3570k or 2600k/2700k and pci-e 2.0 vs 3.0, help me!

[derpa]

I need some help! I'm planning to upgrade my old intel e8500 dual core and s775 chipset to the s1155 chipset (the s1150 chipset is not really worth it imo). I was planning to get the 3570k, which costs about €210,- but then I found a store which sells the 2600k for €225,- and the 2700k for €235,-.
I'd be happy to spend an extra 25 bucks to get an i7 instead of i5. Especially because I don't need the 3th gen iGPU function, as I have an HD6870 and plan to keep that one for a while. But though those 2nd gen cpu's have multithreading, which seems to be getting more and more important in general computing and gaming, they don't support pci-e 3.0. Plus I don't know what other Ivy Bridge functions or essentials I might be missing out on, so I'm really not sure about the pros and cons. What would you do? Some help would be very much appreciated, and thanks in advance for reading and commenting!

 

[Sangeet Khatri]

I would suggest sticking to the newer GPU's and CPU's

Better go with the 4th generation CPU which are significantly better than the 2nd generation processors from Intel.

Also the 6870 is two generations older and even a 100 dollar card would outperform it hence I suggest going for the newer graphics cards.

So how many parts do you need to upgrade? Can you be a bit more clear, so that we can suggest you something.

Also try to use paragraphs, it makes things easier to read.

 

[photonboy]

Sangeet is correct (mostly).

1) The i5-4670K is by far the best CPU in its price range. It's better than the i5-3570K but not by much. I don't understand your issues with the 1150 chipset as that is also superior to 1155 but again not by much.

2) As said, the GRAPHICS CARD is also a big factor for gaming so while you will get very noticeable results by upgrading to an i5-4670K, pretty much all games will be bottlenecked by the relatively much slower HD6870.

It's still a half decent card for many games. I had an HD5870 (almost identical) and could play Skyrim at 60FPS at nearly full settings at 1920x1080 (no HD pack or other mods).

3) The HD6870 is actually BETTER than a $100 card like an HD7770. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2012/02/15/amd-radeon-hd-7770-1gb-review/4

Depending on the card you have (some are overclocked) a new HD7770 might actually be IDENTICAL.

Other:
1) I advise 8GB of DDR3 1866MHz memory from G. Skill or other quality (2x4GB kit)
2) You'll need a new copy of Windows. I recommend Windows 8 64-bit OEM (and Start8 to avoid the new interface).
3) overclock the i5-4670K to 4.2GHz
4) test DDR3 memory via Memtest (bootable) and CPU via Prime95 in Windows
5) After installing Windows, get the MAIN CHIPSET and other drivers from the motherboard support site and AMD driver direct from AMD

I really can't advise to upgrade to a 2700k unless the savings over an i5-4670K are pretty significant.

 

[Sangeet Khatri]

Me too.. I would also suggest an i5 4670k over the i7 2700. Consider that too.

 

[derpa]

Thanks a lot for your comments!

Due to my current budget (trying to spend about €400,-) I'll probably replace my graphics card at a later stage.

My monitor has a 1680x1050 resolution and I find my HD6870 still performing well enough at that scale.

I basically need a new motherboard, cpu and memory. These are the biggest bottleneck in my current system, so I'm looking at replacing those first.

I was thinking of the 3570k over the 4670k because of less heat and better overclockability, which I think makes up for the 5-10% increase in performance at standard clock rates.

Only real upside of getting the 4670k (as far as I know) is a possible future upgrade to a 4th gen i7 or a Broadwell cpu. But ideally I don't want to upgrade again for atleast a year or three.

I'm not planning on using liquid cooling, and will (if performing well enough) stick with a stock cooler and stock cpu clocks at first.

Can I ask why you'd choose the 4670k over the 2700k? The 2700k passmark score is 8,882 whilst the 4670k scores 7,537.
And I can get the 2700k for just €25,- more than the 4670k.

Besides gaming I also do a lot of cpu extensive video editing and music making, so wouldn't I benefit more from an i7?

I also already have a legitimate copy of Windows 7 Professional 64 bits installed.

I was thinking of getting the following motherboard and memory (website is dutch):

ASRock Z77 Extreme6 (Had good experiences with Asrock, decent hardware and more affordable) (~€128)
http://www.alternate.nl/ASRock/ASRock+Z77_Extreme6,_socket_1155_moederbord/html/product/995859/?tk=7&lk=9446

Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600mhz (because of the low CL8 8-8-24 timings) (~€67,-)
http://www.alternate.nl/Crucial/Crucial+8_GB_DDR3-1600_Kit,_geheugen/html/product/1043894/

Again thanks a lot for your help!

 

[Vic 40]

How important is overclocking for you?

You can get the next combo,but you can't overclock with it,
http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/310418/intel-xeon-e3-1230v2-boxed.html
still hyper threading and pcie 3.0 support,no igp.
Passmark score=8894 seeing you find that important.

http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/306271/asrock-z77-extreme4/specificaties/
good board with sli/crossfire support and pcie 3.0 slots.

 

[Sangeet Khatri]

1. Okay, if you are doing Video Editing, then you are better off with the extra threads of the i7 2700k.

2. Get any decent Z77 board. Asrock Z77 Extreme 3 or Z77 Extreme 4 are pretty good boards for overclocking. Also Asus Z77 boards are good boards. So go for the board that suits you more.

3. Air coolers are better than water coolers. Phanteks PH-TC14PE and Noctua NH-D14 are seriously good CPU coolers for overclocking. They are also quiet. So, you are pretty well with any of them. Go for one which suits you more.