i7 3770 or newer i5?

[Celsius22]

I currently have i3 2100 and planning to upgrade so my dilemma is to buy a brand new i7 3770? or used i7 3770. is it safe to buy a used i7 3770? I choose the non k so I'm confident it's not abused because it's not overclocked and also my mobo MSI H61M does not fully support overclocking. So my second choice is to buy a brand new i5 and buy a new mobo too. my budget is only $300 so can you suggest more options? or can you help me with my options?

 

[InvalidError]

For 99% of gaming, there is no benefit to the i7 over the i5 and getting a Skylake i5 gets you a bunch of platform updates.

If you don't care for DDR4, NVMe SSDs, SATA Express, USB 3.1, etc., then there is nothing wrong with sparing yourself the expense of upgrading the motherboard and RAM by going with an Ivy Bridge i5 or i7.

 

[WildCard999]

How much is the used i7-3770? If your just gaming a i5 is sufficient enough, for streaming/editing then a i7 would be a better choice. Although if you are getting that i7 for a good price then I would get it.

 

[Celsius22]

For 99% of gaming, there is no benefit to the i7 over the i5 and getting a Skylake i5 gets you a bunch of platform updates.

If you don't care for DDR4, NVMe SSDs, SATA Express, USB 3.1, etc., then there is nothing wrong with sparing yourself the expense of upgrading the motherboard and RAM by going with an Ivy Bridge i5 or i7.

Oops I just accidentally chose the best answer lol for now I don't really want to upgrade to the skylake because it's too expensive should I buy i7 or i5?

 

[Celsius22]

How much is the used i7-3770? If your just gaming a i5 is sufficient enough, for streaming/editing then a i7 would be a better choice. Although if you are getting that i7 for a good price then I would get it.

the i7 3770 is like only $180 but its 2nd hand. I'm also rendering and editing in sony vegas pro?

 

[InvalidError]

the i7 3770 is like only $180 but its 2nd hand. I'm also rendering and editing in sony vegas pro?

If you are certain that the chip is in good working condition and will get shipped correctly, then the i7 would be a good pick for video editing - you won't get an i5 that performs equally well for $180.

Another option would be to look at LGA1155 Xeons: you may be able to find one new-in-box for $200-240.

 

[WildCard999]

Its a excellent price for a i7-3770 and would be much better then any current i5 for rendering/editing. And since its not a K series you know it hasn't been overclocked but is there anyway of making sure its a working unit and you won't get scammed?

 

[Celsius22]

I'm now considering upgrading to skylake i5 6400? is it worth it? or I'll just settle in the haswell and buy a 2nd hand i7 3770?

 

[WildCard999]

The i7-3770 is a lot better then the i5-6400.

 

[Celsius22]

I know that but is it really "a lot better"? Is it worth the risk of buying it 2nd hand just because it's better than a brand new i5 6400? also I'm now considering i3 6100 lol

 

[Celsius22]

Its a excellent price for a i7-3770 and would be much better then any current i5 for rendering/editing. And since its not a K series you know it hasn't been overclocked but is there anyway of making sure its a working unit and you won't get scammed?

I will test it in their house. I've read in one forum that a 2nd hand cpu has only 2 state
working and dead if its working then theres no need to worry. is it true?

 

[InvalidError]

I will test it in their house. I've read in one forum that a 2nd hand cpu has only 2 state
working and dead if its working then theres no need to worry. is it true?

CPUs that have been over-volted may suffer different degrees of electromigration which may impact future stability and overclocking results.

For a non-OC CPU that hasn't been physically, electrically or thermally abused, you can expect lifespan exceeding 10 years from first use - all of my PCs that I still had meaningful uses for after 10 years still worked perfectly fine by the time I permanently retired them.