Intel or AMD for gaming build

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dylandylandylan

75 posts

Master Geek

#114620 25-Feb-2013 21:00

Thinking about my next rig. I have an AMD rig at the moment, and it's serving me okay but I made the mistake and got a near un-upgradeable socket (FM1)
I was thinking either the i5-3570k or the AMD 8350
I've been heading towards the AMD because of things I've been hearing about it, and of course, the price ;)
Let me know your opinion.

~Dylan

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3712 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#770117 25-Feb-2013 21:23

My recent impression of the Intel v AMD debate is something along these lines:

AMD - If you're building a HTPC or want to game with APU go AMD
Intel - For pretty much everything else go Intel

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urban

487 posts

Ultimate Geek

#770133 25-Feb-2013 21:43

+1 for the i5 3570 gaming setup.

tukapa1

725 posts

Ultimate Geek

#770221 26-Feb-2013 06:01

i5 3570k

Ramjet007

319 posts

Ultimate Geek

#770224 26-Feb-2013 06:08

I was a big AMD fan but went I7 for my gaming Pc as at the time it was faster.

Oriphix

523 posts

Ultimate Geek

#770233 26-Feb-2013 06:50

noc

107 posts

Master Geek

#770275 26-Feb-2013 09:28

I would go with the i5 as well. I have been an AMD user for a long time (and still am for my main rig), but those i5 K CPU's are really good.

sidefx

3712 posts

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#770281 26-Feb-2013 09:40

Interesting, this is not quite as one sided as I thought it might be, but there are a lot of "wins" to the i5

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/701?vs=697

I suspect you'd probably be happy with either TBH... but I think for gaming the i5 will have a decent edge and I believe the power\efficiency of the i5 is far better than AMD

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- Richard Feynman

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joutei

308 posts

Ultimate Geek

#770284 26-Feb-2013 09:46

AMD is good value for money, but never lives up to the hype.

"Bulldozer Fail"

+1 for intel

PhantomNVD

2619 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#770583 26-Feb-2013 15:58

+1 for i5 3570K

Mine happily clocks to 4.4 on air with zero issues as it's 'unlocked' and since ivybridge already uses the newest intel socket, should even allow for a good upgrade path in a couple years if you feel the need.

No game puts any strain on mine at the moment, though I have been happy with my old Intel Core2 Q6600 for the last 5 years with only a GPU upgrade anyway....

Games are currently way behind the hardware they using, and seem likely to stay that way from the current outlook too....

GLHF :)

khull

1245 posts

Uber Geek

#770613 26-Feb-2013 16:54

As a personal preference, I would never consider AMD for any useful purpose in any situation.

lucky015

743 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#770635 26-Feb-2013 17:38

The i5 is technically better although with the current games not enough to make much of a noticeable difference unless your playing something that threads terribly, It really does come down to personal preferences, I recently made the move from an FX-8120 to an i5-3570k and haven't seen much of a difference CPU wise, Although going from a 6850 to a 7970 more recently did certainly help.

The newer AMD style does have its stronger points such as streaming your game, It seems people have been noticing it seems it prevents the overhead from impacting the performance as badly and the 8350 has been found to be preferable to the 3570k under certain conditions involving streaming.

When it really comes down to it AMD has redesigned everything and optimized it for high core server CPU's and decent APU's, This has worked very well for them but has left them playing catchup in the performance desktop category, The FX-8350 was a big step but they are still behind for most purposes.

ubergeeknz

3344 posts

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Vocus

#770638 26-Feb-2013 17:40

i5 FTW.

dylandylandylan

75 posts

Master Geek

#770642 26-Feb-2013 17:43

Thank you all for your opinions.
I've decided to go for both, the AMD in my water cooled bitfenix prodigy, which should be a fun build, I'll put pictures up if anyone is interested, and the intel i5-3570k in my main rig which is in my favourite case, the corsair carbide 400r.

~Dylan

Poll

343 posts

Ultimate Geek

#770666 26-Feb-2013 18:21

One thing worth taking into consideration with cpu's at the moment is to get comparable performance to the Intel i5's the Amd's are running at 95-100 or 125 watts TDP compared to 77 or 65 watts for the relative Intel parts. Greater heat requires more cooling and can mean more noise too.
I used to love supporting the underdog but it hasn't been worth it for my uses at work or home for a few years now, I've been suggesting i5's for pretty much everyone unless they have specific uses that an i5 wouldn't be any good for.

dylandylandylan

75 posts

Master Geek

#770780 26-Feb-2013 22:27

I just really hope AMD doesn't get pushed out of the running this year, they're the only ones keeping CPU's at a relatively modest price, and allowing people with low budgets to build computers. Also the only ones keeping intel from having a monopoly on the market.

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