Multi Question: GPU v GPU. CPU v CPU(s)

[zcraider1996]

I'm saving up to build a gaming computer and i know by the time i have the money they may have something like a 980ti, and whole new processors but i have some questions that i just want answered for now. i have no intentions of doing any overclocking, at least not for years to come. So...
1. GTX 970 vs GTX 980 and why?
2. i5-4690 vs i5-4690K/i7-4790(K) and why?

I know that all the K represents is an unlocked processor better for OC, but i was wondering if it still might be better just to pay the little extra for the K even though i have no intentions of OCing for quite some time.

 

[ssddx]

gtx970 offers better "value" per dollar than the gtx980. a gtx970 will give you most of the performance of a 980 for $200 less price. in fact, for just $100 more than a single gtx980 you could sli two 970's together for much greater performance.

so why buy a gtx980? for starters the 970 is 3.5gb ram not 4gb which can make a difference when running 4k and other large resolution gaming. the 980 also offers a slight advantage which means SLI 980's or greater will provide the best performance you can get albeit at great monetary expense.

the i5-4690 and i5-4690k will offer identical performance at stock speeds. the k suffix is just overclockable which means you can push it harder than said stock speeds. which is better depends on if you want to overclock or want it as an option (you can run K cpus stock if you want too). the price difference between cpus is typically slight ($10-15) though you may notice a slightly larger difference between h97 and z97 motherboards (typically $20ish but varies)

if you are only gaming then an i5 is sufficient. if you plan to run demanding tasks such as video editing, cad, 3d modeling, recording content while gaming or other such tasks then an i7 is worth the investment. otherwise, you are just overbuying in many cases. would an i7 offer greater than i5 performance in gaming? in some scenarios yes, it might make a difference but the high cost is often not worth the gain unless you have other needs for the i7.

 

[Xrunner98]

the 970 is your bang for the buck card. The 980, in many people's opinion, is not $200 better than the 970, but if you have the money, go with the 980. SLI 970 beats a 980 by a landslide so you might as well go dual 970s instead of a 980. The 3.5 gb vram issue on the 970 only occurs in 4k and intense games on 1440p, not a problem on 1080p.

The 4690 only comes clocked in at 3.5 GHz and it's REALLY worth overclocking (something which I still have to do on my 4690k). I assume you are buying this rig for gaming so at least 4.0 GHz is a must. Also for video editing 3.5 is simply not enough.

The i7 is mainly for video editors, photoshoppers, etc. It has more hyperthreads, which help the cpu preform better while rendering. However, the i7 is also clocked in at 4.0 GHz stock. If you have the money, go with the i7.

Alot of this boils down to how much money you have, if you are on a budget go with the 4690k and 970, the k version is really easy to overclock and not much more expensive. If you have money coming out of your butt, you can go with the 4790k and the 980.

 

[zcraider1996]

Ok thanks, I think for now I'll stick to an i5 but ill definitely get the K in case I do decide to OC later on. And I can save for an i7 later on if I start doing youtube or something like that. And since I'm already saving im probably just gonna stick to the 980 in SLI since I mostly want the higher res gaming. I do have a budget but it's flexible. If I have to keep saving for afew more months that's fine with me.