Intel Core i3-4130 vs AMD Athlon X4-760K

[kidyankee764]

I am building a gaming PC for $600 soon. I am getting advice from two different CPUs. One is the Intel Core i3-4130 ($120) and the AMD Athlon X4-760k ($85.) Now, the Core i3 is at 3.4Ghz, while the Athlon is 3.8Ghz plus it can overclock. Which should I buy?

 

[Yuriman]

Depends on what you can do with the $35 difference. If that's not going to buy you a better video card or be the difference between a mechanical HD vs SSD, the i3 is hands-down the better chip.

I'd say it's probably more worthy of debate as to whether an FX-6300 or i3-4130 is the better buy.

EDIT: Here are some benches. There aren't very many good roundups that include the Haswell i3's, so it takes some digging.

 

[SPBHM]

if you specify usage and the rest of the PC specs it's easier to give an opinion,

hardware.fr test includes the 760K (same as the 5800K basically), FX 6300 and the 4130
http://www.hardware.fr/articles/901-3/performances-applicatives.html
http://www.hardware.fr/articles/901-4/performances-jeux-3d.html

edit: since you mentioned OC, Bit Tech included some 4.7GHz "760K" (6800k, like any Richland/Trinity at same clock) on their 4130 review
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/11/14/intel-core-i3-4130-haswell-review/3

but keep in mind you can burn these $35 easily on cooling/MB/power if you go that route.

 

[kidyankee764]

Another thing I noticed was the motherboards for AMD were relatively cheaper...the cheapest motherboard for intel that based what I need costs $90. The AMD motherboard costs $50. That is a $40 difference plus the $35, which equals $75 cheaper. I could get a beefier GPU than the GeForce GTX 760 2GB GDDR5 or even buy a Samsung 120GB SSD for $82.

 

[tweakboy]

AMD is cheapo and the l3 is for non gamers.

 

[frozentundra123456]

That is a tough call. Those two, as someone else said, are sort of in different segments. The i3 competes more in price and performance with the FX6300. The new Haswell i3s are surprisingly good in gaming, and will probably be faster than the Athlon in nearly all games, and considerably faster in lightly threaded games, which includes a lot. That will be in a cpu limited scenario, however. With a 600 dollar budget, you will be limited to a relatively low to midrange video card, so I am sure some will argue to save the 40 dollars and put it toward a faster video card. On the other hand, the i3 will use less power and run cooler, (especially compared to an overclocked athlon), and have a better upgrade path down the line if you get the budget to upgrade to a powerful video card. Really, 600.00 is a difficult price point for a gaming PC. It is enough to get a decent system, but is going to force compromises is some areas.

 

[SPBHM]

Another thing I noticed was the motherboards for AMD were relatively cheaper...the cheapest motherboard for intel that based what I need costs $90. The AMD motherboard costs $50. That is a $40 difference plus the $35, which equals $75 cheaper. I could get a beefier GPU than the GeForce GTX 760 2GB GDDR5 or even buy a Samsung 120GB SSD for $82.

what do you need? you can find H81 boards for around $50,

gaming tends to be a strong point for the i3 compared to the 760k.

 

[crashtech]

LGA 1150 is the stronger platform, so if there is future CPU upgrading in mind, the Intel provides far more potential.

The AMD CPU will allow more dollars to go to a better GPU, which is helpful in the near term.

 

[kidyankee764]

what do you need? you can find H81 boards for around $50,

gaming tends to be a strong point for the i3 compared to the 760k.

I need a minimum of 16GB of RAM and a minimum of 4 RAM slots. I need 6 6GB/S for my HDD and Optical Drive, plus a few SSDs and another HDD for the future.

 

[SPBHM]

you need 16GB of ram and 6 sata III ports and a gaming GPU and $100 CPUs? strange combination,

you don't need sata III ports for HDs, only fast SSDs,

anyway, you can buy a b85 board with 6 sata ports (4x III, 2x II) and 4 memory slots for $60 on newegg.

 

[Yuriman]

I need a minimum of 16GB of RAM and a minimum of 4 RAM slots. I need 6 6GB/S for my HDD and Optical Drive, plus a few SSDs and another HDD for the future.

Biostar B85
4 RAM slots, 6 SATA ports, $60

ASRock B85
$10 more, which is probably what I'd get.

 

[crashtech]

OP, do you have any intention of ever upgrading whatever CPU you choose now?

 

[Arkaign]

My inclination here is to go with the 750k. For gaming, nearly every dollar possible should go towards GPU if possible. However, do you have a MC nearby? I've bought quite a few FX6300 + Mobos, and with the combo savings it usually totals something like $120 for the mobo+CPU.

Okay, just went and double checked, look at this :

I've got roughly that same setup (FX6350 + 990 Mobo + 7870) in my HTPC, and it happily churns through anything I throw at it @ 1080p. Even with the 7870, I'm GPU limited.

The Intel Quads and above ARE better, but who can argue with a $120 Hex + Mobo? I prefer the 6er to the i3, Windows just feels better.

 

[SPBHM]

that's a really nice deal, if you can get it for that money, go for it :thumbsup:

but if he is set on the idea of 4 slots and 6 sata III ports, that's not it...

as for the CPU-GPU balance, personally I wouldn't go for a faster GPU in his case, GTX 760 is enough for most games and if his budget is so limited, going higher than that sounds like the wrong thing to do, going lower to a 265 probably makes more sense than going higher (that 6300 combo + 265 sounds like a great combination for the money!)

Also I don't know about his games and usage outside of gaming but I play CPU bound games, so the benefit from a faster CPU compared to the X4 would have a bigger impact for the game experience imo, unless you have a 1440P screen and always want really high settings, also I'm from the opinion that CPUs should last longer than VGAs before upgrades, I would choose a gtx 760 + i5 over X4 + GTX 770 or whatever VGA you can get with the extra $100, but that's me, the SSD thing makes more sense;

 

[Enigmoid]

Great Deal and pretty much unbeatable in perf/$.

Makes no sense to go lower than a 6300.

Always buy enough CPU to get the job done. GPUs depreciate much faster and are easier to replace. People who spent in favour of the CPU back in 09 and got a i7-920 are still somewhat relevant while any GPU from that era is pretty much useless (same with C2Q vs C2D).

Even in the SB era splurging on the CPU got you 85-90% of today's CPU. While a $180-200 GPU went from something like the 6850 to the R270X and basically doubled performance.

It makes the best sense to buy the best CPU (obviously being budget conscious) and then enough GPU to fulfill your needs.

 

[beginner99]

I need a minimum of 16GB of RAM and a minimum of 4 RAM slots. I need 6 6GB/S for my HDD and Optical Drive, plus a few SSDs and another HDD for the future.

Forget that. Makes no sense. For gaming 4 Gb would be mostly fine but RAM is cheap so get 8 GB. Anything more is waste of money for gaming expecially given your low budget. Also note that 2x8 GB isn't more expensive anymore than 4x4 GB.

Why do you need a few SSDs? Irrelevant for gaming and "few SSDs" will alone easily cost the full $600 budget you have. Makes no sense either. Is this for e-Pen?

Ultimatley it depends on the games you want to play. RTS games like Starcraft, Intel is a must, i3 would be better than AMD hexacore for that. Most makes can't use those 6 cores.

 

[AtenRa]

I am building a gaming PC for $600 soon. I am getting advice from two different CPUs. One is the Intel Core i3-4130 ($120) and the AMD Athlon X4-760k ($85.) Now, the Core i3 is at 3.4Ghz, while the Athlon is 3.8Ghz plus it can overclock. Which should I buy?

Another thing I noticed was the motherboards for AMD were relatively cheaper...the cheapest motherboard for intel that based what I need costs $90. The AMD motherboard costs $50. That is a $40 difference plus the $35, which equals $75 cheaper. I could get a beefier GPU than the GeForce GTX 760 2GB GDDR5 or even buy a Samsung 120GB SSD for $82.

For a low budget Gaming PC, better spend more for the GPU than the CPU. But there are games that are more CPU intensive than others. If you want to go with the AMD setup then choose a nice FM2+ motherboard and pare it with the Athlon 750K. OC to 4-4.2GHz+ with the default cooler. Also dont forget to OC the NorthBridge(NB) to 2.2GHz or above. It gives a nice boost in a lot of games and it is something not a single review in the net have ever addressed.
With the FM2+ you will be able to upgrade up to the next year Excavator APUs so it gives you a nice upgrade path.

If you go for the Core i3 then choose the 4330, it has more Cache and higher frequency than the 4130 and it is not that much more expensive. Also dont choose the H81 because it will only give you PCI-e Gen 2.0. Go for the B85 chipset or H87/Z87. Your upgrade path will go all the way up to Haswell refresh Core i7s.

The Core i3 + 1150 platform is little bit faster but more expensive and it lacks any OC. You get lower power consumption too. The Athlon 750K + FM2+ gives you the ability to play with it and OC. But in real gaming settings (1080p + AA) both will be enough to drive even a GTX-780Ti at playable frames.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-4340-4330-4130_5.html#sect0

ps: If you want to play BF4 Multiplayer, i would suggest the FX6350 + GCN GPU and use Mantle.

 

[BSim500]

I need a minimum of 16GB of RAM and a minimum of 4 RAM slots. I need 6 6GB/S for my HDD and Optical Drive, plus a few SSDs and another HDD for the future.

Personally, I'd rather have an i3-4130 / 4330 and 8GB RAM than a X4-760K and 16GB. You're looking at almost 20-100% more FPS in many games, and no game needs more than 8GB RAM:-
http://www.hardware.fr/articles/901-4/performances-jeux-3d.html
http://www.hardcoreware.net/intel-core-i3-4340-review/3/
http://pclab.pl/art54006-5.html
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-4340-4330-4130_5.html#sect0

Plus it leaves the door open for an i5 / +8GB extra RAM in future. It is kinda weird though that you intend to buy multiple SSD's + 16GB RAM (far more expensive than even a top i5) yet pick only a budget CPU? Usually 1x 256-512GB SSD is enough for a gaming rig, and buying 4x 64-128GB SSD's "piecemeal" really is a false economy.

 

[frozentundra123456]

My inclination here is to go with the 750k. For gaming, nearly every dollar possible should go towards GPU if possible. However, do you have a MC nearby? I've bought quite a few FX6300 + Mobos, and with the combo savings it usually totals something like $120 for the mobo+CPU.

Okay, just went and double checked, look at this :

I've got roughly that same setup (FX6350 + 990 Mobo + 7870) in my HTPC, and it happily churns through anything I throw at it @ 1080p. Even with the 7870, I'm GPU limited.

The Intel Quads and above ARE better, but who can argue with a $120 Hex + Mobo? I prefer the 6er to the i3, Windows just feels better.

I know that in the short term, putting more towards the gpu gives the best performance, but with the slow improvements in CPU performance and 20 nm gpus on the horizon, one could argue that putting more toward the CPU and upgrading the gpu in a year or so is also a good strategy. If one gets an i5, he should be set for the forseable future on the CPU front. Unfortunately the budget for the op does not really allow that.

I agree the FX 6300 combos at microcenter are very attractive if one is close by.

 

[ShintaiDK]

i3 without a doubt:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-4340-4330-4130_5.html#sect0

The 6800K is a 4.1Ghz/4.4Ghz version of the 3.4Ghz/3.8Ghz 750K so to say in this review.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I am building a gaming PC for $600 soon.

Does that need to include an OS? If it does, then the Athlon is almost certainly the correct answer.

If it doesn't, I would STILL probably go with the Athlon if I could turn the savings into a tier higher of GPU.

 

[crashtech]

Where is AM3+ going from here? Will it see any more new CPUs?

 

[SlowSpyder]

For a low budget Gaming PC, better spend more for the GPU than the CPU. But there are games that are more CPU intensive than others. If you want to go with the AMD setup then choose a nice FM2+ motherboard and pare it with the Athlon 750K. OC to 4-4.2GHz+ with the default cooler. Also dont forget to OC the NorthBridge(NB) to 2.2GHz or above. It gives a nice boost in a lot of games and it is something not a single review in the net have ever addressed.
With the FM2+ you will be able to upgrade up to the next year Excavator APUs so it gives you a nice upgrade path.

If you go for the Core i3 then choose the 4330, it has more Cache and higher frequency than the 4130 and it is not that much more expensive. Also dont choose the H81 because it will only give you PCI-e Gen 2.0. Go for the B85 chipset or H87/Z87. Your upgrade path will go all the way up to Haswell refresh Core i7s.

The Core i3 + 1150 platform is little bit faster but more expensive and it lacks any OC. You get lower power consumption too. The Athlon 750K + FM2+ gives you the ability to play with it and OC. But in real gaming settings (1080p + AA) both will be enough to drive even a GTX-780Ti at playable frames.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-4340-4330-4130_5.html#sect0

ps: If you want to play BF4 Multiplayer, i would suggest the FX6350 + GCN GPU and use Mantle.

I don't have the numbers handy, but I saw very nice gains in a good number of benches on my PhII by overclocking the NB/L3 to 2.6GHz from the factory 2.0GHz.

 

[SPBHM]

Where is AM3+ going from here? Will it see any more new CPUs?

no as far as I know, but that's another reason to buy the cheapest possible MB and replace it when you upgarde the CPU.

I don't have the numbers handy, but I saw very nice gains in a good number of benches on my PhII by overclocking the NB/L3 to 2.6GHz from the factory 2.0GHz.

pII NB clock was the 6MB l3 clock
as for TrinityRichland there no l3 cache, I doubt it's going to change much for the CPU performance...

OC for RichlandTrinity is not that interesting, 760K is already a more or less 4GHz CPU, if you look on the link I posted, even 4.7GHz didn't make it impressive against the stock i3 4130, which is probably cheaper and easier than running Richland at 4.7GHz.

 

[crashtech]

no as far as I know, but that's another reason to buy the cheapest possible MB and replace it when you upgarde the CPU.

To me it's a reason not to go there with new parts...