Question CPU upgrade necessary?

[SkyRock1986]

I currently use my rig as a gaming machine. I still have a i5 4690k OC'd to 4.2Ghz. I currently have no issues and still can run just about anything on Ultra with my GTX 1080 taking over most of the work. However, as you already know the i5 4690k is not a new cpu by any means. I do not feel like I run into any bottle necking or bad temps or slow down. But perhaps it is just what I am use too? I do not know. My question for you is, should I upgrade this chip or keep it? If I should upgrade it what would be actually worth the upgrade to see a noticeable difference in performance I guess... Is my chip obsolete now? Should I be worried about near future when it comes to continuing gaming?

 

[clutchc]

Personally, I would not call the Haswell quad core obsolete. Tom's Hdwr. still ranks it in the top tier. A lot depends on the games you like to play, the settings you like to use, the number of players (multiplayer) you have on the server with you, if you have other apps running while gaming, and the screen res/refresh of your display.
Many newer games are able to really utilize more than 4 threads, so you do have that limitation. But if your GPU can still hit 100% usage when needed, it's OK in my book. One of my machines still has a i7-3770/GTX 1070. I still get good frame rates at 1080p/60Hz on Ultra/near Ultra with it.

All that being said, if you have the itch to upgrade, it would not be a waste. You should be able to get a decent buck for the old CPU/board/RAM if you sell it.

 

[ElectrO_90]

The only upgrade is i7-4790k for the extra 4 threads
When you consider that, and the price - is it worth it? Only your bank balance knows, because anything you upgrade will require new CPU/RAM and Mobo which will probably run into $500+
then would it be faster? Sure it would, by how much.....10-20%

 

[nick_v15]

"necessary" is what you need.Your pc will notify you when to upgrade.

 

[clutchc]

@ Electro_90
The i7-4790K still has only 4 cores, unless you meant threads. (Hyper Threading)

 

[SkyRock1986]

I guess, I am just very intrigued by how well my Haswell i5 4690k kept up... Seems almost unreasonable in comparison to other CPUS. When I bought my supplies to build my rig 3 years ago I decided to go for this chip because it was said to have extreme overclock capability. I basically like to play all games at ULTRA. I like to 100% everything. But I believe my GTX 1080 is just basically taking over maybe? Let me ask you this, If I was to upgrade my cpu what would you recommend that would pair nicely with my 1080 and possibly down the road a RTX 2080 once I know its being utilized more. I understand I would need a 1151 motherboard as well. so if you can give insight on that, that would be great. Just like everyone else I want the best at a good price... Ready go... lol

 

[SkyRock1986]

So, let me ask this now. Is the i7 4790k show a improved processing difference in "gaming" over my current i5 4690k? In other words does the current price of the i7 4790k also worth the performance difference over the i5 4690k? Will I see any noticeable difference in gaming, frames, etc...

 

[SkyRock1986]

If I can make sense out of the cpu upgrade and keep my current motherboard I will. However if the difference is very minimal and would only make sense to upgrade beyond the 4790, Then at that point I also need to upgrade my motherboard from 1150 to 1151. Trying to find the smartest monetary commitment here with the most performance.

 

[clutchc]

The Hyper Threading will help if your games can utilize more than 4 threads. I went form a i5-4690K to a i7-4790K on my Haswell build. But my gaming didn't make a lot of difference back then. It really depends on the parameters I mentioned above. If you're still satisfied with the i5, saving for a totally new platform might be wiser than a CPU upgrade. (but this is coming from someone that upgrades too often himself)

 

[ElectrO_90]

It's hard to say as modern games use more cores/threads so yes it would benefit.
Older games will not change hardly at all - only in increased Speed.

Its either $150+ for a second hand CPU or bite the bullet and spend $500 - if you really think your system is struggling.

Personally I don't think it is, not with that setup, but you know best as it is your computer. Does it lag?

Just so you know this is the system I am on right now
i7-2600k with 1070 - games perfectly for me - running at 4.4Ghz - not lagging in any games I play - all games well over 60fps 72hz monitor
My other machine is 17-4790k, Rx580 - doesn't lag in any games, well over 100 fps - as I have a 144hz monitor

So both these machines are 4c/8t machines - all do me fine

If I could upgrade I would - but I think I have a good year left in them, but my next upgrade will be ryzen 3000 (if the hype is real)

 

[clutchc]

+1^
Add to that the fact that i7 Haswells are selling at increased prices now due to the fact that they are not made anymore. So you'd be looking at paying inflated prices or buying used. Buying used with a K processor is dicey.

 

[InvalidError]

A CPU upgrade is 'necessary' when you no longer feel like your current one is delivering acceptable performance for what you do. Since you are still happy with it in pretty much everything, then an upgrade sounds completely unnecessary at this point regardless of how old the CPU might be.

I'm still perfectly fine with my i5-3470, no plan to upgrade unless I am impressed by Ryzen 3000 enough to get the upgrade itch.

 

[SkyRock1986]

@Clutch good point. Thank you for mentioning that. I think I will hold off on my cpu upgrade then. I honestly am not noticing lag with my current setup at 1440p and 165hz even. But its time is gotta be around the corner soon, I just want to have a plan on what upgrade when that time comes.

 

[SkyRock1986]

A CPU upgrade is 'necessary' when you no longer feel like your current one is delivering acceptable performance for what you do. Since you are still happy with it in pretty much everything, then an upgrade sounds completely unnecessary at this point regardless of how old the CPU might be.

I'm still perfectly fine with my i5-3470, no plan to upgrade unless I am impressed by Ryzen 3000 enough to get the upgrade itch.

Thanks you are right, I will wait.

 

[geofelt]

Sometimes we have the "itch" to upgrade.

You now have a well balanced system that seems to serve you well.

If you have some upgrade funds, perhaps there are some other upgrades that might serve you better.
If you do not use a ssd for windows, that would be very high on my list.
Perhaps you would get a better gaming experience with a higher resolution wide screen monitor.

If you think a processor upgrade would be good, run this simpleminded test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

You are now on a very good 4th gen processor.
In the Intel world, the 9th gen processors are the latest.
You would get a very good boost in as little as a i5-9600K.
Not only would you get more cores, but you can look to a clock rate in the 5.0 range.

If one looks at task manager while gaming, you will see activity on all threads.
That does not mean that the game can make EFFECTIVE use of many threads, it is just windows spreading out the activity across many threads.
Remember that game developers want the largest possible market for their games.
If they develop a game that requires 8 threads to run, they will not sell many.

A high thread count processor is most effective with multiplayer games with a large number of participants.
Strategy games, sims and MMO tend to depend on the performance of the single master task.

What to do now???

That is up to you, and your wallet.
If budget is not a big problem, I say go and scratch that "itch"