Current CPU vs. Core i7

[Rigs]

I'm considering dropping around 6-700 bucks on a GPU + CPU + MoBo.

I currently have a relatively older rig running an AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1100T Processor and a Radeon 6950.

After reviewing a couple games, including Dying Light and Star Citizen, on "canirunit.com", It seems that my rig just isn't up to par anymore.

I was thinking about picking up a i7 4790K or 4820K (Really anything in the area of $300), as well as a GTX 970. Of course, I'd also have to pick up a new MoBo. I've already got 16gb of Ripjaw memory with Win7 64bit.

Do you guys have any advice or suggestions for me?

Edit: Is it really worth picking up 2 extra cores (with a hexcore CPU) when doing so would drop the clock speed by about 0.5ghz?

P.S. I've always been a bit of an AMD fanboy, but lately I've been altogether unimpressed by AMD/ATI's performance. I've had a ton of issues with their drivers as well. I'd rather spend a couple extra bucks and switch to Intel/nVidia

 

[rolli59]

For gaming stick with the LGA1150 platform and the 4790K matched with a good Z97 board it is as good as it gets for gaming.

 

[herrwizo]

It isn't the core count that matters here: it is the raw speed per core. Each core in i5 or i7 is much faster than Phenom's for gaming. Games don't use more than 4 cores anyway, most of them even less than that. In fact, you don't need i7 unless you are doing video editing - i5 4690K will be a perfect pick if you plan to overclock - if not, even i5 4460 would do just fine.

 

[Winly]

OK, i7 4790K is a faster CPU compare to the i7 4820K. The i7 4790K performs better than the i7 4820K.
Also take a look here http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2226172/4790k-4820k.html
The GTX 970 is a very good choice, very solid GPU.
for the mobo take a look here, very good suggestions
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mainstream-gaming-z97-motherboard,3824.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/enthusiast-z97-motherboard-overclock,3893-27.html

 

[loki1944]

And the 290X is faster than the 970 for less money, but with more power draw and louder fan. I've got two 290Xs in one of my rigs and they are phenomenal cards. You can get the MSI R9 290X for $310 on newegg right now: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127773&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=. Don't bother with anything over a quad core platform (Z87/97) unless you're going with 3 way SLI where the extra PCIE lanes on the 5930K help.

 

[Rigs]

Are there any decent LGA1150 mobos that are closer to the 100 dollar mark?

 

[loki1944]

I had an MSI z87 G45 and it was trash, it fried and took 2 drives with it. I replaced it with an Asus Maximus VI Formula; no such issues and great board. I also built a rig with an Asus Q87M-E/CSM, again, great board (but mATX) which is around the $116 mark; I have an Asus Rampage V Extreme for my X99 rig and it's a good board, but has some bios issues (nothing show stopping). My advice is to treat mobos like PSUs, get the best you can afford that fits your hardware; because when it goes out it often doesn't go out alone. For me, Asus boards have proven their worth. The Asus Q87M-E/CSM is a nice little board, but it's got that stupid thing with the SATA ports facing you, which makes slapping in GPUs a pain, it supports Xfire, but not SLI. It is not an overclocking board, but the difference between an overclocked processor and locked in the same class is not exactly mind blowing, especially when you're talking quad cores.

 

[Winly]

Are there any decent LGA1150 mobos that are closer to the 100 dollar mark?

don go cheap on components, specially a mobo which is a very important part of your system.

 

[DubbleClick]

It's beyond me how people can actually advise on buying $200 motherboards. At least $80 are spent into unnecessary "features" like a bios reset button, an on board display or other fancy stuff that has no practical use. In case you want to SLI and go for a fairly high overclock, get a $100-$120 board. Gigabyte z97x-ud3h or for a little more asrock z97 extreme 4.
If you don't SLI and don't need more than 4 sata 3 and usb 3 ports, you can as well choose a $50 b85 board.

As for the cpu, since you didn't mention any tasks besides gaming (streaming or recording goes into the same category, as well as quick encoding with handbrake/vdub) you're best of with an I5 4690k and a decent cpu cooler, given you pair it with a z97 board. Most important thing about the cpu is it's frequency. Hyperthreading does simply not help in real time calculation scenarios.

 

[synphul]

I think it depends on what features are useful to which people. One person may not see much benefit to a bios reset button but for those who overclock and adjust settings fine tuning it can make things simpler. If you think you might want to crossfire or sli, find a board that supports it. If overclocking, you may want to check out the vrm's on the motherboard. Cheap boards have less vrm's, list inaccurate vrm counts by using doublers and rather than going with higher quality digital vrm's they have analog or hybrid vr's.

For instance the z97x-ud3h only has 4 analog power phases. The asrock z97 extreme 4 has 6 analog/hybrid phases. In addition to the obvious features such as how many usb ports or sata ports, there are other things that factor into the quality of a motherboard and are typically reflected in the price. The gigabyte gaming 5 and 7 motherboards are a bit more expensive, but they also offer 8 fully digital power phases. It can have an effect with power management when it comes to overclocking. Mobo's don't have to be $200+ but it's not a good idea to cheap out and that's pretty much true for any component.

Doesn't make a ton of sense to pair a $350 cpu and $200 mobo with a $50 gpu. Or try and power a high end system on a 700w psu that's being sold for a ridiculously low $35. Usually there's a reason and rarely pays off.

If it's gaming you're interested in, the quad core 1150 cpu's are more than plenty and there really isn't a difference from a 4690k i5 to a 4790k i7 other than $100. Putting that extra into a better gpu would pay off in higher framerates, higher details and smoother gameplay.

Something else that can help is watching for sales or deals. If your current system works, you're not 'stuck'. It's not as if your pc blew up and you're in a mad rush to update it. You don't have to hold out forever, just being smart about it can pay off. Just like DubbleClick mentioned, I usually don't advise buying a $200 mobo (unless it absolutely has key features you want/need or will use). Looking at my system specs, people probably wonder why I'm using a mobo that costs anywhere from $170-180 depending what day of the week it is. It had the features I wanted and when I bought it I got it on sale with a rebate and only paid $130 for it ($50 less than it was at the time). I also didn't pay $90 for my dark rock pro 3 cpu cooler, I found it on sale for $54. Come to think of it, I don't think I've paid full retail for hardly any of my components which gives them much higher bang for the buck than it appears at first glance. Something to consider making your money stretch especially since tech becomes outdated and loses value so quickly.

 

[DubbleClick]

Something else that can help is watching for sales or deals. If your current system works, you're not 'stuck'. It's not as if your pc blew up and you're in a mad rush to update it. You don't have to hold out forever, just being smart about it can pay off. Just like DubbleClick mentioned, I usually don't advise buying a $200 mobo (unless it absolutely has key features you want/need or will use). Looking at my system specs, people probably wonder why I'm using a mobo that costs anywhere from $170-180 depending what day of the week it is. It had the features I wanted and when I bought it I got it on sale with a rebate and only paid $130 for it ($50 less than it was at the time). I also didn't pay $90 for my dark rock pro 3 cpu cooler, I found it on sale for $54. Come to think of it, I don't think I've paid full retail for hardly any of my components which gives them much higher bang for the buck than it appears at first glance. Something to consider making your money stretch especially since tech becomes outdated and loses value so quickly.

Exactly my point.
If someone needs the features of a high end board, he'd know that and wouldn't ask if there's an alternative for $100.

Also big +1 on discounts. The only part of my system I bought for the full price is the ram. But it's quite hard to recommend hardware based on possible rabattes when you're living on the other side of the world. :/

 

[st3v30]

Go with i5 insted i7 and spend a bit more on good z97 mobo and aftermarket cooler as for GPU since you are AMD fanboy i suggest you wait a little more for the new AMD r9 3xx series.It will be interesting to see what AMD has prepared for us with new memory and higher bandwidth.

 

[synphul]

Very true, rebates are hit and miss and regional. Not even sure if rebates are as prevalent in other countries. Price always plays a role in it. Am I happy with my cpu cooler? Of course, it performs well and looks good. But I have a hard time suggesting it as the first choice for people given the typical high price, at $90 there are likely better (or at least just as good for cheaper). Now if it was always the price I paid for it, I'd be able to suggest it more often. I don't own the highest end gear, but it's pretty decent. Although if I was stuck paying full retail for it the quality of my parts would be much lower.

I think I'm just shy of being like one of those extreme couponing housewives when it comes to buying tech gear lmao.