Threads. I have pretty much that computer except cpu not overclocked. I've been planning on just saving up for a 3770k ($230 at micro center if I'm not mistaken) for the single and multi threaded preformance, but I've never owned anything better than my current one haha so I have no idea.

No to amd, Go with intel.

The AMD has the advantage in x264 encoding (encoder for obs) but it's going to lose out in pushing out the frames for tf2. You can make up for the small advantage that the AMD has over the intel with some parameters to the x264 encoder.

But the gap between the Intel and AMD for Tf2 is too large for a simple/advanced fps cfg to fix.

Intel is more expensive but I think its performance justifies its cost. If you went with the AMD, i doubt you'd experience much gains in the single threaded apps.

You don't need 8 cores to stream so I would switch to Intel's Haswell seeing as single-threaded performance is priority #1 for TF2 performance.

The 4670K would be a solid choice, but making the switch also forces you to switch motherboards which robs you of an extra $150 or so.

I can't comment on the 8350's performance but I'd assume streaming TF2 should be fine on there too.

@4 no 8 cores is helpful when streaming. Plus intel is more money having to switch motherboards as well. I'd go with the 8350 and OC it. You can keep the same gpu and i'd get new ram prob 1600 or 1866 mhz.

i7's have hyper threading which are basically 4 more cores for encoding (not physical cores for games and rendering) and 8350's have 4 extra cores for streaming basically doing the same job. If you get a decent cooler and OC it to 4.5ghz then you should be fine getting at least 130fps + also use dx8 frames

8 cores doesn't really help at all. My 2 year old 2500k didn't reach 100% usage when I tried to stream. Streaming isn't hard with a modern CPU.

Also threaded cores function the exact same way as actual cores. Threaded cores aren't suddenly restricted from performing any operations for games. The multi-tasking and computational benefits just aren't as dramatic as actually having more physical cores.

Upgrading RAM would be a waste of money.

Not trying to threadjack, but @3, which intel cpu would you recommend then? 3570k? 4570k? 3770k, 4770k etc?

Feel like in this case he already has a good motherboard so switching would be too much money, but in my case I just have a shitty 4 year old one (non ocable, no usb 3, heat issues) so I guess it would be better to invest in a intel motherboard/cpu?

Sure intel's i5-2500k didn't get maxed out. Well that's because it was a $220 4 core power house. Streaming isn't hard for i5's but AMD cpu's aren't as strong in single threaded performance so the extra cores go a long way for amd cpus. No you're wrong. Those extra threads that i7's have do not help at all for gaming. Yeah but those extra physical cores would do the same thing those extra threads would (helping stream) anyways, the ram is clocked pretty low and if he has the money i'd say he should go for it maybe in the future at least.

If you're gonna get an Intel CPU these days get a 4th Gen/Haswell like the 4570K. I just got one and it's insane how easily I can stream now.

Also, if you have a Microcenter near you, try and buy your CPU from there. Their prices are like $40 cheaper than newegg.

You have three options:
1. Spend 200$ for a FX-8350 but expect fps drops down to 60.
2. Spend 400$ for an i5-4670K and a new motherboard and get >120 fps almost always (probably 200+ in 6s).
3. Spend 700-800$ for an i7-3930K/4930K and a new motherboard and forget what fps drops are

3 > 2 > 1
You want to save money and you're fine with the fps drops? ->1
You have enough money for 2 and don't want to whine about lag? ->2
You're rich and like throwing money at overprized hardware? ->3

I know having a good computer is one of the major requirements for streaming, but what is your isp upload seed? Because if that's not up to par, (ideally at least 5mbps), no matter how smooth it is for you, your viewers won't be getting the high quality stream they obviously want

Your PC is better than mine and I stream fine. What resolution do you play at? Have you actually tried streaming before?

I am playing at 1024x768 (CRT masterrace represent o/ ) and I haven't tried streaming yet.
My internet is to bad atm, but I will move to a new apartment in september and I will get more uploadspeed there.

Assuming I will buy i5 4570/4670 which motherboard would you recommend?
I'd need one with socket So.1150.

I've been looking to upgrade my own computer and I've read/been told Haswell isn't really worth it for anything beside the new socket and it's better to go for the 3570k if you want to overclock (because the haswell heats up more or something?). Can anyone confirm or deny?

K or non-K?
I'd recommend 4670K + Gigabyte Z87X-D3H.

Your specs are capable of streaming fine on maxframes.

Yeah people confirmed this. They heat up faster so getting a more expensive cooler would be required to get the OC sandy or ivy would get. I don't understand why everyone's jumping on haswell. PCIE 4.0 is no where in sight so the new mobos are just more expensive, the cpus themselves are like the jump from sandy to ivy (<10% performance increase), and more expensive (should be much cheaper imo like sandy and ivy) BUT they hype it all up about power saving so it's to be expected.

Denied
Look down for explanation.

The IPC increase is actually 5-15% for programs not using AVX/AVX2 or FMA3.

Haswell is not much worse in terms of thermals compared to Ivy Bridge either. Both are shit compared to Sandy Bridge though.

The overclockability however varies greatly between the individual Haswell chips.

Your worst case is basically 4.2GHz, pretty much any aftermarket cooler should have no problems handling the heat. Even with only the average 10% IPC increase you'd need to OC Ivy Bridge to 4.6GHz to tie in terms of performance.
Good luck overclocking Ivy Bridge to 4.7GHz without an expensive cooler to outperform Haswell.

Best case: 4.6GHz on air with a good cooler, 4.3-4.4 with a cheaper cooler.

CPU + mobo will be 30-50$ more for Haswell than for Ivy Bridge.

You'd have to spend like 50 bucks more on a cpu cooler for getting Ivy Bridge to a speed where it could compete with Haswell on a cheaper cooler.

The 8350 that you just recommended is currently AMD's $200 flagship CPU. The 2500K was one of Intel's mid-range options in 2011. I don't see where you're trying to go here.

Go read my post again because I never said HyperThreading helped gaming performance.

It doesn't matter if you have 12 extra cores to stream with if you can't manage satisfactory performance in TF2 with only 2 lousy cores to begin with.

~$60 for ~300 extra MHz on your RAM is like the biggest waste of money I know of. I'd rather by like 40 keys with that money. Or I dunno maybe on something actually important.

People always seem to recommended overclocking whatever cheaper/older option you have and forget that you can also overclock the newer/more expensive option. That and if your chip doesn't automatically reach 4.5GHz on the stock cooler it must be a bad CPU for overclocking or something.

Never buy old/last generation parts. There's a reason why they're called last gen. There's almost always an equivalent price point in whatever current generation you're looking at that more than likely performs better or is a preferable option.

This is exactly the point i'm trying to make.
You get the same performance for the same price if you max Ivy Bridge out. Why go for Ivy Bridge then? It has no further potential. People tend to forget that AVX2 (256 bit vs AVX 128 bit), FMA, additional execution ports and DOUBLED CACHE BANDWIDTH (lol intel) give Haswell a lot of reserves for more optimised programs.

Are you sure? What CPU do u have and how much fps do u get while streaming?

x4 955 @ 3.8 GHz and 6850 @ 790 Mhz. I get 150-300, depending on the map and server, streaming 1024 x 600 at 2.5 Mbps.

So you guys can stop wanking over Intel upgrades now.

Actually, the FX-8350 is a very viable option for live streaming, thanks to its very impressive multi-thread/multi-tasking performance. It's been tested and proven to perform as good as or better than a Core i5/i7 equivalent when it comes to streaming games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu8Sekdb-IE (he tested Black Mesa Source which is close enough to TF2). Also, it costs a lot to upgrade to Intel seeing as you'd need a new motherboard. Imo, I think the AMD is a better option as it's cheaper in the first place and you're already on AM3+.

The 8350 isn't complete garbage in single threads. I'm just saying in the future get a more solid clocked ram not 1333 because it's cheap.

The i5 may be better but is it worth buying a new mobo as well? No. The 8350 can handle tf2 just fine along with other games. He won't drop below 120 in mid fights or in pubs the 8350 can pull it's weight in a game created in 2007.