[SOLVED] Intel Core i5-4590 vs i5-6400: earlier gen, better performance?

[AlexQwertz]

I'm looking to upgrade my very old PC to a 4th or 6th gen computer, and I've been looking at benchmarks between CPUs from what I've seen offered at my local store. What caught me out was these two specific models; the 4590 has 4x3.30 GHz cores while the 6400 has 4x2.70 GHz cores, which in my understanding means the 4590 comes with faster cores of the same amount.
Does this metric alone mean a 4th gen model CPU can perform effectively better than a 6th gen one, or does the 6th gen make up for it in a different way?
Also, the 4th gen board comes with DDR3 RAM, while the 6th gen board uses DDR4. How much does this affect effective performance?
Overall, how much difference would I see between the two in terms of gaming performance, and which would be a better buy?

 

[mdd1963]

The 6500 will boost as high as 3300 MHz under single core tasks, and, will likely be at 3.0 GHz under all-core loading scenarios... (the 2700 MHz is the base/minimum clock speed expected)

You'd have to review some other specific benchmarks, as the higher clock speeds of the 4590 does not really equate to being faster..(if it did, AMD would have been on top back in the FX9590 and 4.7 GHz all-core, vice getting it's proverbial butt handed to it by Intel CPUs with half the cores running more than 1 GHz less clock speed.)

 

[AlexQwertz]

According to UserBenchmark: Intel Core i5-4590 vs i5-6400 , the 6400 has a core speed range of 2.7 - 3.3 GHz, while the 4590 has 3.3 GHz - 3.7 GHz.
I understand though that clock speed is not everything.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I'm looking to upgrade my very old PC to a 4th or 6th gen computer

Why exactly choice between 4th and 6th gen?
I'd suggest upgrade to at least 8th gen instead.
But for a new pc - 10th or 11th gen.

 

[AlexQwertz]

Unfortunately with prices skyrocketing through the roof and beyond amidst the ongoing worldwide crisis, I can't possibly afford an 8th gen or beyond for the time being.

 

[Eximo]

Not sure about that. Prices for used PC hardware hasn't changed all that much from what I have seen. New PC components are relatively static excepting GPUs and high end CPUs.

And there are bargains on some new hardware. i3-10100 is equivalent to an older i7, and they are only $150 or so. Another $100 for a motherboard and some ram and you have a decent upgrade. If you have a low end GPU you can grab the far cheaper i3-10100F for under $100.

If you strip your current PC for parts, leaving out the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM, what do you have left over?

Should be pretty easy to build around an old storage drive, PSU, and chassis if they are somewhat standard components.

All this compared to a entry level refurbished 4th gen i5 at $130, costs you about double, but you get far more than double the performance.

 

[logainofhades]

I'm looking to upgrade my very old PC to a 4th or 6th gen computer, and I've been looking at benchmarks between CPUs from what I've seen offered at my local store. What caught me out was these two specific models; the 4590 has 4x3.30 GHz cores while the 6400 has 4x2.70 GHz cores, which in my understanding means the 4590 comes with faster cores of the same amount.
Does this metric alone mean a 4th gen model CPU can perform effectively better than a 6th gen one, or does the 6th gen make up for it in a different way?
Also, the 4th gen board comes with DDR3 RAM, while the 6th gen board uses DDR4. How much does this affect effective performance?
Overall, how much difference would I see between the two in terms of gaming performance, and which would be a better buy?

What do you currently have, and what is the budget?

 

[AlexQwertz]

What do you currently have, and what is the budget?

My current specs:
CPU: Intel Core2Quad Q9400
RAM: 16 GB DDR3 (does DDR3 have any resale value at all these days?)
GPU: nVidia GeForce GT1030 (I intend to carry this over, for now)
Storage: 450 GB SSD (I intend to carry this over as well)
PSU: 400W stock (if I remember correctly) which came with the HP tower
Nothing else in my computer worth mentioning that I can think of.

It may also be worth noting that I'm looking in the European market (I'm within the EU/EEA) which may be different from the US market.
My approximate budget is 400 Euros.

Not sure about that. Prices for used PC hardware hasn't changed all that much from what I have seen. New PC components are relatively static excepting GPUs and high end CPUs.

And there are bargains on some new hardware. i3-10100 is equivalent to an older i7, and they are only $150 or so. Another $100 for a motherboard and some ram and you have a decent upgrade. If you have a low end GPU you can grab the far cheaper i3-10100F for under $100.

If you strip your current PC for parts, leaving out the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM, what do you have left over?

Should be pretty easy to build around an old storage drive, PSU, and chassis if they are somewhat standard components.

All this compared to a entry level refurbished 4th gen i5 at $130, costs you about double, but you get far more than double the performance.

Thank you for the tip, I'll check around for those!

 

[AlexQwertz]

Not sure about that. Prices for used PC hardware hasn't changed all that much from what I have seen. New PC components are relatively static excepting GPUs and high end CPUs.

And there are bargains on some new hardware. i3-10100 is equivalent to an older i7, and they are only $150 or so. Another $100 for a motherboard and some ram and you have a decent upgrade. If you have a low end GPU you can grab the far cheaper i3-10100F for under $100.

If you strip your current PC for parts, leaving out the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM, what do you have left over?

Should be pretty easy to build around an old storage drive, PSU, and chassis if they are somewhat standard components.

All this compared to a entry level refurbished 4th gen i5 at $130, costs you about double, but you get far more than double the performance.

I ended up getting a new i3-10105F with a bargain build, thanks again for the suggestion!