i7 3820 or i5 6600k?

[Jambo123]

Hey guys, I'm a little bit of a noob when it comes to CPU power however I really want to get an i7. I've read a lot about how the difference between an i7 from the 2nd and 3rd Generation isn't a massive downgrade from that of the latest generation, but I'd just like to confirm this, except with the latest generation of i5s.

Performance wise for gaming, which of these two would perform better? thanks!

 

[Burpo]

For gaming the i5 6600k..

 

[Yuriman]

There are some cases where newer generation CPUs pull significantly ahead of older ones, and others where the improvement isn't very large.

The biggest problem with getting an old i7 is that old motherboards are very expensive, often more expensive than new motherboards. I think the new i5 is a safer bet.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Intel's nomenclature is very confusing. But that 3820 is the E platform, but only quad core.
It is from the sandy bridge generation, so I definitely think the 6600k would be faster. I am not sure it would be worth upgrading if one had the 3820 already, but starting from scratch, I definitely would go with the newer cpu.