CPU On A Budget - Recommendations Please

There are folks running DAWs on AMD, but for low latency audio, it seems that Intel has the edge.
 
I have a 3rd gen Intel Core i3 that I built a few years ago that is perfect for home recording.  I get low latency and it is capable of many more tracks than I care to manage.
 
I have always used Intel, since the Pentium 1 days, so I don't really know much about the AMD nomenclature.
 
As far as Intel goes, the i3 desktop CPU is half of an i7, so instead of 4 cores and 8 threads, you get two cores and 4 threads.  The desktop i5 scales up with 4 cores, but just 4 threads.  The price goes up quickly though.
 
If your demands are going to be moderate, get the latest gen Core i3 with the fastest clock you can afford.  I have been running my 3.4GHz CPU which rarely goes over 50% with what I do.  Usually much lower, in fact.
 
The thing to remember is that a single thread can only run as fast as the CPU clock, so that is the speed limit.  Good software developers in some cases have learned how to split up their workload across multiple cores and threads, so in that case a quad core can outperform a dual core.  But the real difference comes down to how heavy you plan to use the system.  Sonar is one application that can take advantage of that and spread the load.
 
Sure you could buy an i7 and many will say you need it. But unless you plan to run dozens of tracks with multiple plugin effects on each one, you probably can get by fine with an i3 for what you say you need.  It's not a crippled CPU by any measure, it's just that you often see them in cheaply made off-the-shelf PC's, so they have a certain reputation.  But if you pick a quality motherboard, power supply, RAM, you should be good.  And start out with an SSD for the OS drive, the prices on those are very affordable now.  That gives a huge boost to system responsiveness!!!
 
You can compare prices here:
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/

Not sure what your budget is, but something like this might do help: 

I use gigabyte or Asus. Better support when things go wrong imo.

I have an 8350 in a desktop DAW that works great with sonar. Like the recommendation for the 6300, the 8350 is a great "bang for the buck" CPU and I would certainly recommend it.
 
I have it on a Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 motherboard with 16Gig of RAM.
 
gabo

My theory is to build the infrastructure of your PC as high as you can stand, but get a low end CPU for that chipset and socket.  That will save you a few hundred bucks and leave an easy upgrade path in your future.
 
For example, buy a motherboard with the latest current chipset, CPU socket, and i/o ports, so that you will futureproof your build.
 
Get a decent case with quiet fans, and a solid power supply.
 
Then drop in a low end CPU with enough Ghz to get the job done.  If you need to upgrade later, you can just drop in a top end CPU that uses the same socket.
 
Or you may find that the CPU is not your bottleneck anymore, and spend your money saved on SSD's or audio interfaces! 
 
 

fireberd
Azslow, you missed my point.  My suggestion is because many that start out saying they only want to do menial things such as check e-mail ultimately wind up doing more demanding things with their new PC and thus are faced with upgrading or replacing in some cases.  I have had many of my clients thank me, later on, for my suggestions to buy a better PC rather than a low end/entry level machine.

May be you are right and I am missing your point...
But when someone ask me for a new computer, I speak with the person at least 20 minutes (usually much more). To know/predict as good as possible what the person (or a group) is going to do with this computer (including questions about periodically coming children, general hobbies, patience level, etc), even when the person does not know that himself. I think I will completely stop to give advises as soon as I no longer able to make correct guesses (I hope that time is in far future, but I know it will come...).

"Future proof" is an expression not to be taken literally.  It simply means to look ahead as far as practical, or as far as you can afford.  Nobody can see what hasn't been created yet, so ultimately everything will become obsolete.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_proof
 
I spent many years in the IT industry, and these concepts were frequently discussed there.
 
For me now, it just means getting about 7-10 years out of a PC build.  Good return on investment! 

abacab
 
 getting about 7-10 years out of a PC build.  Good return on investment! 

Yes. This is the goal. 

batsbrew
still on my XP system i built in 2008

While I still have dual-boot with XP (see my signature), I use it only to upgrade old Android devices. I also had 2GB for long time, but without 4 I could not load modern sample based synth...