i5 4440 vs FX-8320 or otherwise

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SMGOwnage

New Member
Hi, I'm in a small dilemma on what to choose for a new CPU. I have my eyes set on either the FX-8320 which will cost $192 or a i5-4440 for $219 or even perhaps a FX-6300.

I'm also buying a new motherboard, regardless of choice (Im on a LGA 1155 board atm so nothing new fits). If you don't mind suggesting motherboards then go for it but mainly just trying to make a better decision on what CPU to buy.

Thanks :D
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
If you want to overclock, get the AMD (unless you're prepared to get an i5 4670K - the i5 4440 won't overclock easily).

What are you doing with your PC? The FX-8320 will be fine for gaming and a bit of editing here and there, so I'd probably recommend that if you want to save money. The Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 would be a good board to buy for it.

A good board for the i5 would be a Z87 board, maybe something like a GA-Z87X-D3H since you can't overclock the 4440 (so no point spending more on a board).

Do you have any particular preference over Intel or AMD?
 
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SMGOwnage

New Member
Off topic: Congrats on 13k posts spirit!

I'm mainly a gamer but I do other things here and there too. I have been an Intel person my whole life but I wouldn't mind going for AMD.

I have never overclocked so maybe I'll give it a go and grab a custom cooler.
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
Cheers man - I spend way too much time on here, haha. :good:

But back to your question, I think the FX-8320 would be fine for what you need. It's a pretty good CPU and for gaming there's no real reason to get an i5 above it. So I'd grab an FX-8320, that board I recommended for it, and a cooler like the Hyper 212+ and overclock it a bit. It's unlocked, so overclocking is good. :)
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
The Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 is ideal for the FX-8320, as are the UD5 and UD7 versions of that board too.

There's also some good ones from ASUS, look at the Sabertooth 990FX, the M5A99FX PRO and maybe the 990FX Crosshair V Formula.

MSI probably have some good 990FX boards.

Really though, it all depends on how much you want to spend. If you can afford the 990FX chipset, definitely look at a board with that.
 
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SMGOwnage

New Member
I think I will go with a 990FX chipset, i've had my run with cheap motherboards.

How are AsRock as a brand of motherboards? Any good? Because I can get a 990FX Motherboard for 130 by AsRock.

And doesn't AsRock=ASUS?
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
Yeah ASRock are OK and yes they are part of ASUS, but usually cheaper and lower-quality. I personally wouldn't buy one but they are not bad boards by any means.

I tend to stick with Gigabyte and ASUS.
 
Virssagòn

Virssagòn

VIP Member
Eum guys... he can just upgrade to an i5 3570k, which is faster than all other CPUs listed and without the cost of a new mobo, it will cost even less than the other solutions.
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
He could do but the 3570K is nearly two years old and I get the impression he is looking for something new.

If you're going to upgrade and you're prepared to buy a new board, I would get something from the newest generation.
 
Virssagòn

Virssagòn

VIP Member
spirit said:
He could do but the 3570K is nearly two years old and I get the impression he is looking for something new.

If you're going to upgrade and you're prepared to buy a new board, I would get something from the newest generation.
Click to expand...

You call the fx8320 newer than an i5 3570k? Why spending so much money to get something 'new', while the 'older' solution costs less and is faster? Plus, you can even get a nice cooler in budget and oc it...

BTW, the am3+ socket is as dead as the lga 1155
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
SmileMan said:
You call the fx8320 newer than an i5 3570k? Why spending so much money to get something 'new', while the 'older' solution costs less and is faster? Plus, you can even get a nice cooler in budget and oc it...
Click to expand...

The FX-8320 is newer than the i5 3570K. ;) 3570K came out April 2012, 8320 about October 2012. The 3570K has been replaced whereas the 8320 has not, so the 8320 is still the latest AMD chip in that price range.

If he wants to get the 3570K he can get one, but he may want a completely new setup. Going by what he's saying, it looks like he is interested in something brand enw (and by that, I mean new motherboard too).
 
Virssagòn

Virssagòn

VIP Member
spirit said:
The FX-8320 is newer than the i5 3570K. ;) 3570K came out April 2012, 8320 about October 2012. The 3570K has been replaced whereas the 8320 has not, so the 8320 is still the latest AMD chip in that price range.

If he wants to get the 3570K he can get one, but he may want a completely new setup. Going by what he's saying, it looks like he is interested in something brand enw (and by that, I mean new motherboard too).
Click to expand...

Still, shiny new hardware is not always the best solution. It's fun in the beginning to have a totally new system, but that doesn't last long.
 
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SMGOwnage

New Member
Well at the moment my motherboard is doing fine as it is but I think its starting to fail on me. I'd rather upgrade the CPU and motherboard in the one hit. If I had of maybe thought a bit better a while ago and picked up a better motherboard I would of been able to get an 3570k for my PC.

And how much longer will AM3+ be used for? Is there going to be a new AMD socket in the near future?
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
Not sure how long AM3+ will be used for, but it is the current generation socket from AMD and the previous generation CPUs used AM3+ too. There might be a new socket from AMD on the way, but not for months yet most probably. I'd say you're pretty safe to buy AM3+.

With regards to LGA 1150, there will likely be a new generation of Intel chips to replace the current Haswell generation in maybe a few months time. They may or may not use the 1150 socket, but if they do, they will likely be the last generation to use it. So this means there is potentially another year left in 1150 if the new chips run on it. You need to remember that sometimes the motherboard BIOSes may not be updated to support newer chips though.

But anyway, you should be safe buying either.
 
Virssagòn

Virssagòn

VIP Member
AMD is focusing on APUs right now and if they release a new FX in 2015, it'll need a new socket for new features and the possibility of a new architecture.
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
Yeah I thought that might be what they were focusing on.

You need to buy what's right for you at this point in time. 2015 is still a year off.
 
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SMGOwnage

New Member
Well either way it's an upgrade from my current setup so I can't go wrong there. If I had a better motherboard currently id go for a i5 but I guess it's time to try out the AMD route. Thanks to the both of yous for helping me out :D

If there anything else you wanna say then go for it
 
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