Do games really need 8 CPU cores?

[CL4P-TP]

I want to make a PC as powerful as a PS4. I read PS4s have 8 CPU cores. My current PC has only 4 and can play games like Skyrim very well. Do I really need 8 cores, or is the extra 4 a wast of money?

(Also, any other building tips would be appreciated.)

 

[Gam3r01]

Core count is far from the only thing to consider in terms of processor performance.
Architecture is the main deciding factor in that regard.
Though the PS4 has 8 cores, they are not identical, or really similar, to PC cores. Its an entirely different chip.

In current gaming single threaded performance is used over more cores.
What is the processor in question?

 

[coolcole01]

nope most games dont use them whats your budget and whats your current pc

 

[rockie_]

They are 8 but clocked at 1.6GHz , so 4 cores at 3.2GHz of AMD should be equal . So , FX 6300 and up or the best : i5 4590 and up .The iGPU is like HD 7850 . So , a GPU must be R9 270(X) or faster

tips:
i5 4590 + GTX 970 or
FX 6300 + R9 280

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6972/xbox-one-hardware-compared-to-playstation-4/2

 

[TechsavvyAMD]

you see playstation 4 has 8-core customized APU from AMD clocking at 2.75 GHz but the architecture is completely different from that of PC...some games like advanced warfare demands for quad core processor,so they need it......but some of the games do not need that much cores.But if you have a 8-core processor,it will be a future proof.............

 

[cursedqt]

well ps4 and xbox basically use the same APU which basically combines the CPU and GPU together and there are plenty of reviews out there that can show you the specs but a PC is very different.I wouldn't recommend getting an APU from AMD because they aren't worth atm.2015 wil bring excavator archi to APUs .Anyway you cannot compare a console to the pc. You can get an i7-2500k with a gtx 560 pretty mid ranged there is the 290x that is pretty heavy can handle mostly anything(though not sure if you are going to bottleneck it with the i7).If you just want gaming buy a ps4.

 

[Jacob Jagielski]

No some games take use of 6 cores like BF4 but most games only use 2-4 cores.