Cpu buying guide

[Gigidy]

Hello everyone, so I am looking to build a pc. My budget is around the $750 range and I would like to not go over that. The main troubles I am having is which cpu do I choose? (disclaimer, I am not a professional, I do not know everything, please correct me if I am mistaken)

 

Now... before we all hear "bro go Intel it'll out perform any amd"... Listen.

 

(This will be used mostly for gaming)

 

I would rather buy the fx 6300 for $100 and spend more on the graphics card than spend $200 on something like an i5 4590 and not have a good graphics card. 

 

My current graphics card choice is going to be the r9 280x to r9 290x depending on what else I get and how much they are.

 

Now (correct me if I am wrong) most games now days rely greatly on the graphics card. Would spending an extra $80-$100 make that much of a difference to want to spend that much more?

 

Also I am very interested in the price/performance ratio. 

 

Please do not respond with "oh the i5 will work way better that the fx series get that" please include information, price points, data charts, etc.

[wyattzx]

You're about to get a few PCPartPicker lists with Intel chips and R9 290s. In 3..2...

 

I'm using the FX-6300 myself, and it has held up well, but unfortunately, as of now, most games can't utilize all six cores, so you're getting very bad per-core performance for a game that only utilizes 2 or 4 cores. Versus an Intel chip with great per-core performance. 

[WinNut]

1...

[CoolaxGaming]

oh the i5 will work way better that the fx series get tha

 

Sorry couldnt resist   

[deVIZtation]

Most games are gpu intensive, however some are cpu intensive. Minecraft and SC2 off the top of my head are cpu intensive. You are correct though, buying a good gpu will be better for you. However, if you wanted to upgrade your cpu, it would be a hassle later on, as you most likely would have to get a new motherboard as well.

[givingtnt]

1...

Happy new year !

[Mao_Zedong]

You don't need an i5, an i3 will be fine. The only AMD CPU with buying for gaming is the athlon 860k, and even that is iffy for only $25 under an i3. This is my recommended build. If you need windows, I would just wait to get the ssd.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($48.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial V4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card  ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.97 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $757.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-02 20:12 EST-0500

[Gigidy]

Most games are gpu intensive, however some are cpu intensive. Minecraft and SC2 off the top of my head are cpu intensive. You are correct though, buying a good gpu will be better for you. However, if you wanted to upgrade your cpu, it would be a hassle later on, as you most likely would have to get a new motherboard as well.

So, are you saying that upgrading an Intel cpu would be easier than an amd? why is that

[Gigidy]

You're about to get a few PCPartPicker lists with Intel chips and R9 290s. In 3..2...

 

I'm using the FX-6300 myself, and it has held up well, but unfortunately, as of now, most games can't utilize all six cores, so you're getting very bad per-core performance for a game that only utilizes 2 or 4 cores. Versus an Intel chip with great per-core performance. 

So, would upgrading to an intel chip be worth it? Sorry that's kinda a hard question but how much more of a performance boost would you get? And im not set on the 6300, I would rather go for a 8320 on sale at some point.

[EpicAdom]

So, are you saying that upgrading an Intel cpu would be easier than an amd? why is that

AMD has no upgrade path at all. Regardless of which AMD CPU you get, you will have to get a new mobo when you upgrade your cpu. Socket AM3+ is dead. The next AMD cpus will use a different socket. The GPU on the other hand is super easy to swap out. And, with Intel you can get something like a Pentium or an i3 and upgrade later to an i7 with the same motherboard.

[Sharp_3yE]

There is a hardware section specifically meant for this

[Trik'Stari]

Most games are GPU intensive, but with what is coming, you're gonna want a strong CPU, especially for something like Star Citizen.

 

The Intel HD 4600 graphics aren't that terrible, about as good as my AMD A10 fm2 5700 APU. Just throw in some 1866 ram instead of 1600 and you'd be good until you could get that GPU.

[Fate]

Read my sig @Gigidy, it should tell you exactly what to go with. Hint: i5-4440 and H81 motherboard beats any FX CPU in games for about the same price

[Kyuubixchidori]

who cares about cpu upgrade path? how many people actually switched out their cpu for another one on the same mobo? who buys a I5, then picks up a I7 later of the same gen? NO ONE./rant

 

Id normally recommend amd for budget.  but for 750, get a I5, then down the line crossfire.

 

Look at it this way, once you build your pc, you never want to put more money into it, go fx6300 then most powerful gpu you can.

If you get money gradually Like I do, I got a I5 with only a hd 6670. then I upgraded to a 7770, to a 7950, and now crossfire 7950s. I spent about 150 to get to a pc that can play anything with ease and then some. If you know what your doing with the used cards market, go that way. 

 

either way is smart, and will be okay. Just dont go weak gpu+strong cpu if you wont upgrade.

 

and dont worry about people that talk about upgrade paths on cpus. No one does that. it doesnt make sense unless you start with a stupid cheap chip anyway

 

 

Read my sig @Gigidy, it should tell you exactly what to go with. Hint: i5-4440 and H81 motherboard beats any FX CPU in games for about the same price

 

whoah fate, you seem very anti FX. if you want, I have a I5-3570K 8 gig system, and my brother has a fx-6300 8 gig system. I have a gt 450, a 7950, and a 7970. if you want I can do some benchmarks comparing how the fx-6300 keeps up with a 7950 crossfired. and see how overclocking would help if at all. 

[Gigidy]

who cares about cpu upgrade path? how many people actually switched out their cpu for another one on the same mobo? who buys a I5, then picks up a I7 later of the same gen? NO ONE./rant

 

Id normally recommend amd for budget.  but for 750, get a I5, then down the line crossfire.

 

Look at it this way, once you build your pc, you never want to put more money into it, go fx6300 then most powerful gpu you can.

If you get money gradually Like I do, I got a I5 with only a hd 6670. then I upgraded to a 7770, to a 7950, and now crossfire 7950s. I spent about 150 to get to a pc that can play anything with ease and then some. If you know what your doing with the used cards market, go that way. 

 

either way is smart, and will be okay. Just dont go weak gpu+strong cpu if you wont upgrade.

 

and dont worry about people that talk about upgrade paths on cpus. No one does that. it doesnt make sense unless you start with a stupid cheap chip anyway

 

 

 

whoah fate, you seem very anti FX. if you want, I have a I5-3570K 8 gig system, and my brother has a fx-6300 8 gig system. I have a gt 450, a 7950, and a 7970. if you want I can do some benchmarks comparing how the fx-6300 keeps up with a 7950 crossfired. and see how overclocking would help if at all. 

Thank you, this clears up a lot of things. The problem I am having is I would much rather do kind of a package deal type thing and get everything at once. I know in the long run (how long) I would enjoy an i5 better, but how long with the 6300 or 8320 last before I would have to upgrade?

[Kyuubixchidori]

Thank you, this clears up a lot of things. The problem I am having is I would much rather do kind of a package deal type thing and get everything at once. I know in the long run (how long) I would enjoy an i5 better, but how long with the 6300 or 8320 last before I would have to upgrade?

its impossible to say. honestly just get a mobo if you can overclock on and a hyper 212.

 

My brothers ran it with my 7950, didnt bottleneck in far cry 4 at all. I can do other tests if you want. I mean, If it can run far cry 4 at 1080P60fps, and the limiting factor right now is games don't use all of its cores, so if anything it will just get better over time. 

[Gigidy]

its impossible to say. honestly just get a mobo if you can overclock on and a hyper 212.

 

My brothers ran it with my 7950, didnt bottleneck in far cry 4 at all. I can do other tests if you want. I mean, If it can run far cry 4 at 1080P60fps, and the limiting factor right now is games don't use all of its cores, so if anything it will just get better over time. 

You are talking about the amd chip right?

 

And (excuse my inexperience) what is modo?

[Kyuubixchidori]

You are talking about the amd chip right?

 

And (excuse my inexperience) what is modo?

no problem. we all start somewhere!

 

yup, the fx6300 stock(no overclock) running with a overclocked 7950 kept far cry 4 almost at 1080P60fps constantly with everything on ultra. Didn't check the cpu usage because the game was running absolutely fine. mobo is short for motherboard. just like cpu is your proccessor and gpu is your graphics card.

 

now, If you really want to save money, you can get a 7950 for 80-100 bucks on ebay. I got one off the fourm for 140, and a 7970 card off ebay for 135. the 7970 was a refurbished card that was never used after. be careful because these could be mined on. on the classifieds theres always cheap cards, Like there are 7850s for 160 for a pair. thats a solid deal. Personally I always go used cards because they are stupid cheap for what they are, and graphics cards have a life of 4-5 years. sometimes longer. because 99% of their life they are idle or near idle