Intel Core i5 4430  vs AMD FX 8350 

Budding power users are looking for a middle level processor with good performance, but at the right price. Let’s take a look at two such CPUs from rivals Intel and AMD: the Intel Core i5 4430 versus the AMD FX 8350.

The 4430 is a Quad core clocked at 3 GHz and with 6MB of cache. It comes with an HD 4600 GPU, and consumes 84W TDP of power. These are decent specs which are capable not only of basic tasks, but can also render video or multitask numerous applications as well.

In contrast is the 8350; an Octa core clocked at 4 GHz and with 8MB of cache. It has much faster specs at the onset than the i5; but you need to buy a separate video card because it doesn’t come with integrated graphics. Moreover, it consumes higher power at 125W TDP. But on the plus side, its unlocked multiplier makes it ideal for overclocking; this is essential to enthusiasts who tweak their PC in order to squeeze every last bit of its power.

Looking at the benchmarks, the 8350 performed faster in multi-core applications: it scored 13% better in the 3DMark11 physics test, and 45% better in the PassMark benchmark. Overclocking the 8350 is quite mediocre, as it only posted an 11% speed bump. However, it’s quite surprising that the 4430 fared better in the Single core test, despite having a lower clock speed: it scored a 21% lead over the 8350.

In hindsight, the AMD FX 8350 is good but it poses many problems: you have to buy a discrete graphics card, factor in the cost of its higher power consumption, and so on. The headache isn’t worth it, considering that merely $20 separates these two CPUs. Thus for rock solid performance and value, we recommend the Intel Core i5 4430 as the better purchase.