i5 3570k upgrade

Swampthing

Member
Feb 5, 2000
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Is there any point in upgrading an i5 3570k overclocked to 4gz at this point for gaming? I can't find any direct benchmarks comparing the two. I checked the 3dmark database and with that processor and the same video card the scores were the same as a i7 7700k but i question 3dmarks usefulness in general as the number provided is meaningless and doesn't give any indication of real world performance.

Any thoughts on the 3570k as it's a bit old at this point and it feels like i should be upgrading.
 

Denithor

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
6,300
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Is it not doing something fast enough? CPU advancement has slowed to a crawl at this point, you'd probably see 20% increase in CPU-limited tasks by upgrading the entire system. Not worth it unless there's a specific need.
 

Swampthing

Member
Feb 5, 2000
163
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Nope, no specific need, just haven't upgraded in awhile and feel like it's past time. Was just concerned it was bottlenecking my 1070.
 

gammaray

Senior member
Jul 30, 2006
859
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if what matters most to you is gaming, there is no reason to upgrade whatsoever. I got a 4770k and i itch to upgrade but i would just waste time and money.
 

EXCellR8

Diamond Member
Sep 1, 2010
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I'd keep it. I run my 3570 for gaming all the time with a GTX 970 and it's plenty adequate. The Ivy chips are still widely used.
 

cfenton

Senior member
Jul 27, 2015
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I have the 3570K as well (at 4.1Ghz) and a 1070. The only game I've been CPU bound in is Mafia III, and that's a terrible port all around. Everything else is either GPU bound or hits 60fps. Maybe in a few years when more than a tiny handful of games use more than 4 cores there will be a good gaming upgrade, but for now it's hard to justify the cost.
 

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
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yeah definitely worth holding onto a while longer. At least until Ryzen has dropped and the competitive landscape shifts to accomodate it
 

Swampthing

Member
Feb 5, 2000
163
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Disappointing!

That said, since I had the upgrade urge, I went ahead and just got a 1TB SSD for my game drive instead. Thanks for the feedback.
 
Aug 11, 2008
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Going to go against the common opinion here. You could see a considerable upgrade going to a 7700k because you would get an ipc increase, the benefits of hyperthreading, and probably a better overclock.I could see a 40% or more increase total in games/apps that use hyperthreading well. Now whether you really need that or if it is worth it is another question. A cheaper uograde to get the benefits of hyperthreading would be to simply drop a 3770k into your existing system.
 

Noo

Senior member
Oct 11, 2013
389
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Upgrade? What's that?
1st Gen Core i7 (870 equivalent)
running 2 Virtual machines and streaming 4 4K videos simultaneously. Ran out of ram before CPU ;)
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Feb 25, 2011
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Going to go against the common opinion here. You could see a considerable upgrade going to a 7700k because you would get an ipc increase, the benefits of hyperthreading, and probably a better overclock.I could see a 40% or more increase total in games/apps that use hyperthreading well. Now whether you really need that or if it is worth it is another question. A cheaper uograde to get the benefits of hyperthreading would be to simply drop a 3770k into your existing system.
Yeah, but he'd have to be cpu-bottlenecked to see any benefit at all... and he's probably not.
 

nathanddrews

Graphics Cards, CPU Moderator
Aug 9, 2016
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For some games, like some MMOs or physics-intensive games (high CPU demand), or just games where you want to get higher frame rates with reduced graphics settings, I think running an OC is a good idea. I run my 3570K @ 4.2GHz and saw some frame rate improvements with my GTX 970. You've got the speed on tap, just use it.
 

MadAd

Senior member
Oct 1, 2000
428
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Im upgrading now but I know why I need it.

I play a combined arms MMOFPS which is CPU bound and while Ive had my 3570 on 4.2ghz for most of its life, the IPC and power improvements between Ivy Bridge 4.2 and Kaby Kake 4.5 is worth as much as an extra 5fps in the 30-40 fps area in a frame dropper 200+ man infantry+vehicle battle without a significant heat increase.

(yes i know I could make them all look like potato heads, driving matchbox tanks and planes saving a ton of frames but I like to see battles in their full cinematic glory).
 

Gundark

Member
May 1, 2011
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At this point, upgrade is not worth it unless you play on console emulators. Keep your Ivy.
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
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Nope, no specific need, just haven't upgraded in awhile and feel like it's past time. Was just concerned it was bottlenecking my 1070.

In response to this and a post from ExcelR8.

If Intel has a tick and a tock, I've got my own, but it's also influenced by curiosity. I'd even say that I went from 2700K (still with me) to 6700K. For the kinds of games that I play, comparing the 2x SLI GTX 970 in the Sandy system and the 1x GTX 1070 in the Skylake, it seems to me that the 1070 graphics overclocked makes a difference that you could call noticeable, but then I'm doing dual-duty with the Sandy if I game on my desktop BenQ while porting Live TV to the AVR/HDTV behind me.

I blew some bucks -- not for being a doe or being bi-curious, but because I'm an OCD enthusiast and "TRY-curious.

I've been riding 5-year-old technology and -- couldn't help myself. And now, this system is pushing $3,000 in outlays because I finally just decided to go for a 960 Pro 1TB. And I still might spring for a 2x16GB TridentZ kit, and maybe a 1TB 850 Pro or even an SU880 ADATA.

This could get . . . .out of hand. I budget; I plan. Then I get hooked and worn down by impatience.