Intel 4770K - How's it stack up to today's offerings?

[jdoggg12]

To clarify, I know that it's still a good CPU, I've been loving mine for a couple years now. However, we all get the itch to upgrade every now and then and my recent purchase of a 1070 has helped scratch that itch. Here's a bit of background and my questions:

My current rig:
i7 4770k with small OC
8GB ram
850 Evo SSD
Several HDDs
Asus STRIX 1080 OC
Monitor is a 1080p TV (HTPC setup) - May pick up an X34 in the near future

I'm a moderate gamer, I don't care about tweaking every for max fps or fidelity. I just like my games to hold ~40fps minimum, preferably with high settings at 1080p. I also do a small bit of video editing software with the (crappy) GoPro Studio software.

In a general sense, not specific to any single game, my questions are...

1. What current CPU would the 4770k be most comparable to?
2. Would it likely be better to move to 12 or 16GB of ram than to consider upgrading cpu/mobo (on a cost-benefit basis)
3. Is it likely that the 4770k is bottlenecking gaming performance with a 1070 or are most current games more limited by gpu capabilities... I know some games are currently tapping out my ram (in combination with background programs running, not necessarily on their own)
4. In video editing time/performance, are there any current CPUs that will offer significantly reduced rendering time for around/under $300?
5. How much real-world performance (gaming or video editing) will high speed ram offer... last I understood, high speed ram was much less impactful that in used to be. Nowadays more ram is better than fast ram, no?


Thank you for your time

 

[UsandThem]

http://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2035-intel-skylake-i7-6700k-gaming-benchmarks-and-review/Page-2

Keep your current system for a few more years. You will not gain that much performance even going to a i7-6700k. You will be GPU limited.

For ddr4 the sweet-spot is around ddr4 3000-3200. It depends on which RAM scaling article you believe. Some show big differences, some say there is almost no difference. 16 GB is more than enough for most gamers. You can look at your resource monitor in Windows to see if you even use all of your 8 GB now.

 

[LTC8K6]

4770K vs Skylake 6700 non-K.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/836?vs=1554

Getting pretty well hammered in video, but not much else.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'm still using my i5-2500 in my gaming PC. Sadly, I'd only gain about +20% by moving to the latest i7. It's not worth $600 and the time to install a new motherboard for such a small gain.

Until intel makes a better CPU I'd only do it for other features like faster RAM, more USB 3 ports, USB C, ....? But those don't affect gaming.

 

[jdoggg12]

http://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2035-intel-skylake-i7-6700k-gaming-benchmarks-and-review/Page-2

Keep your current system for a few more years. You will not gain that much performance even going to a i7-6700k. You will be GPU limited.

For ddr4 the sweet-spot is around ddr4 3000-3200. It depends on which RAM scaling article you believe. Some show big differences, some say there is almost no difference. 16 GB is more than enough for most gamers. You can look at your resource monitor in Windows to see if you even use all of your 8 GB now.

Thanks for the input and link. If there were an impressive boost to both gaming and editing, it'd be a good consideration but I don't do that much editing.

Seeing as how I'm generally happy with my systems performance for gaming (only wanted to upgrade if three were a major jump in performance), which processor in the current line-up would be comparable to the 4770? I'd like to build a second PC for me to use in the guest room and for my daughter to use. I'd like to keep the budget as low as possible while maintaining similar performance. What are there good mobo's for current CPUs in the $150/under range... I like features but don't care for OCing performance.


Thanks again for any input!

 

[Ken g6]

which processor in the current line-up would be comparable to the 4770?

Probably an i5 6600.

What are there good mobo's for current CPUs in the $150/under range... I like features but don't care for OCing performance.

Even an H110 is fine in most cases. What "features" do you like?

P.S. If this is turning into a build thread, please answer [thread=80121]these questions[/thread].

 

[UsandThem]

Thanks for the input and link. If there were an impressive boost to both gaming and editing, it'd be a good consideration but I don't do that much editing.

There are many people that post in this section with that 'upgrade itch'. People who have had their systems for 2-4 years think they might be missing out on performance. But like DaveSimmons mentioned, Intel has given relatively very small performance increases with each new mainstream CPU they release over the last 5 years. The last one that was actually a 'WOW' release was Sandy Bridge.

On one hand it is nice not have an obsolete computer after 2-3 years like it used to be, but on the other hand it would be nice to get a big jump in performance every once and a while. Unfortunately, AMD has not really provided any real threat for many years, Intel has a 87.7% market share right now, and with desktop PC sales declining, they seem to put more of their R&D into efficiency improvements.

Maybe they have something up their sleeves and will 'WOW' us in the next couple of years. Although I think it will greatly depend on how AMD Zen performs when it is released sometime next year (last I heard).

Really the only thing that has been a 'WOW' from me for the last several years are the NVMe drives. I'm not a big gamer anymore, so the new GPUs aren't really for me.

 

[jdoggg12]

Probably an i5 6600.
Even an H110 is fine in most cases. What "features" do you like?

P.S. If this is turning into a build thread, please answer [thread=80121]these questions[/thread].

-Awesome comparison, thank you!

- Features that are nice (but not always necessary): bluetooth, high quality surround audio, tons of USB 3.0+ (USB C would be nice), intuitive BIOS, good warranty, built-in hdmi/dp is nice for testing

-Not a build thread - just getting some ideas for what I may end up doing to my existing and/or secondary machine. I have no solid plans to build anything at the moment, I'm just checking on the current state of a few components. How those components stack up to my existing understanding is what will decide whether it's time for me to start pulling the trigger on parts... or to sit and wait for some further advancements. (For example... I did a similar post for the 970 vs my 760 a year ago... I decided to hold out for the 1000 series cards)

There are many people that post in this section with that 'upgrade itch'. People who have had their systems for 2-4 years think they might be missing out on performance. But like DaveSimmons mentioned, Intel has given relatively very small performance increases with each new mainstream CPU they release over the last 5 years. The last one that was actually a 'WOW' release was Sandy Bridge.

On one hand it is nice not have an obsolete computer after 2-3 years like it used to be, but on the other hand it would be nice to get a big jump in performance every once and a while. Unfortunately, AMD has not really provided any real threat for many years, Intel has a 87.7% market share right now, and with desktop PC sales declining, they seem to put more of their R&D into efficiency improvements.

Maybe they have something up their sleeves and will 'WOW' us in the next couple of years. Although I think it will greatly depend on how AMD Zen performs when it is released sometime next year (last I heard).

Really the only thing that has been a 'WOW' from me for the last several years are the NVMe drives. I'm not a big gamer anymore, so the new GPUs aren't really for me.

You're spot on with how I'm feeling too, except for the graphics cards. It's been a while now since there's been a performance/dollar jump like the 1070. It's what got me to start wondering if any of the other components have seen similar gains. For gaming performance, the jump from my GTX 760 to the 1070 was as staggering as the jump from my 32GB Raptor to a SSD.

 

[gammaray]

Actually, if gaming is what you use your computer for most of the times, the skylake 6700k is a big waste over the 4770k or 4790k. in many games the 4790k is slightly FASTER.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1260?vs=1543