i7-4790 vs i5-4690

[mAmArC]

Hello guys so i was planning on upgrading my haswell processor (for gaming), currently using i3 4160 (3.6ghz). I can't decide whether to go with i5-4690 (not k) and i7 4790 (4.00ghz). Or is it better to go with skylake? if i go with skylake thats like another bucks to spend since i also need to purchase another new mobo and new proc.

 

[WildCard999]

If your just gaming (no streaming or video editing) then the i5-4690 would be a good CPU to upgrade to and I wouldn't upgrade to Skylake since the performance increase is minimal and IMO not worth it over Haswell. If you do want the extra hyper-threading of a i7 then there's also the Xeon E3-1231 V3 which is similar to the i7-4770 but much cheaper since it doesn't have a iGPU which is fine if you have a dedicated graphics card.

 

[geofelt]

What is your motherboard?
Your I3-4160@3.6 is a very competent gamer already.
Most games are dependent on a single master thread and a I3-4160 @3.6 should do very well.
For such games, a I5-4690@3.5 may be a sideways move.
Similarly a I7-4790 @ 3.6 would be better but possibly not so much to be worth it.
If your games are multiplayer, then many threads is very good and a i5 or i7 will be good.
If you have an overclockable motherboard, then look for a i5-4690K or a I7-4790K.
If not, the strongest upgrade would be a I7-4790K which runs at 4.0 stock with a higher turbo.

If you go skylake, you probably want to look at a I5-6600K, a z170 motherboard and ddr4 ram.

 

[filippi]

I think you should go Haswell. The i7-4790 is a good choice but it is a 3.6GHz cpu.
The best choice would be the i7-4790k. Great cpu even stock: 4GHz(+10%turbo). For just 30 bucks more it is worth.

 

[BadBoyGreek]

If you want to get the most out of your existing platform without having to upgrade mobo / RAM etc. then your best bet is the 4790k. You should get lots of life out of it before you have to make another complete platform upgrade again down the road.