Friend building first PC. Worried CPU will be bottleneck. Thoughts?

[kantonburg]

Friend at work is building his first PC. Has a $600 budget. He wanted to know if saving a little on the processor and spending what's saved on a better GPU is advisable.

He originally picked out the FX-8350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-284-_-Product

Then started looking at the FX-4300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-287-_-Product

For what it's worth it'll be paired with a GTX 960 or Radeon R9 270.

I guess the question is how much do the extra 4 cores REALLY play into the grand scheme thing. Rest of the build is standard stuff. SSD main drive. WD Blue secondary. Haven't settled on a case yet or PS. He's patient enough to buy components as they go on sale so that helps.

 

[Yuriman]

I would definitely not pair a 290X with a 4300.

This is a recent thread on this page that might be worth checking out:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2420076

 

[GOLI@TH]

Friend at work is building his first PC. Has a $600 budget. He wanted to know if saving a little on the processor and spending what's saved on a better GPU is advisable.

He originally picked out the FX-8350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-284-_-Product

Then started looking at the FX-4300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-287-_-Product

For what it's worth it'll be paired with a GTX 960 or Radeon R9 270.

I guess the question is how much do the extra 4 cores REALLY play into the grand scheme thing. Rest of the build is standard stuff. SSD main drive. WD Blue secondary. Haven't settled on a case yet or PS. He's patient enough to buy components as they go on sale so that helps.

So, is it 2nd hand components such as processor & mainboard could be included in to your friend's consideration?

Because 2nd hand classifieds full of pearls and gold with really affordable price, yet has great performance even for today's standard.

I prefer mixed combination to gain better price to performance factor..
[2nd hand]
CPU: ($100) either Xeon hexacore or FX6300
MB: ($125) either X58 or amd 970 board
DDR3: ($80) 12 GB or 8 GB PC12800 value series would be sufficient
HSF: ($25) CM 212 Evo

The rest could expensed on other such as GPU, PSU, so on.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Friend at work is building his first PC. Has a $600 budget. He wanted to know if saving a little on the processor and spending what's saved on a better GPU is advisable.

He originally picked out the FX-8350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-284-_-Product

Then started looking at the FX-4300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-287-_-Product

For what it's worth it'll be paired with a GTX 960 or Radeon R9 270.

I guess the question is how much do the extra 4 cores REALLY play into the grand scheme thing. Rest of the build is standard stuff. SSD main drive. WD Blue secondary. Haven't settled on a case yet or PS. He's patient enough to buy components as they go on sale so that helps.

That is the conventional wisdom, to put more money toward the gpu. However, these days, I would not want to skimp on the cpu either. Many new games are very cpu heavy as well. I would not get the FX4300. If you want to stay around 100.00, you should be able to get an FX6300(it is 109.00 right now on new egg). In the 180.00 range, I would tend to favor a locked i5 over the 8300. I think you should be able to find a better price than that on the FX8xxx series though. I also would not go with the GTX960. It is new and overpriced for the performance you get. In the under 300.00 category, AMD is the value leader.

What games is he looking to play.

 

[VirtualLarry]

What games is he looking to play.

This. A $600 PC may not be capable of playing the newest games. At least not in any playable sense.

At that price point, a Console looks pretty tasty.

Edit: Well, maybe. I've got a G3258 @ 3.8, and a 7950, 8GB DDR3-1600, a 240GB SSD, and a 3TB HDD, and it all cost me under $600.

 

[kantonburg]

That is the conventional wisdom, to put more money toward the gpu. However, these days, I would not want to skimp on the cpu either. Many new games are very cpu heavy as well. I would not get the FX4300. If you want to stay around 100.00, you should be able to get an FX6300(it is 109.00 right now on new egg). In the 180.00 range, I would tend to favor a locked i5 over the 8300. I think you should be able to find a better price than that on the FX8xxx series though. I also would not go with the GTX960. It is new and overpriced for the performance you get. In the under 300.00 category, AMD is the value leader.

What games is he looking to play.

The more I look the 6300 is definitely the better choice. Which Radeon would you recommend?

Thanks

 

[Leyawiin]

If he was considering spending that much on an FX-8350 you'd be better off (for gaming) by going with one of the cheaper, locked i5's. Motherboards are a wash at this point for either. If you do go AMD there's an FX-6350 at Newegg for $109.99 after a $15 promo code (same as the 6300). Might as well get the faster one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113327

As far as a GPU goes the GTX 960 is fine. Same performance as an R9 285 at the same price point. Uses less power in the process as well. All things being equal the more efficient card is the better choice.

Here's a quote and links from someone that should know what he's talking about (since he does their reviews).

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041411815&postcount=4

 

[escrow4]

You want a locked i5 at best at that price point, not FX for gaming. AM3+ is a dead end 2009 era socket and the FX is little better. Attach it to an H81 board with at least 8GB RAM.

 

[AtenRa]

You want a locked i5 at best at that price point, not FX for gaming. AM3+ is a dead end 2009 era socket and the FX is little better. Attach it to an H81 board with at least 8GB RAM.

Just to understand this,

You say that AM3+ is a dead end socket and then you recommend the H81 that has less features than any 970/990 AM3+ motherboard ???

Do you even know that H81 only supports PCIe Gen 2.0 and only a single GPU ??? Do you even know that H81 only has 2x SATA-6 ports ???

I could understand if someone would recommend the Core i3 + B85 or H87/Z98 but recommending H81 over AM3+ is really shows ignorance/bias.

For the OP, i would go for an FM2+ motherboard with Athlon 860K + R9 280

 

[EliteRetard]

If he does an 860k and FM2+ he can fit in an R9 290, that'll whomp a GTX960.
'Corse it'll require some rebate hassles.

AMD X4 860K ~80$
CM 212 EVO ~30$ AR
Asus A78M-E ~35$ AR
2x4GB DDR3 1600 CAS 9 1.5v ~60$
R9 290 various models ~230$ AR
OCZ Arc 100 240GB ~80$ AR
PSU quality 500w ~30$ AR

Total = 545$ AR

Leaving just over $50 for your choice of case, and lots of good options there (even at ~35$)

 

[ShintaiDK]

Horrible CPU selection.

Also is he going to overclock or not?

And whats the purpose, I assume gaming?

 

[PC Master Race]

AMD FX CPU bottleneck supreme. The only use for AMD FX is on the cheap workstation duties and Linux apps. If gaming go Intel period. $70 dollar Intel Dual Core CPU vs AMDs top dog FX 8350 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEEuXQf29Z4

 

[Leyawiin]

For the OP, i would go for an FM2+ motherboard with Athlon 860K + R9 280

If he does an 860k and FM2+ he can fit in an R9 290, that'll whomp a GTX960.

A G3258 at stock is better in many/most gaming scenarios for less. Overclock it and there's no contest. Regardless, I'd never pair a CPU like that with an R9 290 (unless it was such a good deal the bottleneck wouldn't matter). The R9 280 (or GTX 960) would be a better match.

 

[Flapdrol1337]

Is a H81 board, i5-4460 and R9 280 an option? That'll have very good performance in every game.

 

[kantonburg]

Horrible CPU selection.

Also is he going to overclock or not?

And whats the purpose, I assume gaming?

Yes overclocking with AMD is pretty standard. Can anymore recommend an Intel chip and board? Say $200-$230 for both.

edit: See post below

 

[kantonburg]

AMD FX CPU bottleneck supreme. The only use for AMD FX is on the cheap workstation duties and Linux apps. If gaming go Intel period. $70 dollar Intel Dual Core CPU vs AMDs top dog FX 8350 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEEuXQf29Z4

Wow that is significant especially for the price difference. Just checking slickdeals they have the cpu and mobo combo pretty regularly. Recently it was $87 for both

 

[Yuriman]

It's not generally possible to get an i5 for that price, unless you have a Microcenter nearby. An FX-6300 or cheap 8300/8310 (for not more than maybe $110) would be fair, but an i5 (for games) will be better, though more expensive. I think there's a case to be made for either an i3 or an FX-8xxx, personally, but I generally favor putting Intel in my recent builds.

AMDs chips really shine in productivity-type stuff, and are passable for gaming.

This is the cheap i5 you'd want:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819117302

This B85 board would keep it under $230 total:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813138395R

This one isn't open box but exceeds your budget by $5:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813135356

This is probably what I'd pair it with, but you're coming out to $250ish then:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157573

 

[SteveGrabowski]

This is what I would build with $600 to spend, assuming Windows has to be part of the equation:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($58.79 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($199.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($23.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Antec 75120 79.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.77 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Antec 75120 79.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.77 @ Newegg)
Total: $613.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 08:43 EST-0500

I'm not a huge fan of the 960 for the price, but according to Eurogamer.net the Radeons don't play too well with i3s.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

If you could add another $55 this would be a huge upgrade though:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($58.79 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Antec 75120 79.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.77 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Antec 75120 79.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.77 @ Newegg)
Total: $670.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-12 08:47 EST-0500

 

[Shehriazad]

This. A $600 PC may not be capable of playing the newest games. At least not in any playable sense.

At that price point, a Console looks pretty tasty.

Edit: Well, maybe. I've got a G3258 @ 3.8, and a 7950, 8GB DDR3-1600, a 240GB SSD, and a 3TB HDD, and it all cost me under $600.

A 600$ PC will play ALL the newest games...what are you talking about? You just won't be able to crank up all the settings....will still look better than on console *cough*

We all know that OSs are free for poor people..yoho. So 600$ is plenty if you are a cheapskate on the case and additional cooling (you can still upgrade the cooling later down the line).

For a 600$ budget you can easily fit a FX6XXX or a lower end i5 and a decent midrange GPU...that'll play every game on the market with decent fps with medium-ish settings...and low settings with games that have terrible optimization *cough Assassins Creed cough*

 

[kantonburg]

Wow thanks guys.

Should he even consider the Intel G3258?

I had narrowed down boards to

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130731

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157483


So it was nice to see both of those linked.

 

[Yuriman]

IMO, probably not. In that budget range I'd lean strongly toward an i3, FX-6xxx, or low-end FX-8xxx, as an i5 eats a lot of your budget for other things, and lower-end chips will, in some cases, offer serious compromises in gaming performance. I think any of those 3 will provide a satisfactory experience, and will have different strengths and weaknesses. I put an i3 in my wife's computer.

 

[JimmyH]

If u really want to get your friend the MOST BANG for his buck then it's near impossible beat a Dell XPS 8700 with a coupon or scratch and dent. I did an i5 Dell scratch and dent couple years back for $310, put in a Radeon 6870 for $150, used it for year sold it $500. Hard to compete w/ a complete i5 system for year and get paid $40. U should be able to pick up an i7 4790 for right at $600. Only way get close to that is tons rebates, live next to a microcenter and be very patient.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7653762-del...-to-30-off-amp-more-free-shipping#commentsBox

XPS 8700
Processor: Intel Core 4th Generation i7-4790 processor (8M Cache, up to 4.0 GHz)
Windows 8.1
1TB 7200 rpm SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive
8 GB DDR3 Memory (2X4GB) 1600MHz
16X DVD +/- RW Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 720 with 1GB DDR3

For 574$ after Tax.

 

[kantonburg]

If u really want to get your friend the MOST BANG for his buck then it's near impossible beat a Dell XPS 8700 with a coupon or scratch and dent. I did an i5 Dell scratch and dent couple years back for $310, put in a Radeon 6870 for $150, used it for year sold it $500. Hard to compete w/ a complete i5 system for year and get paid $40. U should be able to pick up an i7 4790 for right at $600. Only way get close to that is tons rebates, live next to a microcenter and be very patient.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7653762-del...-to-30-off-amp-more-free-shipping#commentsBox

XPS 8700
Processor: Intel Core 4th Generation i7-4790 processor (8M Cache, up to 4.0 GHz)
Windows 8.1
1TB 7200 rpm SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive
8 GB DDR3 Memory (2X4GB) 1600MHz
16X DVD +/- RW Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 720 with 1GB DDR3

For 574$ after Tax.

I wish we did. Closest Microcenter is in Fairfax, VA. 3 hours.

 

[kantonburg]

So I started looking at i3's. Keep in mind I'm not up to snuff on Intel chips. Which one do you choose? There are so many. Also is 1150 and 1155 sockets completely different?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...WS&PageSize=30