DDR3 and DDR4 Memory
Up until this point we have focussed on pricing structures attached to the CPU itself. But the bigger picture isn't as straightforward as that. The adoption of DDR4 memory for Intel's Skylake processor (when used with most high-end motherboards) adds another point of differentiation alongside the diverse platform options and prices.
Simply put, those ~£150 processors require different memory and motherboard purchases which can have a significant effect on the system's remaining budget. Thankfully, DDR4 memory pricing has dropped significantly since its late-2014 consumer inception alongside Intel's HEDT X99 platform. With that said, there's still a 20-30% price difference between equally high-end kits of DDR3 and DDR4; a 16GB 3000MHz CL15 DDR4 kit will set you back around £85, while a 16GB 2400MHz CL11 DDR3 set costs around £70.
Motherboards
And then we come to the platform comparison brought about with motherboard choice. Motherboard vendors on either platform are happy to sell you a board that just works for less than £60. But if your requirements change outside of simply supporting the processor, such as the potential for non-K BCLK Intel CPU overclocking (which we will delve into later) and enhanced multi-GPU support, the prices can change accordingly.
One feature worth pointing out is onboard graphics functionality. With AMD, that onboard graphics capability comes from the chipset built onto the motherboard, however the 2016 market has dictated that your choices for such a board with high-end features are severely limited. Intel bakes the integrated GPU directly onto the CPU itself, so any Z170 motherboard with relevant rear IO connectors can output video. With that said, the tweaked BIOSes used for non-K BCLK overclocking capability block the usage of an Intel chip's iGPU.
So there are caveats to both approaches as far as onboard graphics capability is concerned. Thankfully this is nothing more than a minor quirk for the majority of gamers who will be using a dedicated graphics card.
Focusing first on Intel, if you're a gamer who wants support for fast memory, the potential to upgrade to an overclocking K-series processor (or utilise non-K BCLK overclocking), and capacity for multiple graphics cards in SLI and CrossFire, you'll want to be looking at the Z170 chipset. Pricing for Z170 motherboards starts at around £80, but to get an enhanced power delivery solution that will aid overclocking performance, as well as Nvidia SLI support, you should allocate at least £100 to the system's backbone component.
We opted for the £108 MSI Z170A SLI Plus. Motherboards such as ASRock's Z170 Extreme4, Asus' Z170-E, and Gigabyte's Z170XP-SLI are equally valid budget options.
On the AMD platform, your radar should be homing in on the 970- and 990FX-based motherboards. 8-core processor-capable 970 chipset motherboards with modern features (USB 3.1) and SLI/CrossFire support start at around £70. 970-based offerings from the primary motherboard vendors are a good way of cutting platform investment costs. However 990FX options are available starting at around £100 and offer significantly greater PCIe connectivity and (typically) better overclocking capacity.
The more premium 990FX-based motherboards also tend to offer a better feature set, including fancy gaming NICs and M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD support. Those features are in addition to an enhanced power delivery system which is particularly important for pushing overclocks and supporting CPUs with TDPs as high as 220W (!).
Our weapon of choice was the £125 Gigabyte 990FX-Gaming which is a recently-released 990FX motherboard that brings with it USB 3.1 Type-C (via an Intel chipset), 20Gbps M.2 PCIe NVMe support, and an enhanced audio solution. MSI and ASRock have similarly-priced 990FX offerings. Asus will force you to stump up more cash for an older 990FX-based motherboard or accept the 970 Pro Gaming/Aura alternative (which looks to be a competent offering).
Rough Price Comparison Table
AMD FX 8370 ‘Vishera' |
~£155
|
Intel Core i5-6400 ‘Skylake' |
~£150
|
Gigabyte 990FX-Gaming |
~£125
|
MSI Z170A SLI Plus |
~£108
|
16GB DDR3 2133/2400MHz |
~£70
|
16GB DDR4 2666-3000MHz |
~£80 |
AMD Wraith CPU Cooler | £0 | Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo | ~£17 |
FX 8370 System Total Cost | ~£350 | i5-6400 System Total Cost | ~£355 |
The above table shows a rough cost comparison between the different platforms. Obviously component choice can be changed, but the table highlights that the platform costs can be made similar without giving up on features such as 16GB of memory, an M.2 connector, USB 3.1, and CrossFire/SLI support.