whats the most current and best socket from amd and what are some good cpu's for gaming?

[russell_84]

looking to upgrade my current pc to the latest amd cpu socket for gaming need to know whats a good processor for gaming im thinking something wit 4 cores maybe more just need an idea whats out there for amd

 

[RookieOfTheYear]

AM3+ socket, and the FX-6300 has great performance for the price. Here is a nice motherboard to go with the 6300

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $203.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 15:10 EDT-0400

But the best performance out there is with Intel. It looks like AMD has pretty much given up on the high end gaming CPU's. Instead, they are focusing more on APU's. Which is a CPU and and GPU built on the same die.

 

[RookieOfTheYear]

Here would be a much better performing Intel combo.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $335.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 15:17 EDT-0400

A few reasons the Intel would be a better choice is because there is a much better upgrade path, as well as the better performance. You could try and save some money and get a and i3, or even the Pentium G3258, and just upgrade it to an i5 or even an i7 in the future. So you could just buy a new CPU in the future, instead of having to buy a new motherboard also. The z97 chipset will be able to use the future Intel 1150 socket CPU's that they will come out with.

 

[plywrlw]

I agree with the above. The newest AMD socket is FM2 on the 88x chipset but those cpu's are not good for gaming. The FX cpus on the AM3+ socket are old, slow and hot. Its going to be a while till AMD releases anything worth buying for anything more than very budget gaming unfortunately.

This would be a good cpu and motherboard for gaming

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $246.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 15:23 EDT-0400

 

[RookieOfTheYear]

I agree with the above. The newest AMD socket is FM2 on the 88x chipset but those cpu's are not good for gaming. The FX cpus on the AM3+ socket are old, slow and hot. Its going to be a while till AMD releases anything worth buying for anything more than very budget gaming unfortunately.

This would be a good cpu and motherboard for gaming

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $246.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 15:23 EDT-0400

They're not that bad. You can still get very good performance, even from a 6300. Intel is definitely better, but you make it sound like AMD CPU's are completely useless. The 8350 is still a very capable unit.

It really depends on the budget. Here is a chart to give you an idea of the different CPU's performance. It is a bit old, but it gives you a rough idea.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-charts-2013/-02-Cinebench-11.5,3143.html

 

[plywrlw]

Well I did say budget gaming. I just don't see the point in investing in yesterday's news if you can afford the newest chips. I still occasionally recommended fx chips but never over an i5

 

[byte0215]

I agree with the above. The newest AMD socket is FM2 on the 88x chipset but those cpu's are not good for gaming. The FX cpus on the AM3+ socket are old, slow and hot. Its going to be a while till AMD releases anything worth buying for anything more than very budget gaming unfortunately.

This would be a good cpu and motherboard for gaming

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $246.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 15:23 EDT-0400

will the Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz be a better combo on Gigabyte GA-H97M-Gaming 3?

 

[DubbleClick]

If it's cheaper, yes. However, the i5 4460 is cheaper than the 4430 and a bit better. So you will want that one.

 

[plywrlw]

If it's cheaper, yes. However, the i5 4460 is cheaper than the 4430 and a bit better. So you will want that one.

I agree with this. If it's cheaper or even a few $ more get the 4460. At the time it was $20 more than the 4430 so that's why I went with that. It's always a god idea to get a last minute price check on a build if some time has passed since the recommendation

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Well I did say budget gaming. I just don't see the point in investing in yesterday's news if you can afford the newest chips. I still occasionally recommended fx chips but never over an i5

I have to say, I completely agree with this. I'm no fan of Intel, but I can't recommend that anyone invest in the AM3+ socket when the latest processor (FX-9590) was released over a year ago. The FM2 socket is the newest, but this primarily caters for APUs, which aren't an ideal solution for gaming. Athlon X4s still exist on that socket, but they're old now.

I only recommend Intel because AMD haven't upped their game.

 

[NightAntilli]

I have to say, I completely agree with this. I'm no fan of Intel, but I can't recommend that anyone invest in the AM3+ socket when the latest processor (FX-9590) was released over a year ago. The FM2 socket is the newest, but this primarily caters for APUs, which aren't an ideal solution for gaming. Athlon X4s still exist on that socket, but they're old now.

I only recommend Intel because AMD haven't upped their game.

Actually, they released the FX-8370 this year, along with the FX-8320e and FX-8370e. So there is some activity there.

I still think AMD is generally underrated. For $150 dollars, there's no Intel equivalent that gives the same multi-threaded performance (FX-8320/50). Sure, single core performance is lower, but the general direction of the future is still multi-threading. With Intel, you get best of both worlds (single + multi) for a high price. With AMD, you get an ok-ish performance for single, but superior performance for multi, for a low price. Throw mantle in the mix, and well, the low single core performance is even less of an issue. And you'll have great benefit from the 8 cores during normal use. The 'real' issue with AMD is power consumption, and even that's pretty insignificant. It might be the equivalent of one light bulb per year.

Aside from that, future-proofing is not really something you base your choice on in my opinion. Most people are not going to upgrade their CPU that frequently. It's always best to buy a CPU that will last a long time, and that's it. Future proofing is more something to keep yourself comfortable emotionally, but has no real benefit in reality. By the time you need to upgrade, the socket will be outdated, and the CPUs you can upgrade to become so rare that they'll be overpriced. You might as well upgrade to a new socket and CPU completely. On the flipside, it's better to wait and get what you want, rather than investing in something slow now, to upgrade in a few months. It's simply a waste of money.

Depending on what you're upgrading from and your budget, AMD can be a great choice.

 

[SoundFX09]

The FM2+ Processors are the best choice for your situation. Not only do you get a decent CPU or APU, With paired with an Integrated or Discrete GPU, You can play at 1080p fairly well. Sure, APU's are not the best option for gaming, but if you are on a tight budget (Say, $500), It makes good sense to go with a Processor from the FM2+ Socket.

The Best CPU in the FM2+ socket for the money is the Athlon X4 860K. At $85, You are getting an Awesome Quad-Core CPU clocked at 3.7 Ghz, a Decent 4MB L2 Cache, and the ability to Overclock it. Pair it up with a GPU, however, since it does not have integrated graphics. However, the R7 260X or R9 270X will be perfect when combined with the Athlon, as it will allow you to game at 1080p with no issues.

The Best APU? I'd Argue the A10-7850K. Sure, the $175 price tag is quite ludicrous, But for it you get the same stats as the Athlon X4 860K, Except they add in Integrated Radeon R7 Graphics. It's not the best option for gaming, but if you put it up with AMD Radeon R9 RAM at 2400 Mhz. (Yes, AMD Also makes RAM as well), You can play some games at 1080p with little to no issues.

Overall, The APU's and Athlon's are extremely underrated. They do decent gaming at a reasonable price. Plus, They are one of the best options out there if you want to game on a Budget.