X4 965 BE > FX8350 or 4670k or Neither

[shinta86]

I am currently running with a 965 BE without an overclock. Would either be worth while upgrading to? I can get the 4670k for $300 with new motherboard or the FX8350 alone for $200. I only intend on gaming at 1080p on a GTX 760.

 

[Deders]

A friend of mine upgraded form a 965BE which was overclocked to nearly 4GHz to the FX8350, which he then overclocked. He said he didn't really notice much of a difference but then his graphics card might be the bottleneck now.

I'd say it would be more futureproof with more modern instructions and twice the core count but Intel's higher Instructions Per Clock will give you better performance in a majority of games as hardly any use more than 4 cores right now.

You may consider waiting a while until the next haswell refresh comes out as there will be a new range of Intel processors and motherboards early may and overclockable K series on the 11th of June apparently.

 

[ElFenix]

Cheaper just to overclock

 

[PPB]

OC the hell out of your Deneb, if it still doesnt cut it, go for a 8320 and OC it.

 

[rtsurfer]

If want to get a new CPU.
Then either get the 8320 which is just a downclocked 8350 or a 4670K.

The 4670K is definitely faster.
Wait till 2nd June so the Haswell refresh comes out & you can get the 4670K for a bit cheaper.

 

[blackened23]

Yeah, i'd say wait and see how well Devil's Canyon does. It's only a month away or so.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx

 

[AtenRa]

I am currently running with a 965 BE without an overclock. Would either be worth while upgrading to? I can get the 4670k for $300 with new motherboard or the FX8350 alone for $200. I only intend on gaming at 1080p on a GTX 760.

First OC your current CPU and see if the performance is adequate for what you want. If not,
If you can upgrade with your current Motherboard, then get the FX8320 and OC to 4GHz or more with better cooling.

 

[Durp]

Use your current setup unchanged for a little bit longer, you should be fine, it's not like you're using a dual core or something. When Devil's canyon comes out buy the 4670k equivalent + a z97 motherboard.

 

[ColonelBlimp]

I have the same CPU but clocked to 4ghz and it's perfectly good enough for me in games (BF4 etc) with my R9-280x.

I would ensure you have a really good PSU though, I had trouble getting over 3.7ghz until I swapped my no-name 800W PSU out for a Corsair RM650.

In my case my motherboard is AM3 only so the FX8320 was not an option. What Mobo and PSU do you have?

 

[TheSnipey]

OC your current CPU first. If it doesn't cut it go for 4670K.

 

[Regz]

OC your current CPU first. If it doesn't cut it go for 4670K.

+1
See how much of an improvement you get, then wait till June for new release of chips and also price drop on 4670k and more importantly motherboard.

 

[Deders]

If you aren't interested in overclocking then don't bother waiting for Devils canyon as that is what they will be designed for and I expect there will be a bit of a premium for them.

The Z97 and H97 boards should be released along with non overclockable CPU's in may.

 

[Bolshoi Booze]

PII 965 is a reasonably good chip when OCed.. if thats isnt enough go for the i5 and dont look back

 

[Leyawiin]

As everyone else said - OC your current (and if that doesn't work consider Intel). I have two PCs - one with a Phenom II X4 980 @ 4.0 Ghz and the other with an FX-6300 @ 4.5 Ghz. The FX is faster in certain situations, but its not that "OMG - this is SOOO much better" type faster. Just a bit.

 

[shinta86]

I ended up going the Intel route. But the chip I got is messed up as under full load at a stock clock with a h100i I was running at almost 80c. The voltage only read 1.1 too. So I am going to have to RMA it.

 

[erunion]

did you reseat the heat sink? Did you verify the h100s pump is running?

The chance the CPU is the faulty component is slim.

 

[shinta86]

Yes, I have checked the pump and it is running around 2k rpms and the fans were running at max speed at time of testing. I have also reseated the heatsink twice and both times applied a grain of rice size of Arctic Silver 5. My ambient temp is around 25c.

 

[Gikaseixas]

What software are you using to monitor your temps? Like reunion said, consider other components to be at fault before the cpu. You could have a bad H100 too.
Can you put back the stock Intel heatsink and report your temps to us?

 

[shinta86]

Okay, well I put the stock heatsink back and my load temps are about the same if not slightly lower. I am using hwinfo64 and core temp to monitor. So I guess I need to replace the h100i then.

 

[gammaray]

i never heard of a faulty intel 4670! but...who knows

 

[frozentundra123456]

80 degree C under stress test with the stock cooler would seem within the high end of acceptable but it should be cooler with the h 100.

 

[TeknoBug]

Wow using a 965BE without overclocking it? That's like driving a Corvette ZR-1 and only pushing the gas pedal 1/3rd the way.

 

[mikeymikec]

OP, is the cost of power a concern to you? If so, I would consider that overclocking is probably going to cost more in terms of power usage, but whether it ends up costing more over a realistic time span to upgrade once power costs are factored in is another question?

OP, Are noise levels from increased fan speed(s) a concern?

 

[SlickR12345]

I'd go for the 4670k since Intel processors are better for games, though an overclocked 8320 is faster for multicore programs.

Overall I'd say Intel is better since they have lower power consumption, the processors also overclock very good on default cooler and generally perform better in games.

That said the 8320 is a way cheaper option, AMD's chipset socket are supported for several generation of new processors and they do overclock very good if you can live with the power consumption, an OC 8320 will also be faster in programs that take advantage of more cores.