FX-6300 & Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3?? or something else ...

[McCave]

Hi All,

Finally got some cash to upgrade my aging kit. I was thinking of going back to AMD with the FX-6300 paired with a Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3, 8GB Corsair 8GB DDR3 1866Mhz and Corsair Hydro Series H55 for some quiet cooling. Any suggestions whether this is OK or am I bashing down the wrong door? I'm looking at spending around £300 give or take .....

The rig doesn't have to run FPS games but I often have a virtual PC running with a remote session (work!), maybe EVE up too, a bit of browsing as well as music pounding out etc etc

Any suggestions greatly received as I spend my days with pre-built business set-ups and have totally lost track of up-to-date kit.

 

[jamesriley94]

I wouldn't bother with AMD.
Look at getting an Ivybridge i3 with an MSI Z77-G45.

Then from the rest of the budget, try to fit in the RAM and a Noctua D14 - Don't bother with the lower end Hydro coolers, especially if you're wanting quiet cooling.

If you're happy to go second hand (or spend a little more) try and up it to a 3570k or 2500k.

 

[Kei]

Virtual pc's is an area i'd say is definitely better with amd. (hardware based virtualization) Nothing wrong with the spec you listed either, though 1866MHz ram isn't essential. (could stick with 1600MHz making it cheaper) Unless you could go i5, I wouldn't bother with intel. 6 core vs a dual doesn't make any sense, particularly when dealing with virtual machines.

 

[jamesriley94]

Virtual pc's is an area i'd say is definitely better with amd. (hardware based virtualization) Nothing wrong with the spec you listed either, though 1866MHz ram isn't essential. (could stick with 1600MHz making it cheaper) Unless you could go i5, I wouldn't bother with intel. 6 core vs a dual doesn't make any sense, particularly when dealing with virtual machines.

Well, per core, Intel is roughly 50% faster than AMD.
The i3 is dual core with hyperthreading, so effectively quad core

I think performance with virtual machines will be pretty close between the two tbh. But in pretty much every other use, ie - gaming, and general day to day tasks, the Intel would be better.
He would still benefit more to get a 2500k or similar and overclock it however.

 

[Lakers]

No that's perfectly fine.

FX-6300:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-...e-s-am3plus-35ghz-14mb-total-cache-95w-retail

Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/giga...r3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-20-(x16)-atx

Corsair XMS3:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-...0-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-165v

= £304.46

 

[McCave]

Thanks for the replies ...... I will continue to think on it but considering the AMD's are supposedly lowering in price (FX 6300 now £91 on Amazon) I will probably choose that route. Thanks again.

 

[AverageNinja]

Had a look at some benchmarks. The i3 is faster per core, but the FX6300 is still quite a good choice. Also pumps out approximately the same scores in gaming
But still I'd go for the i3, since it's cheaper atm and performs better.