said by xrobertcmx:The other is CPU performance. I own the FX-8350, it looks to about $5 cheaper then the i5-3870k on newegg.ca so that is negligable and the i5 will be more power efficient. However as most folks put the machines to sleep I never worry about that except in something like my home server or htpc's. (Pentium w/Nvidea or A4)
Looking at benchmarks we have a mixed bag, it frequently meets or exceeds the i5, but it does so most often in multi-threaded applications. Going forward this will be important, more and more software is multi-threaded, and this is increasingly becoming the case with games. I upgrade the CPU about every 2 years, I know most people don't, so looking at the two options I couldn't see recommending an i3 or an i5 if down the road it might be the weaker of the two.
I don't have time for a full response here, but this is just incorrect for gaming, on both the cooler and CPU front.
The CM Hyper 212+ is universally recognized as the most efficient aftermarket cooler, and takes the crown in terms of bang for buck. You can always replace the stock fan (I prefer Noctuas or Yate Loons), but the heatsink is top-notch.
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Re: Need help building a desktop gaming computerThe i5-3570K is an insanely powerful CPU and can be overclocked easily. Even at stock speeds, it blows away everything AMD regardless of price point. But none of that matters because the OP is squarely in the "$120" price range for his CPU.
Check out the link in the Tom's comparative article for more information.
At the $120 pricepoint, I could see you going for an FX-4170, but that is the *only* pricepoint an AMD chip is viable.