CPU Upgrade

[K1000]

Hi,

Just wanted to get an opinion for a CPU upgrade, I use my PC mainly for gaming and currently have a Core i7 930 OC at 3.8ghz, 6gb of triple channel Ram, and 2 Gtx 670 in sli. I've had the CPU/mobo/Ram for a bit more than 4 years and am thinking of upgrading to the new i7 4790k (and of course changing my motherboard and ram). I'll keep my case/PSU, video cards , and SSD/Hdd. Do you think the cpu upgrade is worth it for gaming? Any opinion is appreciated and thanks.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Depends on what you plan and how unhappy you are with the current performance. 4790k should go to 4.5 ghz on all cores with decent cooling, so that is about 20 percent faster clock and probably 20 percent faster per clock. So you could be looking at about 40 to 50 percent better cpu performance. Is it worth it? If you are playing a lot of cpu limited games, probably, but the system you have is not bad. Like I said, depends on what games you play, how demanding you are, and your budget. Cost would be in the 600.00 range probably. You could get very close to the same performance for a hundred bucks less with a 4690k.

 

[toyota]

do NOT try to save 100 bucks by going 4690k at this point. only 4 cores does not even cut now in Crysis 3 and in parts of a couple of other games. you obliviously keep cpus for many years so no point in gimping yourself from day 1 especially trying to run higher end gpu setups.

I would go 4790k and get 16gb(2x8gb) of 1.5v 1866, 2000 or 2133mhz ram as Haswell does like faster ram in some cases. then just sell your other cpu, mobo and ram.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I agree with you partially, but I dont think the benefit of hyperthreading is as clear as you make it to be. The biggest benefit we have seen of hyperthreading is about 30% in some tests of Crysis 3, and I am somewhat skeptical of those. Even in Watchdogs, the difference is 10% at most, depending of the video card and test you look at. Most games still show minimal benefit if any. Point is, I think it is very likely that by the time a 4690K becomes obsolete, a 4790K will be obsolete as well. If one is seriously concerned about the longevity of an i5, perhaps they should wait for prices of hexcore Haswell E and the associated platform, and consider six true cores. (edit: *and* hyperthreading as well.)

 

[jihe]

Hi,

Just wanted to get an opinion for a CPU upgrade, I use my PC mainly for gaming and currently have a Core i7 930 OC at 3.8ghz, 6gb of triple channel Ram, and 2 Gtx 670 in sli. I've had the CPU/mobo/Ram for a bit more than 4 years and am thinking of upgrading to the new i7 4790k (and of course changing my motherboard and ram). I'll keep my case/PSU, video cards , and SSD/Hdd. Do you think the cpu upgrade is worth it for gaming? Any opinion is appreciated and thanks.

Or you could just sell your 930 for $50 and buy an x5650 for $80. You should be able to get to 4G 24/7. Hopefully new games will scale better with cores.

 

[AtenRa]

I would wait to see 6-core Haswell-E first.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

If you don't want to do a full platform upgrade the Xeons for these 1366 boards are a fun adventure. Some 1366 boards don't support these Xeons e.g. EVGA 760 A1 Rev 1.0 - needs a hardware mod to make the chip work. My Asrock is running a Xeon X5660 @ 3.68GHz @ 1.23v. It's a daily rig so I'm keeping it to a mild clock.

Here is a lot of great information on these Xeons and the 1366 boards.

These chips run cooler than the desktop 1366 chips. The Xeons are 32nm and have a wide range of 95w chips to chose from. The best chip is probably the X5675 with a 25x (multi) on all 6 cores. This X5660 will push all 6 cores with a 23x multi, and turbo 1 core with a 24x. So if you are talking about a 25x with a 200 BCLK that's 5GHz and alot of people are hitting close to that frequency zone.

EDIT: i think the X5650 is currently around 125$ on eBay, the X5675 is around 200$ There is a forum member here that is running his X5650 @ 4.8GHz

If you chose to get one of these chips make sure your motherboard will support them first.

 

[toyota]

I agree with you partially, but I dont think the benefit of hyperthreading is as clear as you make it to be. The biggest benefit we have seen of hyperthreading is about 30% in some tests of Crysis 3, and I am somewhat skeptical of those. Even in Watchdogs, the difference is 10% at most, depending of the video card and test you look at. Most games still show minimal benefit if any. Point is, I think it is very likely that by the time a 4690K becomes obsolete, a 4790K will be obsolete as well. If one is seriously concerned about the longevity of an i5, perhaps they should wait for prices of hexcore Haswell E and the associated platform, and consider six true cores. (edit: *and* hyperthreading as well.)

Crysis 3 will not even stay above 50 frames per second with a 4690k even if overclocked no matter how much GPU power you have. It would be stupid to start off from day one not having all the CPU power needed to push the next GPU upgrade he gets especially since he keeps CPUs for many years.

 

[Burpo]

EDIT: i think the X5650 is currently around 125$ on eBay, the X5675 is around 200$

Actually they've come way down ($74 OBO).. Just search ebay for..
AT80614004320AD INTEL XEON X5650 6 CORE 2.66GHz 12MB 6.40GT/s 95W PROC

That would be a satisfying upgrade for little money.. Especially if he sells his I7-930..

 

[KingerXI]

I would upgrade if I were you. Even a 3570k is ~20% faster clock-for-clock, and the SATA III benefits, USB 3.0 compatibility, ability to easily increase the memory, etc. is like cherry on top. You can buy a 3570k, Z77, memory combo for $250-$275 on the forums and sell your gear for $200+ on Ebay, so it would only be a $100 upgrade. Well worth it!

 

[NTMBK]

Meh, not worth the cost of the upgrade.

 

[K1000]

Hi, thanks for all your responses. If I upgrade, I'm decided to go for a z97 board and a 4790K. I know it will cost but I'm still on the fence if I should wait for the next generation of i7 (broadwell) wich are probably due q1 2015 for desktops. From what I read, I don't think it will be worth the wait performance wise.