What's the best <200$ gaming CPU?

[AndrewAwni]

I'm not sure if i should go with FX-6300 or increase my Budget a little bit to the Fx-8320 or 8350.
And i didn't purchase a Motherboard yet so, any other recommendations out of the FX series?

It should go with the R9270x or 7870.
Thanks :3

 

[TechCIDLC]

The best ~$200 CPUs are the Intel i5 series. Any LGA 1150 motherboard an and Intel i5 will give much better performance in comparison to the AMD FX.

The Intel i5 4690K is the best i5 Intel offers for consumers. A good motherboard paired with it is the ASRock Z97 Extreme4.

 

[i7Baby]

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-fx-8370-fx-8370e-fx-8320e,27579.html#xtor=EPR-8886 - FX 8370 is less than $200.

i5 4590 is next. They perform about the same, depending on what you're doing. The FX can be overclocked.

 

[AndrewAwni]

Sadly couldn't find that in the store in my town :c
What about the 4670/4570k?

and what built in gpu? The HD4000?

 

[AndrewAwni]

^^ didn't find the 8370 also, i think i am going with the fx-8350.

I use zbrush, photoshop.
Beside gaming.

 

[i7Baby]

8370 is new if you can wait. There's an E version for use on 970 chipset mobos as well. That's if you wanna hang on a while.

Else go with the 8350 or 8320. Get a good 990fx chipset mobo to go with it.

The i5 4670 is $220 at Newegg - over your budget. The k version is $235. HD4000 is not worth using except if your graphics card has died.

 

[AndrewAwni]

8370 is new if you can wait. There's an E version for use on 970 chipset mobos as well. That's if you wanna hang on a while.

Else go with the 8350 or 8320. Get a good 990fx chipset mobo to go with it.

The i5 4670 is $220 at Newegg - over your budget. The k version is $235. HD4000 is not worth using except if your graphics card has died.

LOL my whole pc is already dead.
I was thinking about the Asus M5A97 R2.0, will it do the job?

And should i pick the r9 or 7870?

 

[Mac266]

The best CPU under $200 is the i5 4590. It can be coupled with a nice H97 board.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $248.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 23:17 EDT-0400

 

[jeffredo]

I just built an i5 4690k system with an ASUS Z97-A motherboard. It replaced an FX-6300 system @ 4.5 Ghz. Even at stock, the i5 is definitely a better gaming processor. Got mine at $225. Its a great CPU if you can pay a bit more.

 

[Rationale]

The i5-4590 would be far ahead of the FX-8350 in every game.

 

[Zircoben]

The best CPU under $200 is the i5 4590. It can be coupled with a nice H97 board.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $248.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 23:17 EDT-0400

+1 for this build ^

i7Baby, I thought you knew better. The FX-8350 is a good all around CPU, but especially with the OP buying a new motherboard, an Intel CPU is a much better purchase. The better single thread performance translates into better performance in games today, which translates into better "futureproofing" by getting an i5.

Sure, an FX-8350 will do just fine, but take into account the power consumption, the (nonexistent) upgrade path on an AM3+ motherboard, and the poor single-threaded performance, and it suddenly becomes a not so great option.

Add in a cheap 990FX motherboard and a CPU cooler like you recommended, and you are looking at a purchase well above the price of the better performing i5:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.70 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Killer ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $329.67

There's my 2 cents.

Hope that helps

 

[AndrewAwni]

I'm confused ._.
i5- 4590 or 4690 or fx-8350?
And what would be the best 80~90$ motherboard?
R9 or 7870?
thanks to all of you guys :3

 

[Zircoben]

You cannot beat this combination for the money:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $473.96

That is the best CPU for gaming under $200, the best graphics card under $200, and the motherboard is excellent and falls right into your price range.

The R9 280 only costs about $30 more than the R9 270X, and it is well worth that for the upgrade in performance that it is.

FYI: The R9 280 = The 7950.

All the best!

 

[Mac266]

@Zircoben, you stole my build , except I would go 280x

 

[AndrewAwni]

Oh, that will be much more above the budget ._.
maybe a little cheaper Motherboard? i still have to get a psu

 

[Zircoben]

@Zircoben, you stole my build , except I would go 280x

Haha thank you Mac266, good work.

The 280X is another $40, and I really don't think it is worth it with somebody who is already upgrading over originally planning on a 270X or 7870.

 

[Zircoben]

Oh, that will be much more above the budget ._.
maybe a little cheaper Motherboard? i still have to get a psu

What is your budget? We can cut things down a little:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($165.25 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $454.20

That's including the power supply. You are losing, by downgrading the motherboard, the future Broadwell CPU compatibility. Also, I downgraded you down to an 270X instead of the 280, which hurts, but if every dollar counts, it is an okay cut.

 

[AndrewAwni]

Actually i can go now to get a processor, psu, motherboard for about 400$
and since i can't play games until Feb., i should save for the gpu. and a ram maybe

so let's call a 400$ for the cpu, psu, motherboard

 

[Zircoben]

I would get this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $388.97

Great motherboard for overclocking, and an excellent CPU for overclocking. You will be set for years with that pair.

You will want to buy a cooler like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO later on so you can overclock:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.70 @ Amazon)
Total: $29.70

 

[Mac266]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $416.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-10 00:33 EDT-0400

EDIT: Better build.

 

[AndrewAwni]

Thanks a lot guys :')

I will go with the i5-4690k
Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H

 

[Mac266]

If you get a 'k' CPU then get a z97 board to OC it.

 

[Zircoben]

Thanks a lot guys :')

I will go with the i5-4690k
Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H

No, don't get an H97. You want to get a good Z97 one that has good overlclocking features, like the one I or Mac266 recommended.

 

[Zircoben]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $416.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-10 00:33 EDT-0400

EDIT: Better build.

Keep in mind that the OP likely doesn't have access to a Micro Center. That's why your CPU prices are cheaper than mine.

The Seasonic is a better CPU than the Rosewill Hive, but the Hive is plenty good, and costing $30 less, it is a better option.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $376.96

 

[AndrewAwni]

Thanks, would a 550 psu be enough for that + the GPU?
or should i get a 750 one?