I5 6600k vs i7 4790k

[Acidic Blade]

I'm building a whole new computer and I'm wondering if i5 6600k is better than the i7 4790k for gaming. Is the fps difference small? Is it worth downgrading to lga 1150 or is it better to get lga 1151 for future upgrades?

 

[Gallarian]

For gaming? i5-6600k every time.

In games, the i7's extra features have a negligible impact - were talking maybe 1 or 2fps in some CPU heavy games, i.e. nothing worth the money increase.

An overclocked 6600k will easily match an 4790k at the same clock speed in games, and the Z170 platform offers much more upgrade options, as well as support for DDR4 RAM, M.2 PCI-E SSDs and the ability to alter base clock values of your CPU (not just the multiplier).

The i7 will help with other tasks, such as rendering and editing, but if this new PC is simply for everyday use and gaming, use the money you save on getting the 6600k on a better GPU.

In the UK, the difference in price is £80. That is almost enough to go from a 960 to a 970, and an i5+970 combo will absolutely destroy an i7+960 combo in every game.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

also consider your talking i5 versus i7.

If you doing workstation apps, 4790k is better by a lot
If you are gaming, 6600k is better, but not by a lot

See anandtech CPU benchmark comparison

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1260?vs=1544

Of course, must take into account that latest generation stuff will be supported longer

 

[Acidic Blade]

Thanks for the help

 

[photonboy]

Gaming is going to be nearly IDENTICAL since the GPU is almost always going to be the main bottleneck if comparing two systems based on those CPU's.

The i7-4790K is a faster CPU if comparing stock settings (it's overclocked higher by default) and also has hyperthreading which benefits things like converting videos.

Assuming you didn't overclock further (though you would the i5-6600K for sure) the TOTAL processing difference is approximately 11218 vs 7189 with the i7 the faster (according to Passmark but I suspect the i5 is slightly faster than this, but perhaps the newer architecture isn't being utilized by the test software).

If you overclock the i5 to say 4.4GHz then just multiply by 13% (so 8123 total approx) though Turbo values enter the mix (they can scale so it can get confusing).

Other:
There are other architectural differences though I don't personally feel they are worth mentioning to the average person. Nor would you tend to upgrade such a system after buying a fast CPU already.

The only thing perhaps worth mentioning is the i5-6600K can exit CPU idle states very quickly which PCPER noted makes scrolling a web page on a laptop (with your finger) noticeably snappier but I'm not sure if the desktop CPU tends to have the same power management so that may not apply (CPU cores may not idle as quick).

So...

If we were comparing an i5 to i5 and price was comparable I'd say get the newer architecture. However, the i7-4790K setup is faster so if the price is similar then I'd say get that.

As for DDR3 vs DDR4, price aside it's just about choosing memory fast enough that your CPU isn't kept waiting. I think that works out to roughly 1866MHz C9 (DDR3) and 2666MHz C? (DDR4) for the recommended sticks. More info you can Google.

I hope this all makes sense.

Update:
PRICE.
I didn't check pricing but be aware you should compare the TOTAL price of the CPU + motherboard + DDR3/4 memory. As close as possible for quality with as said ensuring the DDR memory is optimal to prevent bottlenecking the CPU.

If there's a noticeable difference then yes the extra can go towards a better GPU but it really depends on your total budget.

I personally convert video with HANDBRAKE, plus it's not certain how much CPU processing power future games will need.

*On one hand DX12 can utilize more cores/threads, but on the other hand it can be much more efficient. Will this reduce, increase or keep CPU requirements about the same as now over the next few years? It's probable many games will need less, but on the other hand games may leverage the ease of multithreaded coding to use most of a CPU if possible for things like AI, physics etc.

Either way you should have a great experience.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Up until XMas many folks were sticking w/ 1150 cause they were milking us on the cost of the 6600k and the MoBos / RAM cost more .... and nobody much cared whether they got say 67.06 fps w/ the 4970k or 67.13 w/ the 6600k in GTAV. In addition, must always remember that the new CPUs and MoBos are still in their early steppings and as such there's sure to be bug fixes, improvements and speed tweaks in later steppings. I would think most of those have been flushed out by now. I expect by mid february prices will drop to expected levels.

 

[photonboy]

Use PCPARTPICKER to mess around with builds.

Perhaps tell us your total budget, if you think you need more processing (converting videos or similar), and link a build.

Note there are some cheaper places to find legitimate W10 keys. (W10 Home 64-bit).

When budgets are high I tend to recommend the CPU with the most processing power (assuming a good single core speed). Otherwise it's about balancing parts, especially when gaming and trying to fit in the best GPU.