromise and underdeliver. I also want to point out that I was an AMD fan, with my last 5 CPU's from AMD, but have accepted that they have fallen behind the curve for the time being.
 
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Better yet, get the Xeon 1231, i7 performance (8threads) at the price of that unlocked i5. Will stand the test of time better as newer games are already reccommending i7 as the cpu. The Xeon 1231 is pretty much an i7 without integrated graphics, and hell lot cheaper too.
 
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For gpu I would wait for the 300 sieres, the 290/x probally will be re-labeled to like r9 370. As the 380 and up are rumored to sport the new HBM memory. Oh and for the pricing of these gpu, they will be similar prices or slightly more than what their gpus are priced now is my guess.

If you need a gpu now, get anything r9 290/x, gtx 970, or better performing card.
 
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I agree with your point, that Intel indeed has the edge in performance, although the price/perf. ratio of AMD's processor lines is a metric of intrinsic value to those who are budget oriented (as myself). To clarify, however, I have no plans of going with Intel, so I am only concerned as to whether I should purchase a current gen FX processor, or if it would be more tactful to wait for next gen. (I apologize if I was not clear)

 
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A locked i5 setup is usually at the same price that a fx 8xxx setup,

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $258.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-30 01:31 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($158.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $267.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-30 01:32 EDT-0400

 
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I understand where you are coming from, but I am not considering whether to go AMD or Intel. I really am only concerned about the next gen AMD processors as opposed to going with the current generation. I get that so many people like Intel, and thats fine, but I am asking specifically about AMD, as I do not intend to go with Intel hardware at this time.
 
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I understand where you are coming from, but I am not considering whether to go AMD or Intel. I really am only concerned about the next gen AMD processors as opposed to going with the current generation. I get that so many people like Intel, and thats fine, but I am asking specifically about AMD, as I do not intend to go with Intel hardware at this time.
 
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yea but this is a gaming pc he wants, he has no use for the hyperthreading unless hes streaming. a unlocked i5 with overclocking ability to crank up performance in cpu intensive games is more useful IMO more than hyperthreading
 
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except for something like bf4 with a large 64 player map, where the more threads do help a lot. But not, in games that cant use more than 4 cores, which is most, an oc'd i5 will be faster
 
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The current FX CPU architecture is from 2012. Depending on what you are currently using, it may be an upgrade, or not much. If you can wait, AMD Zen may be a better platform, but it is hard to tell what it will be at this point.
 
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Ouch. Are we to assume you plan to primarily game on the next PC you build?
 
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Yeah, I have been saving for some time. I will playing games like BF4, CS:GO, Fallout 3, Alien Isolation, and Metro: Last Light on high/ultra settings.
 
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Lets get you one built asap, i would flip shit over that computers slowness.

Im going to post a full build for you to look at.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.50 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tr-X OC Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $810.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 17:41 EDT-0400]

All quality components, tier 2 power supply, i5 is better for gaming, graphics card is much better at cooling.
 
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Here's what I was planning on building:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VFpBdC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VFpBdC/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($158.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: AMD RG2133 Gamer Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: AMD 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital VelociRaptor 1TB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive ($193.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290X 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($158.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer T8E 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: AOC G2460PQU 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Corsair Raptor K30 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Mouse: Corsair Raptor M45 Wired Optical Mouse ($54.97 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Corsair Raptor HS30 Headset ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2030.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-03 13:24 EDT-0400
 
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That's true. It is difficult to predict the dividends in performance that would be gained by waiting.
 
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Not to harsh on your build, but you mentioned earlier in the thread that you were looking at AMD because you're on a tighter budget. $2,000 is not budget PC territory. That's baller territory. I understand if you just want the novelty of building an AMD rig, but there is no way anyone here is going to recommend you go with an FX processor at your budget. You could EASILY build an amazing i7 4790k rig at this price point. Heck, I have a 4770k rig with a 1tb SSD, Benq monitor, etc...and I spent $400-$500 less than you've budgeted. For $2,000 there's no way on any planet you should be thinking about AMD processors.

EDIT: I just noticed you don't even have a CPU cooler listed in your build. An FX in a $2,000 gaming build is crazy enough, but to not even plan on OC'ing it? That's another level of silliness all together.
 
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This you have said I have the statement before and really intel has not really come up since 2012 either, the haswell is a BS minor improvement to get people spending their cash as well as the upcoming skylake. If it was really a jump the sandy bridge(3xxx) series will not be doing well up till this day but wait it actually is, therefore intel have not really improved much mate. FX I see they have not brought improved new lines since 2012 just minor improvements (fx 8370,(e), fx 8320e ). If they did it will be the same BS stratergy intel does, new lines that are not even much of a difference to the older ones. I for one think that is a waste, 10% difference or less won't really cut it.
 
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Just stick to the AMD mate if your on a budget, you spend cheaper on a decent CPU and can use what is saved on other components.

I guess you can save for the new GPU lines, if you have patients why not. As for the Zen line that is estimated to be released in 2016-2017. So i guess you can go with this build for now.
 
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I personally would only consider amd right now if I were trying to build a worstation on a low budget.

For gaming or anything else intel is just better right now. Amd's cpu are falling behind, due to age, and still keep up most times, but for the same price intel just does better right now for gaming.
 
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