Buying new CPU

Dylanov1c4 · August 1, 2016

Hey guys, I apologise in advance if my English is bad, it's not my first language.

So I'm in the market for a new CPU. I currently have an AMD A8-6600K. The reason I want a new CPU is because my current one is pretty old (I don't mean the model, but the actual unit I posses), and as time goes on, games require more "power", and the A8-6600K just can't quite keep up. Before I start asking about what CPU to buy, I guess you need some info on what I'm using my system for. I like to play games on my PC (big surprise) and sometimes do a bit of casual 3D modeling and that sort of thing, it's not my job, I just like doing it in my free time. The games I play are usually not very graphically intense, games like CS:GO, LoL, Starcraft 2, you get the idea. But sometimes I do like myself a new release or two, stuff like The Witcher 3 and GTA 5. I'm sure if you could choose from every CPU on the market, I bet you guys could recommend me some great stuff, but I've already done a bit of research and 3 CPUs caught my attention. I'll list them below with the reasons why I think they're a good choice for me, so you could help me decide what's best for me. Below that I'll also put some info on my current system, if that helps in making a choice.

There are both AMD and Intel CPUs I like, but just to be clear, I do NOT want an argument over which brand is better, just the individual CPUs.

Pick no 1. AMD FX-8350: I've taken a look at system requirements for some "Next Gen" games which are pretty graphically intense, and the recommended AMD CPU is usually the AMD FX-8350. After looking around the internet a bit, I've discovered that this CPU has a pretty low price, and 8 cores at around 4GHz. I thought, as someone who doesn't really understand what this actually means, well damn, this must be a great deal, but I do know that it's probably not as perfect as it looks. But after some research I've discovered that this CPU, having more, but weaker cores, would be better for 3D stuff, rather than gaming. Currently owning an AMD CPU, and having read some reviews, I also know that this CPU isn't the most friendly in terms of power efficiency and heat production.

Pick no 2. Intel Core i5-6600K: You don't really see this CPU on system requirements, but if I'm to believe the reviews, this CPU is still a mid-range beast. It's a bit more expensive than the FX-8350, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it. It has less cores than the 8350, but the individual cores are better. From what I've understood, this CPU is better for tasks like gaming, but I'm no expert on the matter, far from it. Also, Intel CPUs tend to be more efficient, and a lot cooler than AMDs. This combined with the possibility to overclock makes it a solid choice, in my eyes at least.

Pick no 3. Intel Core i5-4460: This is a pretty odd one to me. Reviews in my country say either it's not very hot, or extremely hot, so I'm not sure about that. One thing everyone does seem to agree on, is that it's pretty good for gaming. This one is also pretty cheap, close to the 8350, at least where I'm from. That is another reason why this is a weird one, the price. This one isn't very different from the 6600K, or at least in my inexperienced eyes. 4 cores, good individuals, with similar clock speeds.

This may seem like a lot, but to put it simply: I want a CPU that can handle games, but also 3D modeling. If it's good at one thing, how much worse is it at the other?

Prices where I'm from:

FX-8350: 170 Euros

i5-6600k: 250 Euros

i5-4460: 180 Euros

I don't have an exact budget, but it's around 400 Euros.

The reason for this price range is that I also need to buy some other stuff, mainly a new motherboard, and I'm still 15 years old, so I can't really get a job that earns a lot of money. PCs are expensive.

In my system I got an Nvidia Geforce GTX 770, with a 450 Watt PSU, wich probably isn't enough.

I'm not an expert at computer hardware, but I do know some important things. For example, I know not every CPU fits in every motherboard. I'm also buying a new PSU and Ram. These things aren't a problem, I know how to choose a PSU, and I'm picking the motherboard based on the socket type of the CPU, and the Ram based on those two things.

These 3 CPUs are the ones that caught my attention, but if you can think of another CPU that I can afford, while still being able to buy the other things, feel free to leave a recommendation!