you can certainly improve this build by adding a second 7770

Not always. Depends on the workload honestly. If something can only take advantage of 4 cores then an 8 core CPU only gains you headroom to be able to do something else while that 4-core app is running. Further, if you have to step back to a slower CPU to get those 8 cores over a 4 core, you could actually hurt performance of the app. If the app can use more than 4 cores, then a slower 8 core CPU may outperform the same app on a 4 core CPU (faster or not) but it's one of those things that squarely falls in the "it depends" category.

This also doesn't take into account the difference in the AMD 8 core CPU and a true 8 core CPU. An AMD 8 core CPU is more like a quad core with hyperthreading. I haven't read all the details on it but it's more than just a quad core that appears as 8 cores, but it's also not a true 8 core CPU either. All I said in the previous paragraph largely depends on actual CPU cores. In some specific cases, a fake core or hyperthreading core can help improve performance or it can hinder it. Another one of those "it depends" things.

As for the i3 system you mention, does the AMD system have the same 7770 GPU in it? If so, I'd say it is a better deal but could be a wash. If absolutely nothing else, the motherboard on the i3 setup would let you at a later date upgrade to an i5 or possibly better CPU if you feel you need it and THAT you would notice.

I think you mean MW2, and not MS2. MW2 is a joke in terms of demanding hardware--it runs on a six-year-old Xbox 360. WoW, on the other hand, can be a ball-crusher (as shown in the above benchmarks).

Don't trust the benchmarks the seller is putting out there. They exist to sell PCs. Turn to a place like Tom's Hardware, Anandtech, Benchmark Reviews, or Hardware Compare to learn how your chosen components will perform.

(snip)and that the 8 core AMD would outperform the 4 core AMD.

To get down to the same price point, I would need to go i3-3220 on a Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H board. The video card is Radeon 7770 1G. I beefed up the power supply to 700W and also have a low end sound card. What say you?

Thanks.

FWIW, Cyberpower says that the AMD FX-4100 with all the other components I picked would get 82 FPS on MS2 (high). I assumed that the framerates would be similar on WoW, and that the 8 core AMD would outperform the 4 core AMD.

(snip)My assumption was that it would assign a core to each app. Was this incorrect?

Actually, I didn't buy components, I bought a system through cyberpower pc. The 8 core AMD FX-8120 system and the 4 core i5-3570k system, with all other components being the same were ~$750 and ~$850 respectively. I was trying to keep the price under ~$800 (and would have preferred $700), and the AMD 8 core was offered as a free upgrade over the AMD FX-6100 6 core, which was only $30 more than the AMD FX-4100 4 core.

I tend to have a lot of programs open when playing WoW - usually at least mumble, a web browser, email application, sometimes other stuff as well. Playing on my current off-the-shelf laptop, I'm often in mid single digit framerates. I'm hoping do all this, plus FRAPS and have improved framerates. My assumption was that it would assign a core to each app. Was this incorrect?

Thanks for info.

I was looking for the post that has been linked before previously that explained in detail why AMDs are slower than Intel for the past two go-around (Bulldozer vs. Sandy Bridge, Piledriver vs. Ivy Bridge). The tl;dr version is that AMD architecture sucks--it doesn't matter how many cores you have, or how fast they are.

OK, I'm ignorant. I just bought an AMD FX-8120 on a Gigabyte GA0970A-D3 board because it was about $100 less expensive than a i5-3570k on a Gigabyte Z77-DS3H board with the exact same other components. Did I err in thinking the 8 core AMD was more bang for the buck than the 4 core intel?

Future-proofing was definitely the goal of that idea. I was assuming LGA 2011 would be the way to go...and the 3960x is definitely out of my price range.

I can also only assume that by the March/April timeframe I'm looking at the 3930k and x79 mobos will have had pretty significant price reductions.

FWIW, the CPU and ASRock x79 mobo I was looking at on newegg were $700 together.

But, dropping to an i5 and z77 will definitely free up more space in the budget (which I haven't even established yet) for a second GPU and 1000w PSU I'll need.

Eventually I'd like to end up with:

-i7-3930k/i7-3770/i5-3570k
-X79/Z77 mobo (depending on CPU obviously)
-MSI Hawk 7870 x 2 (I've got one currently)
-1000w PSU
-Either 3x~23" or 1 27" 120hz monitor

If you live near a microcenter, this is the CPU you should buy.

»microcenter.com/product/354589/C···rocessor

Epic deal.

If it was a Phenom II prior to Sandy Bridge, that wasn't a bad choice.