Question Intel i7-4960Χ CPU 3.60GHz vs i5 9400 INTEL 1151, 2.9GHz

[marinos7]

Hello,
I want to buy a gaming PC (low to mid-end), and I have two offers:

1. The first one comes with the following CPU and motherboard
CPU: i5 9400 INTEL 1151, 2.9GHz, 6 CORES, 6 THREADS CPU (9TH GEN)
Motherboard: H310CM-HDV/M.2 MOTHERBOARD MICRO ATX LGA1151 ASROCK

2. The second one with the following:
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4960Χ, 3.60GHz, 6 CORES, 12 THREADS
Motherboard: ASUS RAMPAGE IV BLACK EDITION

They both come with 8gb RAM. The second one has old CPU and motherboard, buy they may still be more powerful that the new ones of the first offer. However, I am just thinking about the fact that the second one will not support or be compatible with new technologies (e.g. DDR4).

I look forward to your opinions and suggestions, even for alternatives within about the same price range.

 

[Golgatha]

For equal price, I'd go with the first option. You can always drop something faster in there, whereas the 2nd option is pretty much not upgradable. Also, I wouldn't want to upgrade a system with DDR3 because DDR4 is much cheaper.

The only reason to go with the 2nd option would be if you needed lots of PCIe lanes for dual GPU, RAID controllers, etc.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

It looks like a simple answer, but from my perspective it isn't.

Factors to consider: Does either or both come with a warranty? What games do you play? Are you going to be playing the latest and future AAA stuff? Diving in to 64 player MP maps? Or will you be doing a bunch of older titles, indy games, and esports? If AAA stuff is involved, big MP maps especially so, I vote option 2.

I would not be too confident about the H310 being able to fully leverage the performance of i7 or i9 even at their stock settings. DDR4 is not a big consideration imo, as the Rampage supports quad channel. DDR3 can still be found for a decent price on Ali Express, so you can populate the slots. The 4960x will get the job done for years to come. And upgrading Intel CPUs has always carried a premium, that hurts the value proposition, even if that H310 is up to the task, which I am dubious about.

My purchase scenario- Both are priced reasonably, both either have or do not have warranties, and the seller is reputable. I would take the high end system that is a few years older. Maybe that's just me though.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Gotta remember, The "X Series Core" chips were a generation behind their numbering. So a 4960X, is Ivy Bridge. It may be HEDT, but I personally wouldn't go with something that old.

OTOH, an H310 chipset and a locked 6C/6T Intel CPU isn't that great either.

Why don't you give us your PC budget, OP, and someone can try to spec a build?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

but I personally wouldn't go with something that old.

Good, one less person bidding on it. 😉 At a fair price, I'd buy that CPU and board in a hot second. I have messed around with older stuff than that a lot the last 8 months, and if you are not a high refresh gamer, I am not, they are still worthy.

 

[Campy]

I would go for the first CPU, but preferably with a better motherboard. I'd want 16GB memory for both systems aswell.