Win 8 - four core vs. 6 core processors

Tacoboy

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I'm currently using Win 7-64bit, 2X2GB, 180GB SSD, AMD 945 quad core, 880G motherboard.
Think of getting the Win 8 upgrade, new 4 (4170) or 6 core AMD cpu, 970 motherboard.
Would Win 8 make it worth it to get a 6 core cpu, or should I just get a faster 4 core processor (4170)?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7-64
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    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD 945 quad core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte 880G
    Memory
    2 X 2GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS 6870
    Sound Card
    Essence STX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 27"
    Hard Drives
    180GB SSD
    120GB SSD
    1TB storage
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    Antec 750W
    Case
    CM690II
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    4 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G110
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    Logitech MX1000
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    Cable

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
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    85MBps DSL
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    Chrome and Edge
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    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
I hate to say it, because back in the day I was an AMD guy...but if it's performance you are truly after, get rid of the budget AMD CPU's and get an Intel.

Except in heavily multithreaded areas, I have seen very little difference between dual core and quad core CPU's. So, unless you spend all day encoding video or something else, I doubt you would see much real benefit from going from 4 AMD cores to 6 AMD cores or 8 AMD cores.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I hate to say it, because back in the day I was an AMD guy...but if it's performance you are truly after, get rid of the budget AMD CPU's and get an Intel.

Except in heavily multithreaded areas, I have seen very little difference between dual core and quad core CPU's. So, unless you spend all day encoding video or something else, I doubt you would see much real benefit from going from 4 AMD cores to 6 AMD cores or 8 AMD cores.

I like using AMD because of the price and also because AMD is the under dog.
Also because I prefer using ATI(AMD) graphics card, so I like the idea of better compatibility between motherboard chip software and graphics card software (real or imagined).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7-64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD 945 quad core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte 880G
    Memory
    2 X 2GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS 6870
    Sound Card
    Essence STX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 27"
    Hard Drives
    180GB SSD
    120GB SSD
    1TB storage
    PSU
    Antec 750W
    Case
    CM690II
    Cooling
    4 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G110
    Mouse
    Logitech MX1000
    Internet Speed
    Cable
I use Radeon (AMD) video cards and have no compatibility or performance issues with Intel chipsets, motherboards or CPU's. I strongly prefer Intel CPU's because they tend to perform better in a wide range of tasks, versus the AMD CPU's, which tend to perform better in a few tasks, then the same or worse than Intel on most others. I subscribe to the "buy once, cry once" policy and I buy the best CPU I can afford and it tends to last me a long time. Case in point, I bought an Intel Quad Core 6600 way back in 2007 and I'm still using it as my daily workhorse PC!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
I hate to say it, because back in the day I was an AMD guy...but if it's performance you are truly after, get rid of the budget AMD CPU's and get an Intel.

Except in heavily multithreaded areas, I have seen very little difference between dual core and quad core CPU's. So, unless you spend all day encoding video or something else, I doubt you would see much real benefit from going from 4 AMD cores to 6 AMD cores or 8 AMD cores.
I'd take a decent mulit-threaded chip for under 200 dollars that competes against a real expensive i7, where I may or may not see any other potential/performance with that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Well, this depends on your overall use for the chip.

If you do media converting or use other programs that can effectively use the cores of the CPU, I'd take the 6 core chip. If you do considerable gaming, you might want to stick with a quad core as most modern games prefer to use a quad core, I don't think there are any or a few games that use more than four processor cores.

For Windows 8, if you have a SSD, you could probably argue for a 6 core processor. Again, this depends on your usage scenarios. If you aren't planning to do a system upgrade for a while and will most likely keep it for at least 3+ years, I'd go with the 6 core. By that time, theoretically, PC games will start taking advantage of more CPU cores than 4, so you'd be somewhat future proofed for that. But if you want good Windows 8 performance, consider graphics over processor. Pretty much all of Windows, the apps, the GUI, IE and other programs use the GPU for visual rendering. Every modern browser after IE 9 started to use the GPU and offload that from the CPU.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
I'm currently using Win 7-64bit, 2X2GB, 180GB SSD, AMD 945 quad core, 880G motherboard.
Think of getting the Win 8 upgrade, new 4 (4170) or 6 core AMD cpu, 970 motherboard.
Would Win 8 make it worth it to get a 6 core cpu, or should I just get a faster 4 core processor (4170)?

As far as I know, the choice between a 4 or 6 core CPU would be no different under Win8 than it was under 7. I'm not sure that multi-core support under Win7 is superior to what it was under XP.

The OS is not relevant to your CPU choice, as long as you stay with CPUs that support 64 bit instructions. (All of your considered CPUs do.)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Window 8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    I7-3930k
    Motherboard
    Asus P9X79 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Gskill DDR3-2133
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GTX 680
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster Zx
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA246Q
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force GT 120GB
    WD Cavair Black 1.5TB
    PSU
    PC Power & cooling Silencer 750
    Case
    Silverstone FT02B-W
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14 w/ PWM fans
    Keyboard
    cheap Logitech USB wired
    Mouse
    old 5 button Microsoft USB optical
    Internet Speed
    6Mb cable
I'd take a decent mulit-threaded chip for under 200 dollars that competes against a real expensive i7, where I may or may not see any other potential/performance with that.
Well, most AMD's compete with mid-line Intel i5's that can be had for around $200. It doesn't take a high-end expensive i7 to compete. An i7 around $299 (i7-3770), outperforms an $180 (AMD-8150), but scores 9474 compared to a 7733. PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End

And in this users case, he was asking to upgrade his machine...so apparently he is looking for additional improvements.


And off the point: Cokie: Aren't you the guy who is dead set on trying to build a new computer and wants to install 15 hard drives into it??? You really want to go with a lower end cheaper CPU, but then add an absurd # of hard drives to provide a potential to store 40+TB of data...even though you have less than 1TB today?????? Sometimes I just don't get it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I'd take a decent mulit-threaded chip for under 200 dollars that competes against a real expensive i7, where I may or may not see any other potential/performance with that.
Well, most AMD's compete with mid-line Intel i5's that can be had for around $200. It doesn't take a high-end expensive i7.

And in this users case, he was asking to upgrade his machine...so apparently he is looking for additional improvements that he might or might not see.


Add off the point: Cokie: Aren't you the guy who is dead set on trying to build a new computer and wants to install 15 hard drives into it??? You really want to go with a lower end cheaper CPU, but then add an absurd # of hard drives to provide a potential to store 40+TB of data...even though you have less than 1TB today?????? Sometimes I just don't get it.

Of which an FX processor out performs the i5 lineup and competes pretty well with an i7. Granted, there are like 10 or so different i7s, one costing 2,000 dollars and the only thing that AMD has is the FX-8530. For the price, you can't really argue against that.

And yeah, the main point here is if upgrading AMD CPU's is worth it, not if an Intel system is better than the other.

And yeah, I do want a 15 hard drive system. I'll be using an AMD FX processor for that, an 8 core chip. The preconception I have here is that Windows 8 will use those 8 cores to divide the tasks of Storage Spaces up, as it would probably do in Server 2012. Also, along with a few other threaded programs I use, AMD wins out over Intel in this situation.

Just because a processor is 200 dollars doesn't mean it's low end, it means it has value and performance to offer. The FX-8350 out does an i5 in many situations, even an i7 in a few. Then there is the overclocking potential that again, increases value and performance....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Intel CPU are expensive, overpriced and they have a tendency to overheat quite quickly or get very, very hot.

As a user of both AMD and Intel, getting an AMD desktop was like a breathe of fresh air and was happy to finally get away from Intel.

But that's just me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
My Intel Q6600 has been rock-solid reliable with a stock CPU cooler, no overclocking, on an Intel board (DG43GT) for about 5 years now and it still runs Win7/8 great! I have a decent "non-gamer" video card (GT-430), which helps... Everyone's needs are different, so you have to match the hardware and software to your requirements.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
Well, this depends on your overall use for the chip.

If you do media converting or use other programs that can effectively use the cores of the CPU, I'd take the 6 core chip. If you do considerable gaming, you might want to stick with a quad core as most modern games prefer to use a quad core, I don't think there are any or a few games that use more than four processor cores.

For Windows 8, if you have a SSD, you could probably argue for a 6 core processor. Again, this depends on your usage scenarios. If you aren't planning to do a system upgrade for a while and will most likely keep it for at least 3+ years, I'd go with the 6 core. By that time, theoretically, PC games will start taking advantage of more CPU cores than 4, so you'd be somewhat future proofed for that. But if you want good Windows 8 performance, consider graphics over processor. Pretty much all of Windows, the apps, the GUI, IE and other programs use the GPU for visual rendering. Every modern browser after IE 9 started to use the GPU and offload that from the CPU.

I have an HIS 6870 1GB, I think for what I do, it's more then enough for me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7-64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD 945 quad core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte 880G
    Memory
    2 X 2GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS 6870
    Sound Card
    Essence STX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 27"
    Hard Drives
    180GB SSD
    120GB SSD
    1TB storage
    PSU
    Antec 750W
    Case
    CM690II
    Cooling
    4 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G110
    Mouse
    Logitech MX1000
    Internet Speed
    Cable
Of which an FX processor out performs the i5 lineup and competes pretty well with an i7.
Um, not from what I have heard. Perhaps in a few obscure tests, but most sites come to the same conclusion that this site came to: FX-8350 vs. Core i5-3470 CPU Review | Hardware Secrets. They compared an FX-8350 against a Core i5-3470. Both are $200 chips at NewEgg today. The conclusion to the above article which is page 18 (FX-8350 vs. Core i5-3470 CPU Review | Hardware Secrets)

Paraphrasing since the website won't allow me to cut and paste directly:

The 8350 only provides "slight" improvement over the 8150. While AMD leads in the $100 price arena, at the $200 mark they are way behind Intel. Although they cost the same, the i5-3470 provides 30% more performance than the FX8350 and the i5 is the FAR BETTER CHOICE and we simply cannot recommend the AMD8350 While the 8350 was faster in 3D rendering with Cinebench than the i5, we believe this type of user would invest in a better i7 anyway

Granted, there are like 10 or so different i7s, one costing 2,000 dollars and the only thing that AMD has is the FX-8530. For the price, you can't really argue against that.
It's irrelevant that Intel makes a $2k Core i7...because a chip of that caliber is nowhere near necessary to clobber the competition. That's more of a "collectors item" rather than a processor that a consumer would actually use.

An Intel Core i7-3770k is $300...so only $100 more than an FX8350...yet it beats it in every game benchmark here with the exception of Batman where it was more or less equivalent. AMD FX-8350 vs Intel Core i7-3770K @ 4.8GHz - Multi-GPU Gaming Performance by VR-Zone.com

Considering how much money a gamer will put into a new video card for more FPS, or people will sink into SSD's in a RAID for better OS performance, or how much extra they will invest for a high end mobo, or will consider doing a 15 hard drive system in hopes of getting outrageous performance and extra $100 for the Intel 3770K is a drop in the bucket.

And yeah, I do want a 15 hard drive system. I'll be using an AMD FX processor for that, an 8 core chip. The preconception I have here is that Windows 8 will use those 8 cores to divide the tasks of Storage Spaces up, as it would probably do in Server 2012. Also, along with a few other threaded programs I use, AMD wins out over Intel in this situation.
I think you need to prepare yourself for a significant amount of disappointment if you think an 8 core CPU is going to make Storage Spaces the epitome of high-end fast storage. Commodity consumer grade 7200RPM hard drives will be the bottleneck here. Your best bet is to get nice controller cards that you can offload the performance load to so that your CPU can do other things. Their are reasons that high performance RAID controller cards cost a lot of money.

Then there is the overclocking potential that again, increases value and performance....
Intels can overclock too. The thing with AMD is that it's always about the future, or the potential...but the fans always have to come up with excuses for the current levels of performance. That is since the Core 2 Duo came out and replaced the AMD Athlon 64 X2 from the top of the heap. That's the last time AMD was great and that's the last AMD chip I had.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Intel CPU are expensive, overpriced and they have a tendency to overheat quite quickly or get very, very hot.
As I stated above, a $200 AMD 8350 looses in quite a number of benchmarks to a $200 Core i5 Intel. For gaming, the i5 is a hands down winner. Only in areas utilizing heavily threaded applications (which most people do NOT), does the 8350 eek out an advantage. So I fail to see where Intel CPU's are expensive or overpriced. Look at what people spend on RAM, SSD's, video cards, overpowered PSU's, cases, water cooling, etc. An extra $50 or $100 on a CPU that provides better performance just seems like a no-brainer...unless you are just going for budget builds entirely.

I've never had a problem with heat on an Intel CPU. I'm overclocking a Q9550 from 2.83Ghz to 3.4Ghz on the stock Intel Cooler and have been for 3.5 years and no issues at all. I overclock an E6400 at work from 3.0Ghz to 3.6Ghz on the stock Intel Cooler and have for 3 years with no issues. And I've overclocked my Core i7-3770 on the Asus P8Z77 mobo at work for the past 6 months on the stock intel cooler and no issues.

As a user of both AMD and Intel, getting an AMD desktop was like a breathe of fresh air and was happy to finally get away from Intel.

But that's just me.
I'm about 50/50 between AMD and Intel builds over the past 15 years. But my last AMD was an Athlon 64 X2 4600+ becuase that dominated the Intel Pentium 4 back in the day. However, since the release of the Intel Core 2 Duo...it's been all Intel for me.

I really wish AMD would seriously get back in the game and for a while I held out high hopes for Bulldozer and Piledriver...but as usual with AMD...they let me down and tons of other people.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I love my system with the AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition which is super easy to overclock. It's a beast, especially at the budget price it was.

But yeah, AMD right now is just bang for your buck in the budget range or for the HTPC where you don't need a lot of CPU but you need a lot of GPU. Its processors and motherboards are cheaper. If you can afford the $200+ processors (as well as the expensive motherboards), Intel is the way to go.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
Maybe I should hold off buy any CPU until the next price drop?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7-64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD 945 quad core
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte 880G
    Memory
    2 X 2GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS 6870
    Sound Card
    Essence STX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 27"
    Hard Drives
    180GB SSD
    120GB SSD
    1TB storage
    PSU
    Antec 750W
    Case
    CM690II
    Cooling
    4 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech G110
    Mouse
    Logitech MX1000
    Internet Speed
    Cable
I would suggest that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
The only problem with waiting for price drops is that you will always be waiting as there will always be something new and prices of current gen stuff will always be dropping.

Eventually you have to bite the bullet, upgrade, and then actually use and take advantage of what you have and not dwell on what the price is NOW doing or what the new chips can do.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
The only problem with waiting for price drops is that you will always be waiting as there will always be something new and prices of current gen stuff will always be dropping.

Eventually you have to bite the bullet, upgrade, and then actually use and take advantage of what you have and not dwell on what the price is NOW doing or what the new chips can do.
That will ultimately depend upon if the OP's motherboard can handle the latest AMD CPU. It seems the highest it can hold is an FX 8100 series, when the current series is the 8300s. Most likely there will be price drops on the current hardware, such as the FX 4170 that was mentioned, to clear out stock. Or if there is a Newegg sale of course...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
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