Help for buying a new CPU

[Fractal Master]

Hey
I've been looking quite a while for a new cpu. I'm currently using Intel i5-4670k which is not bad, but it's almost 5 years old. I've been looking for a i7 but i dont really know what i7 is suitable for me. I dont really know the differences between the K variants, example i7 4790K, i7-6700K, i7-5930K. I'm a 3D modeler also animator, which means video editing, Also I'm a gamer. So I'm looking processor for playing, editing stuff like that.

-Thanks.

 

[Martell1977]

Are you planning on getting a new motherboard or just doing an in place upgrade? If in place, what motherboard do you have now. The 6700k and 5930k will require a different motherboard as they use different sockets.

The only difference between the "k" and non-"k" CPU's is the ability to overclock. The non"k" CPU's are locked and are not able to be overclocked, while the "k" is unlocked and easily oveclockable.

 

[Fractal Master]

Yeah actually I am planning to get new motherboard too also RAM since my old motherboard uses ddr3. One what i've been looking is Asus Z170 PRO GAMING Intel Z170 LGA 1151 ATX. Also I've been seen that the "Intel Core i7 4790K 4,0 GHz LGA1150" Is pretty well rated by other users. So is this good for gaming/3d stuff etc? Also the price isn't bad. Since some CPUs cost over 600€ Which I really cant afford.

 

[Martell1977]

You would be better off with the 6700k, it's on the latest socket and while the performance isn't a huge bump, it is still a bit faster than the 4790k. The 5xxx CPu's were ~1-% faster than the 4xxx and the 6xxx CPU's another ~10% on top of the 5xxx. Plus, going with the 6700k leaves you open to future upgrades to Kaby Lake and possibly Cannon lake after that. The 4790k is on a dead socket so no upgrade path going forward.

I don't address the 5390k because, as you noted, they are quite expensive. However, they are said to be the best for production due to the extra cores and quad channel memory. But to get one, the while system is much more expensive. 2011v3 motherboards are not cheap, nor the DDR4 quad channel kits.

 

[Ecky]

Your CPU can't be 5 years old, because it was released less than 3 years ago. It's also still very close to the top of the charts.

An i7 adds hyperthreading, which allows the CPU to run an additional 4 threads. However, most games won't take advantage of this, meaning an i7 will perform very similarly to an i5 in gaming.

Skylake (Intel 6 series) is about 10% faster per clock than Haswell (4 series) and is clocked similarly. A 10% improvement in CPU performance will be entirely unnoticeable. There's no point in upgrading that CPU if gaming is your primary use, because no existing CPU is much of an improvement.

 

[Fractal Master]

Your CPU can't be 5 years old, because it was released less than 3 years ago. It's also still very close to the top of the charts.

An i7 adds hyperthreading, which allows the CPU to run an additional 4 threads. However, most games won't take advantage of this, meaning an i7 will perform very similarly to an i5 in gaming.

Skylake (Intel 6 series) is about 10% faster per clock than Haswell (4 series) and is clocked similarly. A 10% improvement in CPU performance will be entirely unnoticeable. There's no point in upgrading that CPU if gaming is your primary use, because no existing CPU is much of an improvement.

Well I actually work with 3d stuff and animating too for games, which means alot of rendering, depending the quality. So shouldn't powerfuller cpu render things faster, without slowing the pc too much?

 

[Fractal Master]

You would be better off with the 6700k, it's on the latest socket and while the performance isn't a huge bump, it is still a bit faster than the 4790k. The 5xxx CPu's were ~1-% faster than the 4xxx and the 6xxx CPU's another ~10% on top of the 5xxx. Plus, going with the 6700k leaves you open to future upgrades to Kaby Lake and possibly Cannon lake after that. The 4790k is on a dead socket so no upgrade path going forward.

I don't address the 5390k because, as you noted, they are quite expensive. However, they are said to be the best for production due to the extra cores and quad channel memory. But to get one, the while system is much more expensive. 2011v3 motherboards are not cheap, nor the DDR4 quad channel kits.

So you recommend the Intel Core i7-6700K? Which seems to have Skylake architecture.

 

[Ecky]

A 6700K is very slightly faster than a 4790K, but you'll need to replace motherboard, RAM, and also buy a new copy of Windows. The Haswell 4790K is within a few percent of the Skylake 6700K and is a drop-in upgrade into your existing motherboard, making it a far more cost effective choice.

The difference between the 4790K and your 4670K is that the 4790K has Hyperthreading, which will give you a decent boost in those programs which are well threaded, and can take advantage of an increase from 4 to 8 hardware threads. In games, performance should be close to identical.

 

[Fractal Master]

A 6700K is very slightly faster than a 4790K, but you'll need to replace motherboard, RAM, and also buy a new copy of Windows. The Haswell 4790K is within a few percent of the Skylake 6700K and is a drop-in upgrade into your existing motherboard, making it a far more cost effective choice.

The difference between the 4790K and your 4670K is that the 4790K has Hyperthreading, which will give you a decent boost in those programs which are well threaded, and can take advantage of an increase from 4 to 8 hardware threads. In games, performance should be close to identical.

Thanks, but what do you mean by buy a new copy of Windows?

 

[Ecky]

Your Windows license is tied to your motherboard. If you change the motherboard, you have to buy a new Windows license too, which is in the range of $100.

 

[Fractal Master]

Your Windows license is tied to your motherboard. If you change the motherboard, you have to buy a new Windows license too, which is in the range of $100.

Even if i have the windows on a disk?

 

[Ecky]

Microsoft will let you download Windows for free from their site, and make your own disk:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

It just won't activate on your new motherboard unless you buy a new activation key, which is ~$100.

 

[Fractal Master]

Microsoft will let you download Windows for free from their site, and make your own disk:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

It just won't activate on your new motherboard unless you buy a new activation key, which is ~$100.

Allright thanks.