Need help choosing processor i7-(4970k or 5930k)

[negativelychrgd]

Hello all,

I really need some input on which processor to choose because I keep jumping back and forth between the i7-4970k and the i7-5930k.

I will be upgrading from an i7- 2600k. I already have two GTX 980s for SLi and I'm considering getting a third for three-way.

My primary goal for this PC is to really pump it up for some 4K gaming and have it well equipped for the future-proofing department. I will be using this machine with a three-monitor Nvidia surround setup (144Hz). I want to make this thing a beast while also not going SUPER redundant and spending money on gains that won't be very significant. (Yes, for the three-way SLi I'm still kind of on the fence about) I also will be doing some mid-high level video editing with this machine though when I do I will likely not need to play anything while I'm rendering.

My main concern at the moment is whether to go with the significantly faster 4970k @ 4GHz or the slightly less fast, but 6-core 5930k @ 3.5GHz. I was wanting to ask the community for any input on whether the difference between these two processors is a really big thing or something that wouldn't really matter.

If someone could clarify for me whether the maximum number of PCI express lanes supported by each processor has significant impact when using more than one card? I noticed the 6-core has 40 while the 4-core has only 16. This has led me to believe that the 4970 would bottleneck my 2 (Or potentially 3) graphics cards.

Again I really want this thing to last me for some time before having to upgrade again and I don't mind going the extra mile to spend the extra to make it awesome. I just want to make sure that if I do it isn't an extra couple hundred or likely more for only a marginal gain in performance.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

For 3-way SLI, go with the 5820k. It's a lot cheaper and even with only 28 PCI-E lanes, it's still enough to run 3-way SLI in x8 x8 x8 mode.

 

[digitaldoc]

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-5930K-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4790K

http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-5930K-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4790K/2578vs2384

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2294926/4790k-5930k.html

Overall, unless you have a need for a 6 core, 12 core Hyperthreaded procesor, such as professional video editing, than go with the 4790k. In gaming, you wil lnot notice the difference.

 

[negativelychrgd]

Thanks Joseph, so the hex-core even at a lower base clock won't bottleneck the cards either then?

Digital, it seems it's 50-50 now lol. So you would say if I go with the 4790k my 2/3-way sli and 4k gameplay should not be impacted very much then? [Going to read over third link]

 

[digitaldoc]

Thanks Joseph, so the hex-core even at a lower base clock won't bottleneck the cards either then?

Digital, it seems it's 50-50 now lol. So you would say if I go with the 4790k my 2/3-way sli and 4k gameplay should not be impacted very much then? [Going to read over third link]

Yes, the 4790k should be plenty of CPU for you.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

The 4790k only has 16 PCI-E lanes. Running 3-way SLI will force the GPUs to run at x4 x4 x4 mode and that will create a bottleneck. Even if you go out and buy a Z97 motherboard with a PLX chip which doubles the PCI-E lanes, that will cause high latency issues. Your best bet is to get something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($372.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($88.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($162.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $624.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 23:09 EDT-0400

And yes, the 5820k can be overclocked to 4.2 GHz.

 

[negativelychrgd]

The 4790k only has 16 PCI-E lanes. Running 3-way SLI will force the GPUs to run at x4 x4 x4 mode and that will create a bottleneck. Even if you go out and buy a Z97 motherboard with a PLX chip which doubles the PCI-E lanes, that will cause high latency issues. Your best bet is to get something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($372.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($88.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($162.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $624.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 23:09 EDT-0400

And yes, the 5820k can easily be overclocked to at least 4.2 GHz.

Thanks Joseph, I was actually considering that cooler too. This may be going a bit off topic but my concern with that cooler was whether or not it would block the top PCI slot on the mobo and even the RAM slots.

But what you said about the bottle necking looks very similar to what I read. Thank you for finding that.

 

[Vosgy]

The ram clearance for the NH-D15 is not very high close to the CPU socket, and as these boards are cramming 8 DIMM slots in they can get very close to the CPU socket. For ease of use and no limitation on ram choice it would be better the get a AIO IMHO. For best quality something like the swiftech 220X or 240X, depending on your case, though corsair H100i and the like are fine too, and a lot cheaper.

 

[theonerm2]

I'd wait for skylake to upgrade my CPU. Skylake is coming out very soon. You still have a very nice CPU. Performance gains as far as CPU's go have been very marginal over the last few generations. As far as 3 way sli goes it depends on the game you're playing. In some games you won't see a boost in performance over 2-way sli at all but in other games you could see a 30 to 40% boost with 3-way sli. It's not a huge bump up in performance for the price of another GTX 980. It might be worth it to you but I certainly wouldn't be upgrading that computer yet if it was mine. I would overclock rather than upgrade.

 

[negativelychrgd]

I watched this video

http://

It sounds like from this video that it doesn't really matter what the CPU express lane capacity is. I would be interested in comments on this. Would anyone disagree with this video?

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

For 3-way SLI, you will need at least 24 PCI-E lanes. That's where the 4790k falls short. A 5820k will satisfy that requirement.

 

[negativelychrgd]

For 3-way SLI, you will need at least 24 PCI-E lanes. That's where the 4790k falls short. A 5820k will satisfy that requirement.

Joseph,

Hypothetical then, IF I was not to do 3-way then, and just stuck with two-way SLI, keeping in mind I still want the quality 4K gaming (multi-monitor) and future proofing, would the i7-4970 be a better choice to stick with for the next 3-4 years? Or is there any other reason at all the 5820k may still be a better option as far as processing power for games goes (Like DDR4 use, developers increasing focus on multi-cpu useage, or any other specs?)

I appreciate your input along with everyone else who has responded.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

For 2-way SLI, the 4790k is plenty enough. Skylake CPUs will be released soon and will support DDR4 memory out of the box. Also, PCI-E lanes will be bumped up to 20, allowing for two GPUs plus an M.2 SSD. It's another option to consider. Then if you need to, you can sell your 980s and buy a pair of TITAN Xs if you have more money to throw around. Even if you did that, it would still be cheaper to get the 5820k CPU and a third 980 GPU.