Is this worth an upgrade? (Intel Core i5 750)

[SixFootEwok]

I'm about to make half the community faint, I think.

So it's been a while since I've upgraded. I'm currently running an Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.67GHz if that says anything. I'm considering rebuilding, mostly because I'm getting a hankering, and because I've been having huge performance problems as of late (the cpu isn't melting or switching the system off or anything) that I may or may not want to go through the hassle to fix.

So here's the bombshell - are the new processors (sticking to i5's, here) hugely different than what I have? *ducks*

I ask in that way, because I see a new one drops in at 3.2ghz, but is that *insanely* different if I'm gaming / just working my Photoshops? I might be able to get away with fixing whatever is bugging my system, upgrade the video card (wayyyy underpowered - 450GTS), and call it a day.

Sorry for the ignorance! Appreciate the advice!

If it's worth upgrading, what would you recommend (again, sticking strictly to i5's).

 

[Geekwad]

The speed at which a processor moves and the amount of instructions it can execute per clock cycle are important to differentiate here. Yes the speed doesn't seem vastly different, but over the several generations since your processor there's been incremental advancement in how much data can be handled at a time......amounting to a rather dramatic increase over what you have now.

This is not to say that working through the bugs and a GPU/PSU upgrade isn't worth it (it may be a good place to start, as the GPU can always make its way into a new build), but a processor/platform upgrade will certainly show noticeable improvements as well.

 

[photonboy]

1) Your GPU is by far the main gaming issue in most scenarios

2) not sure if you can overclock that i5-750. I mentioned this a few hours ago in another post (4GHz would gain you 25% for example)

3) the i7-960 is 3.2GHz and also hyperthreaded (which only helps if a game or program supports it which isn't common, though something like HANDBRAKE for converting video is a good example).

4) assuming you can't overclock, then we'll just use frequency since the architecture is similar and ignore hyperthreading. Thus 320/267

So you're talking for gaming a max of 20% improvement though in reality it may be almost NO BENEFIT due to a GPU bottleneck in most situations. Examples of exceptions include Starcraft 2 during intense battles, MMO's etc.

5) your motherboard must support the new/old CPU (see motherboard site and CPU support list)

6) An SSD is fairly cheap now. It won't help games other than load times though it will make bootup and general Windows usage snappiness. I'd also switch to Windows 10 if you have not done so.

You may need more help but my advice since it's an old PC would be:
a) download media creation tool from Microsoft
b) burn DVD or USB stick
c) boot to W10 install
d) delete all data on the OS drive (should have others unhooked first)

e) SKIP any key requests (will activate automatically)
f) finish MS updates, install programs etc.

Now...

1) NEW COMPUTER.
i5-6600K -> https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-6600K+%40+3.50GHz
i5-750-> https://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-750+%40+2.67GHz&id=772

Performance varies by application but roughly speaking some things will be up to 2X faster. Gaming is going to vary a lot though with a good GPU you might see up to 70% or greater improvements. So maybe 20% to 70% with 50% average but it totally depends on your game sample.

2) GRAPHICS CARD:
This is by far the best thing you can do for gaming. Depends totally on budget, but examples are:
a) GTX750Ti ($100USD+)
b) GTX950
c) RX-480 (I wouldn't likely do this without a new system. It's $200MSRP for 4GB models and $230 for 8GB though pricing will be higher)

Other:
a) 4GB for gaming may be enough for your current games though I'd upgrade to 8GB if possible
b) Windows 64-bit is a must, again W10 64-bit is recommended

 

[photonboy]

SSD: I use Samsung EVO's, however this $60, 256GB SSD is a pretty good value:
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/BNGj4D/sandisk-internal-hard-drive-sdssda240gg25

CPU: again, the i7-920 is probably the on you referred to but unless it's really cheap it's not worth it.

New build: obviously that would be expensive. Maybe $1000USD for a half decent gaming rig with i5-6600K etc.

GPU: GTX750Ti Asus Strix is one of the cheapest I can recommend and should overclock further (minimum 300W PSU, may need 450W though):
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/9Fw323/asus-video-card-strixgtx750tioc2gd5

CPU overclock link: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-750-overclock,2438-11.html

Not saying you can get this (silicon lottery, CPU cooler, motherboard support, and PSU quality) but it is possible to hit a max Turbo of 4.2GHz: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-750-overclock,2438-11.html

I include for POWER as the GTX750Ti can use roughly 100W when overclocked, and your system could use over 110W without GPU or around 200W if overclocked heavily. So you could use over 300W if both CPU and GPU are overclocked.

 

[DblGonzo]

Well let me give you my experience. I have a i5 750 with Gigabyte P55-UD6 MB. It kept shutting off at random times. So I swapped out everything (Have plenty of spare parts) PS, Video, Memory. It kept up. So I figured the MB had died (bought in 2009). So I did not want to spend a ton. So I went with an AMD FX 8300 and MSI 97A MB. After getting the rig up and running. It started doing the same thing shutting down random. Not blue screen just shut off like power cord was pulled or PS shut off.

I finally narrowed it down to the only thing in common the case. Turned out the power button was not always breaking contact and shutting down the PC. So I have two computers. My shock is the intel i5 750 with SLI GTX960's overclocked to 3.8Ghz gets a better 3Dmark score than my New AMD FX 8300 overclocked to 4.2. Same video cards.

Now I am scratching my head and wondering if I just need to sell all the new stuff and stick with my old i5 until I can afford a better intel MB and CPU.

Long story short, I think I wasted money on a new MB and CPU that could have been spent on a GTX 1060 and everything would be good in my gaming world.