i5 4590 vs i7 4790 gaming performance

[Steven Boxall]

Hi Everyone

Apologies in advance if this has been asked before but I am planning to upgrade my +- 5yrs old gaming setup and need some advice for the CPU. I currently have an AMD 1055T and am looking to the i5 4590 and the i7 4790. What is the difference in gaming performance between the two and is the i7 really worth it? Money is a bit of an issue but I also want my next CPU to last a couple of years. I only game, no intense application use but I do game on high settings.

Thanks

P.S. I am aware that I will need a new mobo as well

 

[nucolos]

Get the i5, the i7 is not worth it for gaming, not now, and not in at least 4 years, considering dx 12. Save the money or spend it somewhere else, like the gpu.

 

[Kiril1512]

When I chose my CPU, I read a lot of reviews and benchmarks from the games I wanted to play.
I saw that in for exemple: Rome II Total War, you have better performance with the I7. Cities Skylines the same.
I chose the I7 4790K not only for games, but also for rendering and programing...

This video compare the both processors you want to buy in 6 games.
Take the best do you need yourself. This video can help you a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODaKAqKqHmI&index=130&list=PLz3yPG4fbt2pBzoSmkDKT6AW9YY28_RuI

Update: This video compare both CPU in 19 games:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzpYOHuSfaM&index=168&list=PLz3yPG4fbt2pBzoSmkDKT6AW9YY28_RuI

 

[QSV]

If you want to keep that PC for a while, go for the i7. There are already coming games out that support them.

 

[geofelt]

Gaming depends on a few fast cores.
The i5-4590 run at 3.3.
The i7-4790 runs at 3.6 It also includes 4 extra hyperthreads.

Actually, for not much more, I would pick the i7-4790K which runs at 4.0/4.4 turbo stock, no overclocking needed.
It is the one that is most likely to serve you well for the longest time.

 

[Steven Boxall]

Thanks. But generally speaking would my gaming take quite a performance drop if I went with the i5 instead of the i7. Id love to get the 4790k but its out of my budget. Even getting the non k is a push for me. I would only really consider buying it if it provided a significant gaming performance increase over the i5. If it is only a marginal difference, barely noticeable, then I will go for the i5 providing it will allow me to still game on the high end for a few years. about 3 yrs give or take.

Sorry to add another question but is a gaming mobo really needed? Would something like the asrock z97 anniversary work fine?

 

[logainofhades]

A locked i7 is pointless when you can get a similar performing Xeon 1231v3 for less. It is basically an i7 4770, without the integrated graphics. Pair it up with an H97 pro4 and you will be fine.

 

[nucolos]

Thanks. But generally speaking would my gaming take quite a performance drop if I went with the i5 instead of the i7. Id love to get the 4790k but its out of my budget. Even getting the non k is a push for me. I would only really consider buying it if it provided a significant gaming performance increase over the i5. If it is only a marginal difference, barely noticeable, then I will go for the i5 providing it will allow me to still game on the high end for a few years. about 3 yrs give or take.

Sorry to add another question but is a gaming mobo really needed? Would something like the asrock z97 anniversary work fine?

If you are in a tight budget, get the i5 in most games you wont nottice any difference at all. Someone said skyline does benefit, but thats an exception, like tomb raider does the opposite and plays the same on a 5960x and on a pentium dual core. In three years cpus wont change much so will be fine with the i5 and have no reason at all to change it before that.

Z97 boards are for overclocking your cpu, if you are not getting an unlocked cpu, get an h97 board.