Upgrading from AMD to Intel

[Wind Walker]

Currently have an FX 8320 that tends to bottleneck my GPU when under load, i.e. from gaming.

I want to switch to an i5, but I'm not really familiar with generations and model numbering with Intel CPUs.

Which i5 GROUP should I look at, if not one specific one? I'm not going to be using hyperthreading, so an i7 is unnecessary.

 

[grmnlxndr]

You should take a look at the current generation (6th). The model numbering is: i5 - 6xxx. (6400, 6500, 6600).
They are all quad cores, and they vary the clock speed, starting up from 2.7GHz. The K has unlocked multiplier, and varies in some specific extensions (not needed for gaming, more aimed at business).
The only one overclockeable is the i5 6600K

 

[theyeti87]

i5-6500 for non-overclocking and the i5-6600K if you'd like to overclock.

 

[Ecky]

To add to the information others have already posted, the i5 6400, 6500, 6600 and 6600K (the newest 6th generation "Skylake" CPUs) are all socket 1151, which has the chipsets H110, B150, H170 and Z170. H110 is limited to 2 RAM slots, while B150 and H170 expand that to 4, while adding some more USB and SATA ports. Z170 enables overclocking when paired with a "K" CPU, of which there are only 2 - the i5 6600K and i7 6700K.

Be aware that Skylake CPUs must be used with DDR4 RAM. They support DDR3L as well, but it's very uncommon, and chances are your RAM is not low voltage DDR3.

 

[Wind Walker]

B150 and H170 expand that to 4, while adding some more USB and SATA ports..................................................Be aware that Skylake CPUs must be used with DDR4 RAM. They support DDR3L as well, but it's very uncommon, and chances are your RAM is not low voltage DDR3.

I currently have DDR3, so I'll just add that to the to-do list. What's the difference between the B150 and H170 Chipsets?

 

[Ecky]

B150 is marketed as "business", while H170 is "home". I expect it's mainly the inclusion of Intel's management engine, which you won't use. Generally speaking there's not much difference between the two for general desktop purposes. Get whichever is in a board that has the connectors and ports you want and is cheapest.

 

[grmnlxndr]

B150 and H170 expand that to 4, while adding some more USB and SATA ports..................................................Be aware that Skylake CPUs must be used with DDR4 RAM. They support DDR3L as well, but it's very uncommon, and chances are your RAM is not low voltage DDR3.

I currently have DDR3, so I'll just add that to the to-do list. What's the difference between the B150 and H170 Chipsets?

Take into consideration that the 6th gen support DDR4 and DDR3L, so you should see if your DIMMS are DDR3L to make them work. But, I recommend update and go with DDR4. (There are DDR3L and DDR4 motherboards models).

 

[nerro120]

What gpu is being bottlenecked? That 8320 should still be pretty capable of running games

 

[Wind Walker]

What gpu is being bottlenecked? That 8320 should still be pretty capable of running games

It's an R9 380 4gb GPU. I notice that most times, it's not being strained all that much, due to the games I play being CPU intensive in the first place

 

[Bem-xxx]

What gpu is being bottlenecked? That 8320 should still be pretty capable of running games

It's an R9 380 4gb GPU. I notice that most times, it's not being strained all that much, due to the games I play being CPU intensive in the first place

The FX 8 core underperforms at 1080p and CPU bound games.
If you play GPU bound games, the FX runs fine.
If you play at higher resolution, you will not have any bottleneck, even in CPU bound games.
http://www.technologyx.com/featured/amd-vs-intel-our-8-core-cpu-gaming-performance-showdown/