CPU Upgrade for my Gaming Rig i5 4690K / i7 4790K / i5 6600K / i7 6700K

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
gaurav0110

gaurav0110

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2011
84
0
18,630
Hi All,
Firstly, I have done all the research possible by browsing through threads, watching videos with benchmarks etc but it got all the more confusing as there are different opinions on different Sites.

Current Parts that will go to my next upgrade
MSI GTX970 4G GAMING
Dell E228WFP 22 inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor (max resolution 1680 * 1050)
Cooler Master HAF 912 Advanced Chasis (Cabinet)
Cooler Master N620 CPU Heatsink with 2*120 mm blue LED fan
Corsair TX 750W PSU

My current CPU is a Quad core Q9550, so next upgrade is Mobo+CPU+RAM. I will do only Gaming on my system without recording or parallel tasking. I will keep this build for next 4 years.

Query 1: Do I need a i5 or i7 for gaming only? I will run games like Assassin's Creed Unity/Syndicate, BF, Batman Arkham Knight, GTA V, COD, Metro 2033, Far Cry 4, Witcher 3 etc. Various threads provide different answers... Some are able to max out things with i5 where as some regret not getting i7. Which would suit my needs?

Query 2: If the answer to Query 1 is i5, what would you suggest 4690K or 6600K? If the answer to Query 1 is i7, what would you suggest 4790K or 6700K? Please consider the price to performance ratio as I don't want to spend too much without getting an equivalent performance upgrade.

Also, please let me know if any further Information needs to be mentioned. Any pointers is much appreciated :)
 
Solution
DubbleClick
That's because many people here don't recommend parts on actual benchmarks but on personal desires or whatever else. If you want to make sure, just check benchmarks yourself. Searching for 'I7 4790k review' or 'I5 4690k review' on google isn't rocket science, I promise. ;)
Just make sure to stay away from youtube and check how renown the websites are you're looking at.

If that's too much hassle for you to put in, I'll just repeat myself once again: hyperthreading does currently not offer a noticeable advantage in the majority of games. Neither does cache size. Clock speed does. It's very unlikely that games become "more optimized towards hyperthreading" because of various reasons. For a gaming build, I'd choose the I5 4690k any day...
Sort by date Sort by votes
DubbleClick

DubbleClick

Admirable
Jun 16, 2014
2,116
1
6,460
Meanwhile an I5 4690k overclocked to 4.2ghz (which is well doable on the stock cooler) gives you better gaming performance for the same money.

Out of the games you mentioned The Witcher 3 is the only one that shows decent gains from going from an I5 to an I7. Other than that, they're "equal" on the same clock speed.

As for slylake cpus, we don't know prices or an exact release date yet (I think?). If you're willing to wait around 1-5 months before buying, wait. If not, an I5 4690k will do too. The improvement lies around 10%.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Rhezner

Rhezner

Admirable
Jun 24, 2015
1,949
0
6,460
Hyperthreading is a good trade - off for overclocking. and 4.2ghz isn't that easy to get on the stock cooler. Intel stock coolers are crap. the only way an i5 would beat a xeon e3 1231 v3 is if you invested in good cooling.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
gaurav0110

gaurav0110

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2011
84
0
18,630
More confusion with another option xeon e3 1231 v3....

As per my understanding the better clock helps in games to get better Frames. As mentioned earlier, I do have CPU cooler "Cooler Master N620 CPU Heatsink with 2*120 mm blue LED fan". I am not sure how good it is? How much will I be able to overclock i5 4690K using this cooler?

Also, The Witcher 3 and Batman Arkham Knight both recommend i7 as of now. Is the gaming industry moving towards hyperthreading? I do want to keep my PC for 3-4 years.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DubbleClick

DubbleClick

Admirable
Jun 16, 2014
2,116
1
6,460
Don't look at games recommendations. You'll see fx 8350s recommended over I5s, which makes no sense. Current gen I5s are much faster than first gen I7s anyway.

Generally speaking, games tend to scale good with clock speed, not so much with hyperthreading. A 4.2ghz I5 4690k is going to "beat" a xeon e3-1231v3.

As for overclocking, don't expect snything. What you reach might range anywhere from 3.8ghz to >5.0ghz. With a decent cooler 4.6ghz is about average.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
gaurav0110

gaurav0110

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2011
84
0
18,630
So, that means I need i5 and not i7...right? Will I be able to reach 60 fps on Witcher 3 and Batman Arkham Knight with i5? Also, is the cooler "Cooler Master N620 CPU Heatsink with 2*120 mm blue LED fan" still good to have, will it fit on the new i5?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
gaurav0110

gaurav0110

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2011
84
0
18,630
Hey Dubbleclick, can use some pointers here...

This is getting even more confusing, Rhezner, I think overclocking is a big plus as it will help the CPU to survive longer later on. My Q9550 still lives on at 3.8 GHz only as I am able to overclock it. Hyperthreading is definately beneficial but I think games will benefit from more clock speed like = 4 GHz or more over Xeon's 3.4 GHz, don't you agree?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
utgotye

utgotye

Admirable
Jun 8, 2015
1,732
0
6,460
If that were true, why not just get a FX9590 and overclock it?

If price is not a factor and you know you are going to OC, wait for Skylake or get the 4790K. If it is a factor and you know you want to OC, get the 4690K. If price is the only factor and/or you aren't going to OC, get the Xeon.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
gaurav0110

gaurav0110

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2011
84
0
18,630
hey utgotye, I hope it was as simple as you stated above :p

Price is not a factor but I will not spend unnecessary just to get a 4 fps difference unless there are some considerable added advantages to hyperthreading in Gaming with 4790K or if we can say that Games in 2016 and 2017 will all use hyperthreading.

Price for 4690K and Xeon is the same. OC vs hyperthreading; which would benefit more in games for current and future games atleast 3 years from now?

I am waiting for Skylake price and gaming benchmarks but just want to decide on i5/i7 confusion. Every thread that I have come across advices differently. Some say i5 4690K is sufficient for single 970 and 1080p, some say i7 is the real thing and now Xeon threads suggest its a balanced processor but lacks speed... very very confusing guys....
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DubbleClick

DubbleClick

Admirable
Jun 16, 2014
2,116
1
6,460
That's because many people here don't recommend parts on actual benchmarks but on personal desires or whatever else. If you want to make sure, just check benchmarks yourself. Searching for 'I7 4790k review' or 'I5 4690k review' on google isn't rocket science, I promise. ;)
Just make sure to stay away from youtube and check how renown the websites are you're looking at.

If that's too much hassle for you to put in, I'll just repeat myself once again: hyperthreading does currently not offer a noticeable advantage in the majority of games. Neither does cache size. Clock speed does. It's very unlikely that games become "more optimized towards hyperthreading" because of various reasons. For a gaming build, I'd choose the I5 4690k any day, unless I wouldn't overclock.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
gaurav0110

gaurav0110

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2011
84
0
18,630
thanks for the pointer, so I would then settle for i5 4690K. Can you suggest how good is the "Cooler Master N620 CPU Heatsink with 2*120 mm blue LED fan" with 4690K. Will it fit on the CPU and how much can I overclock using this (can I reach 4.0 GHz)?

Also, should I buy the i5 4690K now or wait for skylake i5 6600K to come out?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
gaurav0110

gaurav0110

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2011
84
0
18,630
ohhh is it? 4GH on stock, that's cool. I guess my cooler should also reach that much atleast. Do we have any idea on the pricing of skylake? What do you suggest, will it be worth for 10% improvement; 6600K over 4690K?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DubbleClick

DubbleClick

Admirable
Jun 16, 2014
2,116
1
6,460
Intels cpus seem to always release for roughly the same price, I guess the i5 6600k won't be more expensive, at most a little more cost for the motherboard. DDR4 ram isn't really an improvement (in terms of performance) over ddr3, but it's well priced at the moment. I'd probably wait the month and see how the motherboards are priced, if they're roughly as pricey as z97 ones, skylake it is. Otherwise haswell.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A

alexander_iksander

Reputable
Nov 11, 2015
22
0
4,510


well, since it's been a few months since you replied to this topic I want to ask if you have the same opinion ? games like the witcher 3, fallout 4, attila total war seem to benefit from having an i7 over an i5 ?! I'm trying to decide between i5 6600k & i7 4690k since they are close in price ( I need something that would last me for 4-5 years)

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom