Upgrade to a 4790k now to save money in the future? (Update: Got it!)

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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So, I'm looking at the prices of 4790ks now as they're trying to clear stock, and it's tempting. I know that right now it won't make much of a difference; however, I think that if I do upgrade now I won't have any need to upgrade to a whole new platform for quite some time, and by the time I do DDR4 may be cheap enough that I could even get 32GB for under $100. At the same time, i could just keep what I have, upgrade my cooler and hope to get another 5-10% out of my CPU and upgrade in 2017 or so, perhaps even to a cheap true 8-core. I like to stream games and locally record high-quality versions at the same time, which I also plan to edit after purchasing usable software. I'm also a bit of a quality nut and i don't have partner, so NVENC's vaseline-smeared Atari 2600 simulator really doesn't work for me (QuickSync isn't terrible though). Would it be more cost effective to buy a 4790K for a simple CPU upgrade now before it's gone, or to hold off for a full platform upgrade in a year or two? Based on the direction games are going in, I feel like a 4790K would retain a bit more value down the line.

That said, I'm also an idiot and really want to upgrade just because I like upgrading and have some parts I can sell anyway. :p
 
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Zodiark1593

Platinum Member
Oct 21, 2012
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Wonder if I should sell my almost-new i5-4590 for the i7, granted I don't plan on overclocking, but those threads and that stock turbo + multithread enhancement
 

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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Holy crap, I forgot that it comes with Just Cause 3! That is some really good value, and I don't know if I even can resist at that point...
 

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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Well, I guess I'm doing it! I also remembered that 4790K has full visualization support, which is another plus for me. I honestly made this thread expecting you guys to say no and talk some sense into me, but I guess what I was thinking made sense after all lol.

I'm going to get a Noctua NH-D15S as well, though at a later date. Seems like a really good investment that should last me a very long time. Thanks guys!
 

Leyawiin

Diamond Member
Nov 11, 2008
3,204
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Mulling over the same thing. My main PC has an i5-4690k OC'd to 4.5 Ghz. I just can't decide whether its worth it just for gaming or as the OP said - wait a couple years and do an entirely new build. Trying to balance long term benefits/savings vs money out of pocket right now is a bit difficult.
 

ZGR

Platinum Member
Oct 26, 2012
2,052
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I say wait it out. The big jump I am waiting for is super fast DDR4. That will provide a bigger tangible benefit than gaining hyper threading. If I was on a locked Intel CPU, I would probably buy the 4790k.
 

bystander36

Diamond Member
Apr 1, 2013
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It would only be worth it if you can get most your money back from your current i5, otherwise I would not do it. Sure you can push back an upgrade in the future, but you are paying a fair bit to upgrade now. The future upgrade would be more significant than the one you make now.
 

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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I say wait it out. The big jump I am waiting for is super fast DDR4. That will provide a bigger tangible benefit than gaining hyper threading. If I was on a locked Intel CPU, I would probably buy the 4790k.

It would only be worth it if you can get most your money back from your current i5, otherwise I would not do it. Sure you can push back an upgrade in the future, but you are paying a fair bit to upgrade now. The future upgrade would be more significant than the one you make now.

That's true, but at the same time that platform upgrade would have to happen in 2017 at the latest since I'm already dissatisfied with streaming performance, so it'll still be $500 minimum for the full upgrade and my i5's value will be much lower. I guess the smart thing to do would be to buy a new cooler, see if I can push the i5 any further, and if I can't I can try upgrading then, but then I miss out on the $25 discount. However, if I upgrade now, I could probably hold off all the way to 2019 or 2020 and get a huge boost while I'm also in a better position to spend that much money. I see your points though. I wish that performance reviews of JC3 released early. That game (both its performance and the fact that I can get it free with the CPU) would be a huge swing in either direction.


Honestly, I really just wish I had the money for an upgrade to X99. :/ lol
 

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,043
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tough call, if it was a delta of 100$ and a 10-minute investment of my time i'd problary do it.. otherwise, nah.
 

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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50/50 now. Great. I guess this is a sign that the logical people have come now? :p

On another note, I can safely say that my 4670K cannot be clocked any higher. Even with I'm currently running at 1.18V, but even with 1.25V I can't get it it any higher than it is now.

Let's see... Reasonably, I'd have to wait until 2017 to upgrade at the earliest if I wait since I'd make a GPU upgrade a higher priority in that case and I won't be able to afford a $600 full platform upgrade until then at the earliest unless I find a really good job next year... Though, I know that the actual benefit isn't much. I'd pretty much cover the entire cost factoring in selling my 4670K and 7950, and JC3 is a factor to consider. GPU accelerated virtual machines would be nice for a few reasons... I can get the stream performance I want using QuickSync if I sacrifice quality... unless games get even more demanding and I'm forced to use Nvidia's awful encoder, at which point I wouldn't even want to bother streaming... $275 is quite a bit for me right now, but I don't know how long it'll be until I can manage $600 for a full upgrade. I was considering saving up for it for the end of next year, but this 3.5GB VRAM crap is really killing me and the one game I mainly went Nvidia for ended up being the worst PC port in history and can't be totally fixed.

Just laying everything out to give an idea of the situation. If there were a way to assure 4.7GHz on the 4790K it would be an easy one.
 
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toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
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just get the 4790k and sell the 4670k then you will be covered for sure on the next gpu upgrade. with an oced 4790k you dont have to worry about getting another cpu for at least 2 more years.
 

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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just get the 4790k and sell the 4670k then you will be covered for sure on the next gpu upgrade. with an oced 4790k you dont have to worry about getting another cpu for at least 2 more years.

Yeah, that's pretty much why I'm considering it. After selling the 4670K and factoring JC3 for free, the actual upgrade cost is around $100. Maybe less, and I'm getting some cash gifts soon. I'm only hesitating because I'm somewhat afraid of wasting money.
 

toyota

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
12,957
1
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Yeah, that's pretty much why I'm considering it. After selling the 4670K and factoring JC3 for free, the actual upgrade cost is around $100. Maybe less, and I'm getting some cash gifts soon. I'm only hesitating because I'm somewhat afraid of wasting money.
that 100 bucks wont seem like anything over a 2 to 3 year period and you will be enjoying your games without worrying about hitching or reduced framerates in those games that need over 4 cores. the sooner you do it, the better you feel as you want have to be thinking about it. I almost hesitated going from a 2500k to 4770k and also 8gb to 16gb but in the end it was money well spent in both cases for how picky I am.
 

boozzer

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2012
1,549
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4670k is around 180$ on the used market right now. that is superb if you want to spent 70$ more to upgrade to 4790k. that is of course if you can get the deals on the 4790k. it is way worth it imo. would take care of your cpu needs for 5+ years.

unless zen pulls off magic and gives monster performance.
 

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
2,834
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4670k is around 180$ on the used market right now. that is superb if you want to spent 70$ more to upgrade to 4790k. that is of course if you can get the deals on the 4790k. it is way worth it imo. would take care of your cpu needs for 5+ years.

unless zen pulls off magic and gives monster performance.

Zen pulling off magic might be even better if it forces Intel to put more cores in the successor to Canonlake tbh. Then I could get a cheap upgrade to 6 or 8 cores in 3 years. If I can buy a $300 graphics card to last year and a half, getting 3 years out of ultimately $100 for a CPU is fine with me.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
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just get the 4790k and sell the 4670k then you will be covered for sure on the next gpu upgrade. with an oced 4790k you dont have to worry about getting another cpu for at least 2 more years.

I agree, especially since i7 4790K should be able to overclock to 4.7Ghz while his current i5 is stuck at 4.2Ghz.

Also the i7 doesn't just benefit for games either.

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I've seen some videos of i7-6600K @ 4.7Ghz getting 99-100% CPU usage in modern games which blew my mind.

Also, i7 4790K OC is an extremely competitive CPU, even against the i7 6700K. In that context, moving to an i7 4790K is a fraction of the cost to move to an i7 6700K but you get 90-93%+ of the performance. Chances are on the mainstream platform, there won't be much excitement until Icelake in 2018. Buying an i7 4790K guarantees that the OP will have a solid rig for 2-3 years as you said without needing to drop $500-600 on an entirely new platform with DDR4, etc. If money is an issue, this is a great way to 'future-proof' for a next GPU upgrade beyond his 970.

I'd pretty much cover the entire cost factoring in selling my 4670K and 7950, and JC3 is a factor to consider. .

Sounds like a deal. Someone who is on a tight budget will get a 7950 which is basically better than any GPU under $100 today (so you did a good deed for someone :)), and you get to buy a CPU that should be good to go for 2-3 years in games for minimal cash outlay. BTW, you don't need a $90-100 CPU cooler such as the Noctua NH-D15/S to max out a 4790K. Even a $40 Thermalright True Spirit 140 will do it for a fraction of the cost. Actually, you can use the Hyper Evo 212 to get to 4.5-4.6Ghz, maybe more.
 
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Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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I just realized that it's possible that my motherboard might be the reason my CPU couldn't handle 1.25V. That could be an issue if that's the case... Not really sure, though. It's possible that the entire issue was it needing much higher voltage to hit 4.4GHz since it booted with that but not with 4.5.
 
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Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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Wow, Newegg is crappy sometimes! I can't get the $25 discount because of the games the CPU comes with. So, now I need to decide if it's worth the hassle to go to Mirco Center (it's very out of the way for me), or if I want the games more.

The worst part is that I had a promo code for 5% off in my email which could have worked this out.

EDIT: Okay, I think that the game is worth a more than the ~$22 I save going to Microcenter, so I'm taking the Newegg option. Thanks guys! Hopefully this'll be a good one.
 
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