Question Comparison of CPUs

[abletudu]

I want to buy a game that the minimum requirement for a CPU is the Intel i5-6600K but in order to use that CPU I would have to get a new motherboard because mine has an LGA1155 socket and that one needs a LGA1151 socket. I am planning on upgrading my CPU from the i3-3220 to a i7-3770. Would this run the game?

 

[Lutfij]

How about you elaborate what game are we talking about here? How about you list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.
and we can move forward with a possible upgrade path or suggestion on playing the game.

 

[abletudu]

My current CPU is the i3-3220 but I was thinking of upgrading to the i7-3770 because it is within my budget for a CPU upgrade.
The CPU cooler came with the i3-3220 CPU and I was going to just swap the CPU at this stage.
My motherboard is Gigabyte z77x-D3H with an LGA1155 socket and it would support the i7-3770
I have 16GB RAM
I have 1 SSD of 1TB and a secondary HHD of 500GB
My GPU is he GeForce GTX 960 with 2GB VRAM
My PSU is 100W
My chassis is full tower with 5 fans not counting the cooler fan
OS is Windows 10
Monitor 27" PLL2410W
BIOS F16

 

[jnjnilson6]

My current CPU is the i3-3220 but I was thinking of upgrading to the i7-3770 because it is within my budget for a CPU upgrade.
The CPU cooler came with the i3-3220 CPU and I was going to just swap the CPU at this stage.
My motherboard is Gigabyte z77x-D3H with an LGA1155 socket and it would support the i7-3770
I have 16GB RAM
I have 1 SSD of 1TB and a secondary HHD of 500GB
My GPU is he GeForce GTX 960 with 2GB VRAM
My PSU is 100W
My chassis is full tower with 5 fans not counting the cooler fan
OS is Windows 10
Monitor 27" PLL2410W
BIOS F16

Hello!

Well, I think you'd meant the PSU is 1000W?

The Core i7-3770 is still quite powerful and if your GPU is fast enough for said game there should be no issues running it. Better update to the Core i7-3770 if it would be the cheaper option. It would really be quite a lot faster than the i3-3220.

 

[Lutfij]

You still haven't mentioned what game we're talking about here. You also didn't mention the make and model of your PSU and it's age. Stating the advertised wattage of the unit isn't the entire story of said PSU. If your system doesn't meet the game's minimum system requirements, you're looking at an upgrade to another platform, not just a CPU upgrade.

 

[jnjnilson6]

You still haven't mentioned what game we're talking about here. You also didn't mention the make and model of your PSU and it's age. Sating the advertised wattage of the unit isn't the entire story of said PSU. If your system doesn't meet the game's minimum system requirements, you're looking at an upgrade to another platform, not just a CPU upgrade.

Very true... I still think though that one of the biggest differences one may witness in terms of performance today (not only in gaming) would be when one switches from 2 cores / 4 threads to 4 cores / 8 threads. It has to do with the way software's written, I suppose. The Core i7-3770 upgrade from the i3-3220 for the OP may be even bigger in terms of performance difference than, say, upgrading the i7-3770 to an 8 core / 16 thread CPU.

In the gaming world switching from 2 cores / 4 threads to 4 cores / 8 threads would be a humongous improvement.

Otherwise, sadly, Windows 10 support has only a year to go and Windows 11 support stretches from Intel 8th gen upward.

And I agree perfectly with what you say.

 

[jnjnilson6]

My current CPU is the i3-3220 but I was thinking of upgrading to the i7-3770 because it is within my budget for a CPU upgrade.
The CPU cooler came with the i3-3220 CPU and I was going to just swap the CPU at this stage.
My motherboard is Gigabyte z77x-D3H with an LGA1155 socket and it would support the i7-3770
I have 16GB RAM
I have 1 SSD of 1TB and a secondary HHD of 500GB
My GPU is he GeForce GTX 960 with 2GB VRAM
My PSU is 100W
My chassis is full tower with 5 fans not counting the cooler fan
OS is Windows 10
Monitor 27" PLL2410W
BIOS F16

I think the i7-3770 would be a terrific upgrade, especially for the money. It would open up doors the i3-3220 may never venture toward and combined with the GTX 960 which still has some punch left, the overall difference should be tremendous and the machine would be able to drift into mid-stream and provide a good kick for the buck in games. The Core i7-3770 would support well any GPU that is within x2 times faster than the GTX 960 so a moderate GPU upgrade may not be out of the list until the time comes for an entirely new system.

There are two things to think about at this point.

1. Windows 10 support ends next year. However, I think software and games will continue to support it for quite a bit more.

2. Your PSU Wattage should be high enough to support any potential future graphics card upgrades.

PS. Have had a Core i7-3770K (managed to overclock it up to 5 GHz w/ Corsair H110 water cooling) back in the day alongside 2x Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz in CrossFire and the chip was pure gold.

 

[abletudu]

Thanks That helps a lot

 

[geofelt]

I would first try the game with your i3-3220. It has 4 threads and a passmark rating of 2264. The single thread rating is 1727.
By comparison, the I5-6600K also has 4 threads and a passmark rating of 6325; single thread 2331
Because each processor has 4 thread capability, your cpu will work, just not as well as a 6600K.
The i7-3770 sells for about $25 on ebay.
It also has 8 threads and a passmark rating of 6411 and a single thread rating of 2074.
That is as good as you can do without a motherboard change.

An inexpensive experiment.

 

[stonecarver]

I am planning on upgrading my CPU from the i3-3220 to a i7-3770. Would this run the game?

Being as there is only about 5% difference between the Intel i5-6600K and the i7 3770 not a big issue.

We don't know the motherboard you have being as early 1155 sockets don't have the set of instructions to run the i7 3770 where the i7 2600 slips right in and works.

Just do some quick homework to see if your board supports the i7 3770.

 

[geofelt]

Being as there is only about 5% difference between the Intel i5-6600K and the i7 3770 not a big issue.

We don't know the motherboard you have being as early 1155 sockets don't have the set of instructions to run the i7 3770 where the i7 2600 slips right in and works.

Just do some quick homework to see if your board supports the i7 3770.

I did, and here is the support list:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z77X-D3H-rev-10/support#support-cpu

 

[Hotrod2go]

Wow, this system is already over a decade old & the OP still wants to hang on to it & even upgrade the CPU?
Take a bigger picture look & ask yourself - would it not be better to save up & get a low end system today? (if budget is a problem)
The performance increase with future satisfaction will be unbeatable compared to decade + technology in the realm of PC gaming.

 

[abletudu]

I built that system from an article I found at the time in a magazine. It listed all the parts needed and I put it together. Eventhoug I might not be that computer savvy I have a background of being both a TV repairman as well as a Ground Control Radar repairman in the Army. So I guess I can change computer components with a little push as to which ones to use.