Which is best for me? i5-4590 or an AMD FX-6300

[benj_hong]

Hi, I'm planning on building a budget workstation computer but I'm having trouble choosing the right processor for me. I'm not a huge gamer, but I do enjoy playing occasionally. I also tend to run multiple programs in the background and I usually have lots of tabs open in my browser. I'm looking for a cpu that can deliver performance mostly for multitasking. I heard AMD processors run a bit hot under load, and that the stock coolers don't cut it. For the graphics side, I'll be using a GTX 750 Ti.
If there are any other cpus that are better within $100~200 please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[synphul]

I would suggest the i5. Other factors that affect your multitasking ability are ram quantity and to a lesser extent hard drive speed. Smooth multitasking takes at least 8gb of ram, if heavily multitasking then going to 16gb may not be a bad idea. It really depends on your use. Having tabs open in the browser isn't overly cpu intensive, more memory intensive. Sometimes things are actually multitasking such as encoding a video in the background while you're playing a game and running a virus scan (not generally recommended since it will impact performance running scans which can be rescheduled for other times).

Sometimes people think they're multitasking when in fact they're doing a lot of single tasking. Having say notepad open jotting down info, the calculator open because you're sorting some numbers, the browser open with 30 tabs and playing a game. No one is literally typing down notes AND playing the game AND surfing the web, they'd need 2-3 keyboards and multiple mice. Instead what's happening is you're quickly switching from one task to another and doing them individually, one then the other, then the other and so on. This is where memory plays a key role, if you've got plenty of memory to keep needed working data in system memory it can be called on much faster than if you run low on ram and it dumps some of the data from say the browser out of memory to make room for the game. You switch back to the browser, now it has to search the hard drive for the data that was previously in memory. That will cause 'multitasking' slowdowns.

Many times a cpu will hop from one task to another to another and give the impression it's doing all those things at once because of how fast it's capable of switching gears from one program to another. Despite having 'only' four cores, intel's chips have incredibly strong core performance and processing power and are easily able to handle quite a bit. A 4590 will likely keep up with an fx 8350 in multitasking without problem and do most other tasks faster. Just my .02 worth.

 

[jbseven]

thats a no brainer since the i5 4590 is that much better in terms of performance despite the fx 6300's 2 extra cores. The next step up would be a 4670 or a 4690, or you could even get a K series processor that fits your budget and overclock it some. That way you can put any extra $ towards a better gpu.

AMD cpu's don't really tolerate heat well (61-65C) while intel cpu's can tolerate much more (80C). A budget cooler like the hyper 212 evo will get you more oc performance for not that much more $.

RAM is another important factor when it comes to multitasking so try to get a bare minimum of 8GB RAM. You will want to look at the frequency/latency (CAS) ratio- for e.g. 1600 Mhz at cas of 8 is better than 1866 Mhz at cas of 10. You can save a few $ by getting RAM that is slower in Mhz but more or less identical to higher Mhz ram due to better latency.

Knowing your total budget and parts you need/don't need would help us configure your build for you.

 

[Brandon LCW]

Go for the i5. If you can snag the i5-4690 under 200, go for it!

The i5 is in a class of its own compared to the FX6300

As for multi tasking, an i5 is perfectly capable of doing it unless you are looking at CPU intensive applications like doing Rendering etc. Opening two games simultaneously ( like I do), with 20 tabs chrome etc etc is nothing.

Enjoy your new and very capable CPU make sure ram is enough, chrome is a ram hog.