Time for a rebuild -- Intel or AMD ???

[MadeYouLook]

Hey everybody -- I'm trying to piece together a new rig. I have always been an AMD girl, from my very first build, builds for some friends and family, as well as my current configuration which is (don't cringe -- don't cringe) an AMD 64 X2 5600+ and an nVidia 9800gtx+ with 4GB RAM, and it has fared well enough over the last several years. However ... this current build is about 5 yrs old.

I've have been doing a ton of reading and asking questions and comparing benchmarks, etc, and it has all been very overwhelming, but it seems that Intel will be better than an AMD (gasp). I don't overclock anything, so will the i5-4570 give me better game performance than say an AMD FX-6350 as originally planned?

As far as gaming on my pc, I only play WoW, and trying to raid right now is painful and choppy. I have to turn my graphics down all the way, just so I can move and not seize up my machine. So this is the main issue I want to resolve with this new build. I don't mind if I have to turn them down a bit in raid, then back up to high/max while out in the environment is what I wish to achieve. As it is now, I can't even turn my graphics up all to good and not get choppy when just out farming.

Other than WoW, I use Photoshop / Paint Shop Pro (not in a professional capacity) and basic desktop publishing (again, nothing heavy duty), and your typical daily stuff like email, shopping (I'm a girl, what can I say), etc.

From what information I have been able to gleen, this is what I have come up with > pcpartpicker.com/p/2Y55z
I already have a fairly new power supply, and will be using a 128GB SSD as my system drive. Is this a build that will give me the results I am looking to achieve? Should I go with something more robust? Should I stick with AMD? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, but please, no fanboy arguments, ok?

[glo]

Single core performance is the determining factor in WoW, and Intel is around 50% faster in that department.

[MadeYouLook]

So, since OC'ing is not going to be a factor, would the i5-4570, paired with the Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3 ATX MB (or equivalent), 2 x4 GB RAM and a gtx 750Ti gpu be a good option?

[megabeat]

AMD Radeon R7 265 is most likely better than the 750ti on that price point

[glo]

So, since OC'ing is not going to be a factor, would the i5-4570, paired with the Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3 ATX MB (or equivalent), 2 x4 GB RAM and a gtx 750Ti gpu be a good option?

That would be perfectly suitable for WoW. But, as mentioned above, if you're doing any other type of gaming the R7-265 would be a better choice. WoW favors Nvidia, but the 265 would get you performance increases in most other titles.

[chazus]

Since you have Microcenter available, the i3-4340 @ 3.6ghz ($140) will perform better than the i5-4570 @ 3.2 (3.4)ghz ($160)

I'd also go cheaper on the RAM and Board, imo. No reason to spend an extra $40 with no benefit.

This literally shaves $80 off the build.

Also moving this to the build/upgrade subforum.

[MadeYouLook]

Really? I'm a little confused then -- why would a dual core perform better than a quad? From what I've read, WoW doesn't really utilize multiple cores, but with the other stuff I use my computer for, wouldn't I benefit from a quad-core, or would I really be better off sticking with a dual-core (as suggested) and spending the cost differential on a more robust gpu, maybe like the gtx 760? And I would like to stay with nVidia, as I have always had great luck with them, and WoW favors nVidia cards over ATI from what I understand.

[chazus]

The i3 has hyperthreading. So its 2 cores, 4 threads. It's not quite -as- good as, say, an equal speed i5 with 4 cores 4 threads, but those two cores are certainly not worth $80. In comparison to microcenter prices though, the 3.6 will just flat out perform better, or at the very least, as good, for cheaper.

And if you can swing the 760, roll it.