| CPU | FX-8350 | i5-4460 |
| Cores | 8 | 4 |
| Base clock | 4.0 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Overclock/Boost | Unlocked | 3.4 GHz |
| Manufacturing process | 32 nm | 22 nm |
The FX-8350 has way better specs. Twice as many cores, 800 MHz faster base clock and it's unlocked so you can overclock it as much as you want. (considering you have a powerful cooler)
But there are some reasons why the i5-4460 is way better:
First of all while the i5-4460 is just a year old, the FX-8350 was released almost three years ago. Since then CPU technology has evolved a lot resulting in some serious improvements. The i5-4460 is made with a 22 nm manufacturing process (the smaller the better) making it a lot more power efficient and also cooler. Because of this the i5-4460 uses a third of the power that the FX-8350 consumes.
The most important thing to consider when buying a gaming a CPU is the performance. You might say "I don't care how much power does the CPU consume or how much heat it does it release I am interested in the performance." Well to be honest the FX-8350 is better in some cases. One of those is if you want to edit and render video. Rendering video is one of the tasks where unlimited cores can be used, thus making the FX-8350 the better choice.
So what about gaming? PC games rarely use more than four cores. They don't need so many. And also even with fewer cores Intel processors usually perform better in most games since few games are optimized to use 8 cores.
So what is the conclusion? The two processors have similar performance and a similar price. The FX-8350 might be better for video editing, but that doesn't mean the i5-4460 doesn't perform well. For gaming the i5-4460 is better and it might also save a few dollars from your power bill.
But there are some reasons why the i5-4460 is way better:
First of all while the i5-4460 is just a year old, the FX-8350 was released almost three years ago. Since then CPU technology has evolved a lot resulting in some serious improvements. The i5-4460 is made with a 22 nm manufacturing process (the smaller the better) making it a lot more power efficient and also cooler. Because of this the i5-4460 uses a third of the power that the FX-8350 consumes.
The most important thing to consider when buying a gaming a CPU is the performance. You might say "I don't care how much power does the CPU consume or how much heat it does it release I am interested in the performance." Well to be honest the FX-8350 is better in some cases. One of those is if you want to edit and render video. Rendering video is one of the tasks where unlimited cores can be used, thus making the FX-8350 the better choice.
So what about gaming? PC games rarely use more than four cores. They don't need so many. And also even with fewer cores Intel processors usually perform better in most games since few games are optimized to use 8 cores.
So what is the conclusion? The two processors have similar performance and a similar price. The FX-8350 might be better for video editing, but that doesn't mean the i5-4460 doesn't perform well. For gaming the i5-4460 is better and it might also save a few dollars from your power bill.
