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This comparison article has given us an interesting look at two of the most relevant mainstream CPUs at an affordable ~£150 price point. Both chips take very different approaches to achieve the task in hand, but the results can be similar depending on the task.
There are strengths and weaknesses to both of the offerings, however Intel's chip generally wins in a gaming environment, largely due to certain game engines being designed to take advantage of its newer architecture and higher IPC (such as GTA V and Far Cry 4). Whereas the FX 8370 is able to put in solid performance numbers where the workloads can leverage multiple cores (The Witcher 3, Battlefield 4, and video conversion).
For some tasks, Intel's i5-6400 vs AMD's FX 8370 is kind of like Concorde vs a Eurofighter Typhoon. Yes, they’ll both get you from A to B at speeds of up to Mach 2, but one does it in a far more elegant manner whereas the latter relies heavily upon brute force and ignores efficiency.
But then there are the other workloads that can take advantage of Skylake's modern architecture, and that's where AMD's aging Piledriver-based chip starts to fall short. Cinebench rendering and games such as GTA V and Far Cry 4 are ideal examples for that point. In those situations, the Skylake Core i5-6400 is able to offset a 4-core and clock-speed deficit to outperform the AMD processor.
We have already spoken about the platform differences. The key points include a lower entry cost onto the AM3+ platform (through 970 motherboards), however Z170 and 990FX options can come in at a similar price point. You'll typically get more up-to-date features on the Intel Z170 motherboard, especially when the chipset's superb connectivity is accounted for, however a 990FX motherboard has greater PCIe connectivity for high-bandwidth graphics cards.
But there is a critical caveat to this entire comparison and the general advantage for Intel's Core i5-6400, and that's Non-K BCLK overclocking through ‘unofficial' methods. Intel is clearly trying to put an end to all of this, so it is anybody's guess as to how long you'll be able to overclock any LGA1151 chips other than Intel's K-series SKUs.
Dropping ~£350 on a platform where the CPU may not be overclockable is risky, especially when overclocking is completely interference-free for AMD's 8-core Vishera chips. There are a couple of ways to enhance your chances of Non-K BCLK overclocking, one of which includes deferring BIOS updates, with the other being sourcing older stock that does not ship with the latest microcode or BIOS profile.
I have to question Intel's decision to be so active in shutting down this Non-K BCLK overclocking process. Yes, the ability to overclock multiplier-locked chips may be cannibalising some of the chip maker's K-series SKU sales, but it's also making Team Blue more competitive against AMD in lower-cost market segments.
The AMD FX 8370 can generally hold its own, or even shine, against a stock-clocked Core i5-6400 in CPU-centric workloads and many gaming titles. Add a 60% overclock onto the i5-6400 and AMD's 8-core chip really struggles to shine. With that overclocking capacity for the Core i5 ruled out, AMD's 8-core processor remains a competitive and valid option.
But as is commonly the case with computer component purchasing decisions, there are plenty of areas for debate. That same point holds true for the recommendation as to which processor suits an individual's needs.
If your gaming titles aren't CPU-punishers in the same way as GTA V and Far Cry 4, you have some multi-threaded workloads outside of games, and you don't care about power consumption or upgrade options, AMD's 8-core FX 8370 is a valid option. But if you don't mind the risk of overclocking being made impossible at any time, want (generally) the highest performance level in all games, and value the upgrade route to a Hyper-Threading Core i7, Skylake's Core i5-6400 is a strong solution.
With all of that said and done, both teams deserve respect for different reasons. AMD created a CPU and platform that has reacted well to age and still remains in the picture, thanks also to some appropriate pricing decisions. And Intel has really driven architectural and IPC performance forward whilst also fine-tuning CPU efficiency.
Buy the AMD FX8370 for £149.99 inc vat from Overclockers UK HERE
Buy the Intel Core i5-6400 for £149.99 inc vat from Overclockers UK HERE
Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.
KitGuru says: So for now, both camps have interesting options in a budget segment of the CPU market. If you need a processor to power your system at this exact time, we hope that our testing aids your decision. And with AMD's Zen CPUs and Intel's Cannonlake reportedly 2+ quarters away, this picture may remain constant for a number of months.
