[SOLVED] Help deciding on a CPU

[Patrick Baron]

I'm looking to upgrade my CPU from my current Intel Core i7-4790K that I've had for roughly 6 years. It's starting to feel slightly outdated with what I'm currently doing (pushing graphics in games and streaming).
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...74790k-processor-8m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

I'm not very knowledgeable on CPU's or the majority of their functionality, but I have looked into a few options that seem reasonable for their price points. My budget for a CPU is preferably under $250.

So far I've looked at:
Intel® Core™ i5-11400
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...11400-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

Intel® Core™ i5-10400F
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...0400f-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-30-ghz.html

Both seem like good options as far as upgrades over my current CPU as well as price point, though these 2 both seem pretty minor in differences. I'm thinking the 10400F may be a better idea as I assume the motherboard for 10th gen would likely be cheaper than 11th gen,
but please tell me if I'm wrong. I know I'll have to replace the motherboard as my current one only supports 4th gen Intel processors.

Any feedback on these options are welcome, I'm also open to suggestions on other CPUs if anyone feels there's better choices at my price point. Also open to motherboard suggestions to go with said CPUs.

Other computer specs in case it's relevant:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti
Monitor Native Mode: 2560 x 1440(p) (144.000Hz)
2nd Monitor 1920x 1080
PSU: EVGA Supernova 650 Platinum 650W
16GB Ram (2x 8GB) Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3
Edit: Also currently using Corsair H100i Platinum as my CPU cooler

Thanks!

 

[cdrkf]

I'm looking to upgrade my CPU from my current Intel Core i7-4790K that I've had for roughly 6 years. It's starting to feel slightly outdated with what I'm currently doing (pushing graphics in games and streaming).
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...74790k-processor-8m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

I'm not very knowledgeable on CPU's or the majority of their functionality, but I have looked into a few options that seem reasonable for their price points. My budget for a CPU is preferably under $250.

So far I've looked at:
Intel® Core™ i5-11400
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...11400-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

Intel® Core™ i5-10400F
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...0400f-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-30-ghz.html

Both seem like good options as far as upgrades over my current CPU as well as price point, though these 2 both seem pretty minor in differences. I'm thinking the 10400F may be a better idea as I assume the motherboard for 10th gen would likely be cheaper than 11th gen,
but please tell me if I'm wrong. I know I'll have to replace the motherboard as my current one only supports 4th gen Intel processors.

Any feedback on these options are welcome, I'm also open to suggestions on other CPUs if anyone feels there's better choices at my price point. Also open to motherboard suggestions to go with said CPUs.

Other computer specs in case it's relevant:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti
Monitor Native Mode: 2560 x 1440(p) (144.000Hz)
2nd Monitor 1920x 1080
PSU: EVGA Supernova 650 Platinum 650W
16GB Ram (2x 8GB) Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3
Edit: Also currently using Corsair H100i Platinum as my CPU cooler

Thanks!

Hi,

10th and 11th gen use the same motherboards (Intel usually does 2 generations on a socket) so cost of motherboards should be the same (the new 12th gen parts just released require a different newer board and are currently quite pricey so best avoided if on a budget).

The 11th gen part has a newer core design than 10th (which is based on the older 'Skylake' core which was also used in 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th gen parts), as a result is quite a bit faster than the 10th gen part despite the specs looking similar (up to about 20% depending on the test). I would go with the 11th gen part if you can stretch to it.

Also keep in mind, you will need new memory as these parts all use DDR4 ram rather than DDR3 for your current rig. Your PSU, graphics card cooler etc should all be fine to reuse.

 

[joeldf]

Just understand that if you want to upgrade to any more recent CPU, since you are jumping 6 to 7 generations, by default you're going to have to upgrade the motherboard and the RAM. The socket type on the motherboard is different as is the chipset on that motherboard and the supported memory type. As noted above, everything else is re-usable.

 

[sizzling]

The i5’s are a great choice for gaming but as you want it for streaming as well I would push the budget and go i7 or AMD 3700X/5800X. The 3700x can be found at a great price (or at least here in the UK it can). It’s not quite as fast for pure gaming but the extra 2 cores & 4 threads will be better when streaming.

 

[Patrick Baron]

Thanks for the all the responses so far. I'll definitely look at 11th gen over 10th if the motherboard is the same for both. After reading the suggestions and looking at some more options, i'm wondering if compared to the options I put above, I should possibly go with the AMD Ryzen 3700X?

If it's worth it over the other Intel options above I don't mind spending a little more. Currently have a seller listing it for $329.
Is the difference in performance here worth it? Not planning on overclocking if that changes anything.

 

[logainofhades]

The biggest question is what is your budget?

 

[Patrick Baron]

The biggest question is what is your budget?

From original post:

I'm not very knowledgeable on CPU's or the majority of their functionality, but I have looked into a few options that seem reasonable for their price points. My budget for a CPU is preferably under $250.

But I do have a bit of wiggle room, assuming that the difference in performance between the aforementioned Intel options and the AMD one is worth the cost difference.