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Better to get old i7 or new i5 with new mobo?

L

liquidsense

Member
I've been using a modest first build for a little while and I'm trying to upgrade my CPU. I'd appreciate some guidance on which is the better option between the two Options identified below:

Current build:
  • Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150
  • CPU: Intel Core i3-4370 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor
  • GPU: Sapphire R9 285 OC Edition
  • Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
  • PSU: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX
  • SSD: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5"
  • HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
  • HDD: Western Digital Green 640 GB 3.5" 7200RPM
Option 1:
  • Upgrade CPU to Intel Core i7 4790K (Haswell), which is $269 at Microcenter.
Option 2:
  • Upgrade mobo to LGA 1151, e.g., Gigabyte GA-H110N LGA 1151, which is $45.
  • Upgrade CPU to Intel Core i5 6500 (Skylake), which is $179.
 
I asked a similar question before and it comes down to what you will do and how much you want to spend. Also how long you want to wait. Microcenter sales on cpus and mobos are usually better than online but much smaller selection but you get it that day! I decided on the sky lake i5 myself because the i7 was to expensive for gaming even though i do light video editing it just wasnt worth the extra 100 bucks to me. One thing to consider in your situation is ram haswell uses ddr3 skylake can use ddr4 and is advisable for better performance (some mobos allow ddr3 too).
If your gaming and dont oc the i5 would be better is the going opinion on the net . Hope it helped!

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 
liquidsense said:
I've been using a modest first build for a little while and I'm trying to upgrade my CPU. I'd appreciate some guidance on which is the better option between the two Options identified below:

Current build:
  • Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150
  • CPU: Intel Core i3-4370 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor
  • GPU: Sapphire R9 285 OC Edition
  • Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
  • PSU: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX
  • SSD: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5"
  • HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
  • HDD: Western Digital Green 640 GB 3.5" 7200RPM
Option 1:
  • Upgrade CPU to Intel Core i7 4790K (Haswell), which is $269 at Microcenter.
Option 2:
  • Upgrade mobo to LGA 1151, e.g., Gigabyte GA-H110N LGA 1151, which is $45.
  • Upgrade CPU to Intel Core i5 6500 (Skylake), which is $179.
Click to expand...

Option 1, no brainer!
 
To chime in, I agree completely with everyone saying option 1. No question. The step up to Skylake is tiny in terms of IPC, and the new motherboard you mentioned is a bottom-of-the-barrel option. With the i7 you won't be needing a cpu upgrade for quite a few years. With the i5, you'll be looking for a new cpu in just a year or two.
 
Option 3

Sell the H97 + Core i3 + DDR-3 and get a new Z2xx + Core i7 6700K (should be at close to $300 when Kabylake will release next month) + DDR4
 
What if a 6 core Coffee lake will fit in a 1151 motherboard?

Socket 1150 had the 22nm 4770k, the 22nm 4970k and the 14nm Broadwell.
Socket 1151 has the 14nm 6700k, the 14nm 7700k and the 6 core 10nm Coffee Lake?

https://www.overclock3d.net/news/cp...ee_lake_cpu_for_mainstream_desktops_in_2018/1

It might be a good idea to upgrade your motherboard.

I might just grab a i5 6500 and overclock it until Coffee Lake.
 
Last edited:
i5's are the new i3's. You should only get an i5, if you plan to upgrade it later. Gaming has moved.on to 8 or more threads.

Wait for zen imo.... The future is 6 cores!
 
I don't see any reason to buy a z270 over one of the good cheap z170's, if you are going that route.

I think zen is a better option, unless you don't want to wait 2 months.
 
AtenRa said:
Its the higher clocked (Base and Turbo) he can have and faster CPU than any unlocked Skylake Core i5.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Even without an overclock, the 4770k/4790k are faster than most CPUs. Definitely worth the upgrade - and IMO a better deal than a full platform upgrade that won't bring any meaningful performance increases over this. Why swap out the motherboard and RAM for no gain, even if the net cost is the same? More hassle for no extra gain. No thanks.
 
01%20-%20Gains%20over%20Sandy.png


Unless all you do with your computer is running the PCSX2/Dolphin, where every single spare frame above 60fps counts, you have absolutely no reason to go for a Skylake i5.
 
AtenRa said:
I mean the Core i7 6700K should be at $300, its already $279 at Microcenter

Even today he can sell the H97 + Core i3 + DDR-3 and get a new Z170 + 6700K + 8GB of DDR4 for the same budget he would get the 4790K alone from MicroCenter
Click to expand...

Meh, assuming he can get a decent price for his current gear and that MC has a good combo deal for the 6700k. The easiest answer is the 4790k, and probably a decent itx based heatsink/fan.
 
bigboxes said:
Got my 4790K two years ago for $250. I'm in no hurry to upgrade my main rig at this time. The home server is getting the next upgrade.
Click to expand...

How safe is it to buy a used CPU, say, for example, on Craigslist? Someone near me happens to be selling one on CL for $200.

While my research suggests that a CPU is one of the safer components to buy for a computer (as it has no mechanical parts), some articles suggest that heavy or abnormal overclocking could damage/age the CPU in a way that I wouldn't be able to appreciate until I popped it into my computer. Thoughts?
 
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