I currently have an FX 8350 CPU in my machine. I'd like to upgrade but I don't feel like AMD is going to deliver anything new or exciting for enthusiasts (At least for the time being). Would it be alright if I got a Z87-A chipset and a i7 4770k to replace my FX 8350 and AM3+ chipset? I'm not sure if it's worth it as I see DDR4 and another generation of Intel CPUs being released in the not so distant future.
It really depends on what you would use it for, certain scenarios suit each setup better.
I multitask a lot while gaming. I have a tri displays and this fx 8350 is getting sluggish but the heat is becoming more of a problem than anything.
If heat is your primary concern, you might consider cheaper alternatives like a new case with better ventilation or a better heatsink. DDR4 will not be released to the desktop market until Skylake(?). DDR4 is only for servers, currently.
i personaly think its not worth it to upgrade to a i7-4770K, cause in multitasking, both cpu´s perform realy close. i dont know what your current motherboard is, but i allways keep saying don´t cheap out on one. cause cheap boards, can make a FX8xxx unstable. If heat is an concern, then you would be scared with Haswell, because haswell gets freaking hot, alot hotter then AMD FX, that is something to keep in mind. You will need a decent cooler either way.
I would not upgrade to intel for now, in my opinnion, its better to wait for the next intel tok. if you wanne have intel. I dont think that Z97 will be a big upgrade to Z87, in terms of feutures, maybe they solved a few issues towards the heat production, of the haswell chips. But in terms of new feutures, and performance, i personaly don´t expect anything huge. intel did not improve much since sandybridge, for gamers.
Because it is hard to improve, as it is the code which could be more efficient.
yes ☺
I love my 4770k but it's definitely not worth the upgrade from a 8350. Maybe next generation it will be enough of an upgrade, plus it varies for most games so even were it to be a free upgrade it might not improve performance in every game
Okay, I think I'll wait. I may just get a $40-50 heatsink and reapply the thermal paste.
I'd wait. I have both an 8350 OCed to 4.8Ghz and a Xeon 1230 V3, basically an i7-4770 without the iGPU, and while the Xeon is a tiny bit faster in some applications, it isn't fast enough to justify the price of the i7.
That being said, the Xeon is much cheaper, only a little bit more than the i5-4670k, and if you aren't OCing (Xeon can't OC) it is a very good way to go.
Even then though I'd only recommend it if you were building a new system as it isn't that much faster than what you have.
If i were you, i would wait as well... Get something like Noctua NH-U12S and forget heat issues...
This guy says he overclocked the 1230 v3. But the video is in German
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azNQsPOsc5w
I run a FX-8320 and I can OC this thing to 4.7 GHz with my Corsair H60 watercooler on it. Even at the standard 4.2 I keep it at lately its a solid CPU and I have no issues out of it. Next gen Intel I'll probably make the switch but couldn't justify getting the 4770k myself.
I should say it has a locked multiplier which makes OCing more difficult but not impossible. You can get a little bit of a boost by messing around with the FSB/clock generator but it is difficult and usually unstable and not worth it. Not to mention it can mess up other things.
So for all practical purposes it isn't overclockable.
+1
I have an FX8350 OC to 4.5GHz with a Corsair H80i. I've seen many many people OC their 8350 to 4.7 and 4.8 stable. This particular CPU is built for OCing if you have the right board and cooling. I just don't believe the performance gain vs what you will pay for a new motherboard and processor will be worthwhile. Especially since your current HW can quite possibly be improved for better performance. What motherboard do you have and what kind of cooler?
Inexpensive CPU Coolers that will allow you to Overclock your CPU and help with the heat:
H100i (if your case has the space)
H80i (if you don't have the space)
I think you would get much more performance for your money with what you have
if you're using the stock heatsink... well, that's always been a bad idea. personally, i'm running tri display, and alot of multitasking, but the 8350 is working perfectly for me.
Its not a real overclock. the xeon has a 3.7GHZ turbo core speed. they just locked it at his max turbo speed.
I'm at 4.5 on a V6 GT :P