What CPU would you guys go with for a new build?

[sebastian869]

Basically Im looking for the "Best Value" (its never the most expensive one, but usually one notch lower).
Was just wondering if you guys would go with intel which is my preference and if its its a i7 or i5 and which model.

Thanks,
Sebastian

 

[lazyboy947]

what are u looking to do? gaming the i5 should be fine, and rendering, editing etc the i7 is the obvious choice? whats ur definition of best value? Price to performance? best bang for ur buck (more of a budget thing), i know u said its usually one tier below high end but best value could lead u with a i7 4930k lol. As if ur going for an i5 or i7 might as well get the k part unless u need a feature from the non k part. Or best bang for ur buck on a budget is usually the fx6300

 

[JOOK-D]

Here's my classic copypaste:

The difference between AMD and intel for gaming.
Firstly, you need to decide what your priorities are, and what you will use the PC for.
Things such as: light gaming, heavy gaming, basic work (e.g. MS Office), heavy work (e.g. video editing, 3d modeling).
For the most part in current games the biggest difference will be made by the selection of the GPU.

The AMD FX CPU's have many cores, which are weaker.
intel i5's have less cores, which are stronger.

The intel's consequently have better performance per core. In older games, the intels perform much better as those games are optimised for good performance with only a few cores (single-threading).
In newer games, the AMD FX's really shine due to the introduction of games using more cores (multi-threading).

The difference comes in depending on what you want to use the PC for. If you're on a tight budget, save some money and go with the AMD and spend the extra money on a better GPU that will give you better performance than any CPU could.

i5: Good for older games (single-threaded), Good for newer games (multi-threaded), Good for general work, great all-round CPU and probably the best around for current games (may change in future).
AMD: Slightly worse for older games (single-threaded), Great for newer games (multi-threaded e.g. BF4, Crysis 3), Good for light/heavy work, extra cores are great for 3d modeling and video editing or rendering, great CPU whilst costing much less than the intel. Even though it's worse in older games it will run them perfectly well and smoothly.

Regardless, both will perform well.
For an i5, I would recommend an i5 3570k or a 4670k. Why? They are king for gaming performance at the moment and since they are the k version they are unlocked and can be overclocked in future for a performance boost.

For an AMD, I would recommend a FX 6300/8320/8350 [Do NOT go with a bulldozer CPU, only piledriver. List here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piledriver_(microarchitecture) <-- That should all be one link, not sure why it splits.]. Why? Great multi-threaded performance for newer games and heavy work, are just fine in older games (not overkill, can deliver smooth frame rates maxed with a good GPU), and are great for productivity with a tame pricetag.

In conclusion, budget gaming/work: AMD. Not on a budget gaming/work: i5. The i5 currently delivers better performance but don't get the impression that the AMD is lagging behind. They are great for gaming and work with a really great pricetag, just not currently up there with intel. In newer games though such as BF4 the AMD's have caught up in performance and in some cases deliver better performance than the intel's for much less money.
Either solution will game just fine with a nice GPU, focus mainly on that.

 

[Spencer1]

Any i5 would work if it's Ivy Bridge or newer. (3xxx/4xxx)

If you are playing games that are heavily multithreaded and like lots more cores (might have to research a bit), look at an AMD FX 8320 and a nice cooler. You can overclock it to past the speeds of an 8350, which costs ~$50 more sometimes, with a halfways decent cooler, even a Hyper 212 Evo. I got mine for $130 as an unused open box item that turned out to be a dream overclocker. Overclocking an AMD chip is a great way to make the single threaded performance not suck so much compared to Haswell. Considering the price, I had to go for it. At that range I could only get an i3 from intel.

If you want to save loads of money and sacrifice some single threaded performance, go AMD. An FX 6300, which is the ultimate budget chip IMO, is only about $110 and should stomp an i3 multi threaded workloads. If you are looking to spend $200+, go Intel. If you're doing editing that likes MOAR CORES, go with an AMD 8 core. If you're on a serious budget, get an FX 6300 It really depends what you're doing! However, you can't really go wrong with either if you build a balanced system around the CPU. Intel is generally the response you will get from most people, but if you need AMD's features, give them a shot. I like and have owned both and it's not like one was miles above the other.

Whatever you do, just don't buy an i7 for gaming, trust me. You will see no gains.

EDIT: Holy cow I've been ninja'd again! (I guess I put too much into my posts..) I strangely echoed about everything JOOK-D said. He also brought up a lot of good points and you should definitely listen to what he has to say. I also agree to NEVER go with a bulldozer chip. Make dang sure it's piledriver. (63xx/83xx model)

If I were looking for a more "future proof" PC I would personally go AMD. Before you cry fanboy, I say this because games are being designed for 8 cores due to consoles having 8 cores, and many games are designed for consoles or with them in mind.

 

[JOOK-D]

Any i5 would work if it's Ivy Bridge or newer. (3xxx/4xxx)

If you are playing games that are heavily multithreaded and like lots more cores (might have to research a bit), look at an AMD FX 8320 and a nice cooler. You can overclock it to past the speeds of an 8350, which costs ~$50 more sometimes, with a halfways decent cooler, even a Hyper 212 Evo. I got mine for $130 as an unused open box item that turned out to be a dream overclocker. Overclocking an AMD chip is a great way to make the single threaded performance not suck so much compared to Haswell. Considering the price, I had to go for it. At that range I could only get an i3 from intel.

If you want to save loads of money and sacrifice some single threaded performance, go AMD. An FX 6300, which is the ultimate budget chip IMO, is only about $110 and should stomp an i3 multi threaded workloads. If you are looking to spend $200+, go Intel. If you're doing editing that likes MOAR CORES, go with an AMD 8 core. If you're on a serious budget, get an FX 6300 It really depends what you're doing! However, you can't really go wrong with either if you build a balanced system around the CPU. Intel is generally the response you will get from most people, but if you need AMD's features, give them a shot. I like and have owned both and it's not like one was miles above the other.

Whatever you do, just don't buy an i7 for gaming, trust me. You will see no gains.

EDIT: Holy cow I've been ninja'd again! (I guess I put too much into my posts..) I strangely echoed about everything JOOK-D said. He also brought up a lot of good points and you should definitely listen to what he has to say. I also agree to NEVER go with a bulldozer chip. Make dang sure it's piledriver. (63xx/83xx model)

If I were looking for a more "future proof" PC I would personally go AMD. Before you cry fanboy, I say this because games are being designed for 8 cores due to consoles having 8 cores, and many games are designed for consoles or with them in mind.

Thanks. 😉

You definitely made your own good points and expanded on mine haha.