Can the i5 6400 play new games

[arfaby]

I've searched around on the internet and have found that most new games that release on ps4/xbox1 and pc now use 8 cores. The game recommended requirements are i7 cpus from not that long ago e.g. i7 4790. I was just wondering if the i5 6400 which i have already ordered be able to play new games like fallout 4, assassin's creed syndicate, gta v, witcher 3 on ultra 1080p. This will be used alongside a gtx 970. I've seen reviews of fallout 4 having a 20fps increase between a haswell i5 and i7.

 

[synphul]

Yes it will play games just fine. Ps4 and xbox use a different kind of processor, a low powered weak 8 core design to keep temps under control. While they have 8 cores they're 1.6 to 1.75ghz, not 3.5ghz like pc cpu's. The consoles are also unique and designed purely for gaming where pc's are designed to do a number of tasks and the two aren't really comparable. Smart phones have quad core soc processors in them but are no match for an i5 in a desktop or laptop.

The i7's listed as suggested specs aren't 8 core, they're quad core with hyperthreading and often the 'suggested' cpu requirements list the top mainstream chips. There's little difference in fps between an i7 and i5 in over 90% of the games out there and yet i7's often dominate the 'recommended' specs without any credible reason why other than they're the top of the mainstream lineup.

4460's and 4590's also game well and they're older and slightly slower than the i5 6400. It'll play all those games listed well and won't bottleneck a gtx 970 at all. I'm not sure which reviews showed a 20fps difference between i5's and i7's. Gamer's nexus showed a 15fps difference so it's possible that fallout 4 is taking advantage of hyperthreading. Also keeping in mind the 4790k is 500mhz faster than the i5 4690k so it's not an apples to apples comparison. The 4690k can be oc'd to the same speeds as a stock 4790k, it would be interesting to see the fps differences then.

Techspot also did a review on fallout 4 where they compared an i7 6700k, i7 4770k and i5 4690k. The 4690k and 4770k are at the same speeds with an 8fps lead to the i7 so hyperthreading does help some. The 6700k is also hyperthreaded but it's 500mhz faster than the 4770k and manages 7fps higher than the older i7 so apparently cpu speed also factors into it. That could be a potential limiting factor with the 6400 on that particular game since it lacks hyperthreading and the ability to be overclocked faster. Overclocking would give it more of an edge.

http://www.techspot.com/review/1089-fallout-4-benchmarks/page5.html

 

[spentshells]

The extra few bucks is worth it. Yiu will want to at least go with the 6500. But the 6400 will do, but you might as well clear 3Ghz