+1 on this build by me too. Although i am not sure the XEON will outperform the FX in multi-treaded tasks. (in the links the OP posted, i do not think these are the V3 versions of the cores, so their performance is lower)The XEON are more about power efficiency and stability than raw performance in graphics. In single threaded stuff certainly yes the XEON will be better
.
Awful. A lot of noise (the tone was that of a hair dryer, just not as loud... barely) and not so great cooling. Couldn't wait to get rid of it after a few days.
On the plus side, it cools the Northbridge and the VRM heatsinks.
I'm definitely going for an Intel CPU but i'm unsure which one. The Xeon could possibly last longer with it being workstation type processor but it can't be OC'd. The i5 isn't as powerful at stock but could be OC'd if needed at the expense of £40-£100 for a liquid CPU cooler (Rather go Corsair H60 or H100.)
The FX will be more than capable of handling anything you throw at it.Ive never understood this misconception people have about it not being "strong" enough. Itcan actually outperform an i5 in some areas.
It depends on your usage. If you just use it at home for games and simple video rendering then the extra lifetime and power efficiency does not really make a difference for you. Both the FX and i5 will have a far longer lifetime than the point when you will replace them for newer ones. XEON extra lifetime and efficiency is good for really heavy load workstations and servers that work heavily 24/7 for years. And both FX8350 and the i5 are more than capable CPUs for 1080p gaming
It's sorted. I'm going for an i5. I think the best thing to do is go Haswell Refresh (i5 4690K) and put a H60 in it if it will fit. But do I go R9 280 or 280X? Is it worth the extra £33?
BTW i'm going with a super small case (ITX board)
Both have the same value-for money i think. If the difference is not a big deal for you i would go for the 280X
EDIT: The FX8350 is generally performing better than i5-4690. The i5 is better only in single threaded applications (most games for time being). for example http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2236&cmp[]=1780
Well, it's possible to overclock a Xeon. However, you probably won't be able to push it as far as an unlocked K-skew CPU and Z series motherboard.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=khDsbxa5_G0&list=UUXuqSBlHAE6Xw-yeJA0Tunw
Same process, just a pretty different CPU.
Also, if you're going to be building in a small enclosure, don't expect to overclock too much because heat becomes an issue.
If you want Mini ITX, you can either go with Intel's LGA1150 socket or AMD's FM2+ socket(weaker than AM3+).