Building new rig and Need help deciding on CPU.

[Schwag33]

Building new rig and Need help deciding on CPU.

Will be used for:
- fairly heavy downloading of large files
- gaming
- HTPC
- media server in home for approx 1-4 devices
- media server for occasional use by 1-3 external devices (smartphones,tablets)
- watching web streams

Already have all other parts picked out. Just cant decide on CPU....

- i5 3570k
-or-
-i7 3770k

I will also be doing an OC of around 4.5-4.7. I know the i5 can handle what i need it for, but im not sure if i should get the i7 to future proof a little. I probably wont build another rig for 5 yrs. ( will just update things like GPU if needed for games). There is a $80 difference between the 2 CPUs and Im OK with paying the diff if its really better for my needs.

Example of typical usage would be watching a 1080p movie on this PC while downloading large files in background. or Gaming and downloading large files. At same time acting as media server to 1-2 other devices. Will i5 be OK or better to go with i7?

Any suggestions as to which CPU would be better for me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

p.s. I DONT want to wait for next gen haswell

 

[lakedude]

Example of typical usage would be watching a 1080p movie on this PC while downloading large files in background.

Neither of these things will stress the i5 at all. Your internet connection speed is more important than the CPU in this case.

or Gaming and downloading large files. At same time acting as media server to 1-2 other devices.

The game will stress the GPU most and the CPU next (depending on the game). Downloading large files does not stress the CPU at all.

Final advice really depends on which GPU you get and if you would get a different GPU depending on saving money on the i5.

Currently not many games are multi-threaded enough to stress the i5 but this is changing as we move into the future.

i5 is fine for now, but i7 is more future proof.

 

[daveybrat]

Whatever CPU you decide to go with, just make sure you add an SSD drive to that computer. That will make the biggest difference with everyday tasks and especially web browsing.

Upgrading to an SSD last year has been the single greatest upgrade i've done in the last several years to make a noticable improvement in overall system speed.

Don't spend all of your money on a fast cpu and stick with a slow 7200RPM drive.

 

[Idontcare]

Welcome to the forums Schwag33 :thumbsup:

Example of typical usage would be watching a 1080p movie on this PC while downloading large files in background. or Gaming and downloading large files. At same time acting as media server to 1-2 other devices. Will i5 be OK or better to go with i7?

With that kind of multi-tasking going on, an i7 would give you more head-room than an i5. I would go with the i7.

For gaming, what is your GPU plan?

Are you OC'ing? If not, consider going the non-k version and save yourself some coin.

Also if you aren't OC'ing don't forget to undervolt that thing, you'll save loads in active-idle power consumption which is pretty much the usage-pattern of an HTPC.

 

[Schwag33]

Whatever CPU you decide to go with, just make sure you add an SSD drive to that computer. That will make the biggest difference with everyday tasks and especially web browsing.

Upgrading to an SSD last year has been the single greatest upgrade i've done in the last several years to make a noticable improvement in overall system speed.

Don't spend all of your money on a fast cpu and stick with a slow 7200RPM drive.

Already got it covered. Went with a samsung 840 pro 256GB:biggrin:

 

[Schwag33]

Welcome to the forums Schwag33 :thumbsup:



With that kind of multi-tasking going on, an i7 would give you more head-room than an i5. I would go with the i7.

For gaming, what is your GPU plan?

Are you OC'ing? If not, consider going the non-k version and save yourself some coin.

Also if you aren't OC'ing don't forget to undervolt that thing, you'll save loads in active-idle power consumption which is pretty much the usage-pattern of an HTPC.

Thanks for input. im leaning towards i7 3770k. I will be OCing to around 4.5-4.7. GPU I got is the MSI 660ti OC power edition (I will be adding a second one eventually so i can do a SLI setup).

 

[daveybrat]

Already got it covered. Went with a samsung 840 pro 256GB:biggrin:

Very nice, then if i were you, i'd spend the extra dough on the i7 processor.

 

[Denithor]

p.s. I DONT want to wait for next gen haswell

Why exactly? If you're serious about keeping this rig for 5 years, honestly, wait 2 months and get a new socket motherboard. That way in 3 years when it's just not cutting it anymore you at least stand a chance at an upgrade without having to redo the entire system.

Oh, and definitely thumbs up on the choice of SSD, the 840 Pro is about the best consumer-grade SSD available today. That alone will make your new box fly.

 

[Schwag33]

Why exactly? If you're serious about keeping this rig for 5 years, honestly, wait 2 months and get a new socket motherboard. That way in 3 years when it's just not cutting it anymore you at least stand a chance at an upgrade without having to redo the entire system.

Oh, and definitely thumbs up on the choice of SSD, the 840 Pro is about the best consumer-grade SSD available today. That alone will make your new box fly.

The reasons I dont want Haswell are:

I need a new PC now.

Also I dont want to buy 1st thing that comes out. I like to see reviews, comparisons etc. So if i have to wait for Haswell to release, then diff mobos, then wait for reviews and hear impressions from forums......It will take too long. Because again, I need a new PC now.


*cant wait to see diff using the SSD :biggrin:

 

[Denithor]

Well, in that case, I personally suggest springing for the chip with more threads. As already mentioned, the next generation consoles are about to launch, featuring many more cores - meaning that as the console ports continue to feed into PC gaming the need for more cores/threads will increase. And with a span of 5 years to cover, the extra pseudo-cores will be helpful (and already helpful today for any kind of video encoding you do).

EDIT: I have an i7 3770 (non-K) in my rig, used mainly for HTPC duties and some gaming. Moved to this chip from an i5 750, notably faster in encoding (extra "cores" really do help if your software takes advantage of them).

 

[tweakboy]

Get the 3770k its very future proof for many years to come. gl

 

[guskline]

Scwagg33: You can see my two main rigs below. The 3770k is an Outstanding cpu that I got for a great price at MicroCenter for $229.99. I'm sure the 3570k is great also. I replaced a 2500k OC'd to 4.4 Ghz in rig 1 with the 3770k. No doubt the scores went up. I would caution you about your OC speeds. 4.7 is agressive and likely to run hot without a lot of tweeking and excellent cooling.

Build your computer with the 3770k and let it run @24 hrs stock to get the feel of it. Depending upon the make of Motherboard try an OC of @4.2 to 4.4Ghz and check your stability, cpu temps and vcore usage. You might be surprised that you don't need to go faster. My 3770k at 4.4ghz is VERY fast.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[Schwag33]

Thanks for input guskline. I saw in your sig that you have a PC running a FX8350....How is that compared to i7 3770k?

 

[Headfoot]

Thanks for input guskline. I saw in your sig that you have a PC running a FX8350....How is that compared to i7 3770k?

That question is a can of worms that will derail the thread, if we let it. Just take a look at the data yourself here: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/551?vs=697

3770k has superior single threaded performance, so in poorly threaded tasks or threaded tasks with significant portions of serial processing, the 3770k will be far superior. The gap only grows as you overclock. In well threaded tasks they trade blows. 3770k has much lower power consumption. This means the 3770k is superior in older games and current games (except Crysis 3 and to some extent BF3 where the gap is smaller). Future games are moving quickly towards being more highly threaded, but obviously this is speculative on how much that will reduce/eliminate the gap between the 8350 and the 3770k.

Summary: Definitely get the 3770k instead of the 3570k if you can swing it, the extra threads will most likely be useful in the future and can be used. It also mitigates most thread advantage that the 8350 has, while maintaining high single threaded performance in less optimized applications.

I also agree with Guskline in cautioning you in your targeted overclock. 4.5-4.7 is more difficult on Ivy Bridge. 4.5-4.7 is the normal range for Sandy Bridge generally with Ivy going down to 4.3-4.6 (without extreme measures in either case). The increased IPC means that the 3770k at 4.4 will be faster than the 2700k at 4.5 anyways