Best CPUs (Archive)

[RSQViper]

Seeing as I can't drop the 6700K or the 5820K since the are not 2011 socket, what would you recommend? I game AND stream so I need a high-end processor and mine is starting to cap out.

Drop a 4930K in there. Or a 3930K, if you find a really good deal. The 2 extra cores should help a lot with the streaming.
You can also try Shadowplay/Raptr GVR to reduce the load on the CPU.

Wow, the 4930K is pricey though. $640. Would it just be better to go 6700K and new MoBo then even with new DDR4 requirement? Maybe that would all come to the same price as just getting a 4930K. Although it's 6 vs 4 cores. Gha... that's a pricey CPU.

 

[pvgpvg]

Seeing as I can't drop the 6700K or the 5820K since the are not 2011 socket, what would you recommend? I game AND stream so I need a high-end processor and mine is starting to cap out.

Drop a 4930K in there. Or a 3930K, if you find a really good deal. The 2 extra cores should help a lot with the streaming.
You can also try Shadowplay/Raptr GVR to reduce the load on the CPU.

Wow, the 4930K is pricey though. $640. Would it just be better to go 6700K and new MoBo then even with new DDR4 requirement? Maybe that would all come to the same price as just getting a 4930K. Although it's 6 vs 4 cores. Gha... that's a pricey CPU.

I was really thinking in the used market. You should be able to find them for $350-$400, maybe.
You can even drop a 6-core lga2011 xeon in there, the only catch is you can't overclock them. But they are very worthy, IMO.
A Xeon E5-1650 is a 6-core CPU that you can find for less than $200.

Check out this supported CPU list and search the market. I'm sure you can find a good deal on a 6-core.

 

[IdolizeDT]

Your cores/threads for AMD are wrong. You have them setup like Intel's Hyperthreading.

The FX-8350 should actually be treated as a 4 core 8 thread CPU. They presented its specifications correctly.
Each pair of cores shares resources and whenever you put all 8 cores to 100% you will get lower performance than putting only 4 cores to full use. That's because they're constrained and have to wait on each other. This is a fake 8 core. Yes, call it an 8 core. The actually usable stuff inside it are 4 cores plus a bit of help from time to time from 4 other cores. Tom's Hardware is correct - what you're getting is 4 core performance marketed as 8 core stuff. Hyperthreading 2.0 / à la AMD.

If the FX is a true 8-Core, hey, there's a dual-core Pentium 4 we never knew was ever marketed and it's not the Pentium D.
i3s are also quad core, following that same logic.

They state the exact same thing that AMD themselves state, so I see no fault in it.

 

[Messias04]

I would like some help!
What is best for csgo - i7-6700k or i7-5820k. I am gonna stream and play csgo.
Thanks for the help!

 

[Messias04]

I would like some help!
What is best for csgo - i7-6700k or i7-5820k. I am gonna stream and play csgo.
Thanks for the help!

I am gonna start a forumpost.

 

[dante_410]

i have a Xeon E3 1280 v3... and i love it!!!
it's very similar to and i7 4770 or the xeon 1231 v3... paired with a GTX 970, ufff...
im very happy with my rig...

 

[edwincj26]

Hi guys I am new here and still a beginner, from what I have known. Intel I5 processor doesn't have hyperthreading. Correct me if I am wrong. But the spec under "cores(thread)" for i5 category like the i56500 in the chart above is 4(4). Does it mean it has hyperthreading?

 

[Onus]

The 4(4) notation indicates 4 cores, and 4 threads, so no hyperthreading. An i3 would be listed as "2(4)" indicating 2 cores and 4 threads, so it does have hyperthreading.

 

[edwincj26]

The 4(4) notation indicates 4 cores, and 4 threads, so no hyperthreading. An i3 would be listed as "2(4)" indicating 2 cores and 4 threads, so it does have hyperthreading.

Hi thanks for your explanation. I understand it now. And what about the AMD processor, for example the FX8300 which have 4(8). The 4(8) in AMD processor is consider a hypertransport right?

 

[Onixwolf200]

I'm almost in the same boat as morerice. I have an i7 980 hexi core. To upgrade to a 5820k, a 6700k or a Xeon 1230. Or keep the 980 and more ram

 

[HiTek133]

Here are the best gaming CPUs for the money. These processors offer the best performance at their price and are suitable for overclocking.

Best CPUs : Read more

FX - 9590, a cheap 8 core 5ghz turbo overclock processor, what's not to love?

 

[CerianK]

Hi thanks for your explanation. I understand it now. And what about the AMD processor, for example the FX8300 which have 4(8). The 4(8) in AMD processor is consider a hypertransport right?

'HyperTransport' is a technology used for connecting cores together (in AMD's and other's CPUs), and not really related to Intel's 'Hyper-Threading'.

In the FX8300, the '4' are the AMD 'Modules' and the '8' are the 'Execution Cores'. AMD's technology is informally known as 'Clustered Multi-Threading' or 'CMT'.

 

[rgd1101]

Here are the best gaming CPUs for the money. These processors offer the best performance at their price and are suitable for overclocking.

Best CPUs : Read more

FX - 9590, a cheap 8 core 5ghz turbo overclock processor, what's not to love?

Some motherboard that "support" it, don't work with it.

 

[CerianK]

FX - 9590, a cheap 8 core 5ghz turbo overclock processor, what's not to love?

I used to build my own PCs, but I've watched 4 of them go obsolete and/or get tired over the years, so I bought a used Dell Precision T3500 PC late last year for $400 with an Intel W3690 Xeon (and Win 7 Ult + 1TB hard drive!). That CPU is only 10% slower than the FX-9590. If I throw a good GPU into it and add USB 3 ports it should be VR ready. In either case, we're talking about dated CPUs, the Xeon being a little older. This is going to be a good year, and has the potential to make people regret new purchases unless they wait until after Zen is released (due to increased pressure against Intel). Also, even if Polaris isn't targeting the high end like Nvidia is, it will still have a measurable effect on GPU prices.

 

[ceh4702]

The prices are way too high for an i-3 6100. At least correct that.

 

[hamoo]

there isn't any way i'm building a system with a 140 watt processor. no. crossfire or sli ? 350 watts ? no way. no.
i measure upgrades in watts. my last video upgrade was from a 260 watt card to one with 65 watts. my next cpu upgrade will be from 95 watt to 35 watt, video card optional

 

[edwincj26]

Hi thanks for your explanation. I understand it now. And what about the AMD processor, for example the FX8300 which have 4(8). The 4(8) in AMD processor is consider a hypertransport right?

'HyperTransport' is a technology used for connecting cores together (in AMD's and other's CPUs), and not really related to Intel's 'Hyper-Threading'.

In the FX8300, the '4' are the AMD 'Modules' and the '8' are the 'Execution Cores'. AMD's technology is informally known as 'Clustered Multi-Threading' or 'CMT'.

Hi, thanks for the answer. It's clear for me now to differentiate it.

 

[Sam Hain]

RIP my i7 4790K

Not quite... The 4790K and it's predecessor the 4770K are still great contenders for years to come. Rule #1 don't panic. Rule #2... Refer to rule #1.

 

[Sam Hain]

RIP my i7 4790K

Forgot to make note, that when new hardware comes out, especially CPU/GPU... Folks all of the sudden think their current component(s) are made "obsolete".

Case-in-point... You won't believe how many GTX 980 Ti owners are literally scrambling on forums to ditch theirs for the GTX 1080. Better GPU, yes. Worth $700+ dollars for price-to-performance differential between the two, um no. Same logic applies to your 4790K.

 

[jtknights08]

microcenter has the 6500 for 180 and $30 off motherboard, the 6600k and 4790k are only other two with discount... go grab a h110 mb, i5 6500 and a soon to be released 1070 for 570+tax... fill in rest with crap and you're good to go

 

[Bram387]

I am building a 4k gaming pc with a gtx 1080 which cpu and motherboard do you recomend want to upgrade it to sli after a couple of months

 

[Fanataly]

Good article

Got 4770k here

Will not change it

Hope we see beast cpu in future

 

[Sam Hain]

I am building a 4k gaming pc with a gtx 1080 which cpu and motherboard do you recomend want to upgrade it to sli after a couple of months

If you are going to exploit SLI to it's fullest, I'd recommend a Z170 motherboard with a PLX chip, which allows for a 16x/16x PCI-e lane GPU config coupled with an 1151 Skylake CPU (6600K will do fine and can be OC'd). Off the top of my head, EVGA and Gigabyte may be the only manufacturers that do this, within the Z170 line.

Some will state that there's not much difference between 16x/16x and 16x/8x SLI. But note that one word... Difference. So, it does matter as more GPU data transfer translates into a higher FPS count. Even if only a few performance gains from this, take them as these PLX chipped motherboards are not astronomically priced.

Depending on what else you utilize your PC for, i.e. heavy video edits, multitasking (beyond the norm) a X99 may be a better option than Skylake. Intel just released a new line of CPUs (Broadwell-E; of these the 6800K or 6850K would be plenty good/least expensive) and drop into a 2011-v3 motherboard for even better multi-GPU support; faster GPU lanes/data transfer speed(s). Going this route however, depending on what you choose (CPU and motherboard models), can also be far more costly to your budget vs. the Skylake option.

Also, for 4K gaming... Even the "mighty" GTX 1080 as it stands with current offerings would require a 2-way SLI setup to reach 50-60+ FPS range with settings maxed/ultra; newer factory OC models that are coming will increase performance numbers but will also incur a premium cost.

4K is a VERY demanding resolution... For me, getting 30-mid 40's FPS in games at 4K or any resolution is not only unacceptable, it is laughable but others are happy with it. To each their own... But If going that high on pixel-count for a pretty picture why not have FPS to go with it? Just my opinion here.

Hope this answers your question(s) to some degree.