What's the big diff between an old vs new CPU with similar GHz?

[caclarkjr]

I just bricked my mobo 🙁 so it's time to upgrade. I'm not a hardcore gamer, so I don't demand that I can run EA's GPU Melter 2018 in 4k with every option set to ultra in VR at 120fps. I'm just looking for "good enough."

My current CPU is an Intel i5 750; 2.66GHz with 3.2GHz turbo.

I'm looking to replace it with a Ryzen 3 1200 or maybe a 1300X if I'm feeling fancy. The 1200 boasts 3.1GHZ up to 3.4GHz.

My question is this; what the big difference between a 7 year old 4core/4thread cpu and a brand new 4core/4thread cpu? Because all of the benchmarks I've looked up show the ryzen 1200 outperforming my i5 750 by a much wider margin than just the 20% higher clock speed would suggest.

Can someone explain this in plain english?

 

[Supernova1138]

Considerably higher instructions per clock cycle. Newer CPUs from both Intel and AMD can get something like 50% more work done in each clock cycle, making them considerably faster even at the same clockspeed and core count. Modern platforms also have access to faster memory, increasing the memory bandwidth available, as well as faster storage interfaces, eg. SATA 6Gbps or PCI-E 3.0 x4 over M.2 which help a lot if you are running SSDs.

 

[jerrylee22]

I just bricked my mobo 🙁 so it's time to upgrade. I'm not a hardcore gamer, so I don't demand that I can run EA's GPU Melter 2018 in 4k with every option set to ultra in VR at 120fps. I'm just looking for "good enough."

My current CPU is an Intel i5 750; 2.66GHz with 3.2GHz turbo.

I'm looking to replace it with a Ryzen 3 1200 or maybe a 1300X if I'm feeling fancy. The 1200 boasts 3.1GHZ up to 3.4GHz.

My question is this; what the big difference between a 7 year old 4core/4thread cpu and a brand new 4core/4thread cpu? Because all of the benchmarks I've looked up show the ryzen 1200 outperforming my i5 750 by a much wider margin than just the 20% higher clock speed would suggest.

Can someone explain this in plain english?

You can't compare the core/thread count or clock speed between an Intel and an AMD processor, even if they're within the same generation. For example, 3.7ghz 6 core 12 thread AMD processor will generally perform less than the same quarterly released Intel 3.7ghz 6 core 12 thread processor for a lot of tasks, especially games. That being said, that doesn't mean you should never get an AMD processor over an Intel one. Also realize that release date isn't the most important factor, but the quality of the CPU itself.

Look at this for an example: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-4570-vs-AMD-Ryzen-3-1200/2770vs3931
While generally, the same clock speed and core count in the future should allow for more performance, it doesn't in every case. Generally though, it will just be cheaper in the future for the same level of performance.

Every CPU is unique and you really have to look at performance benchmarks often more than just the numbers. Different processors are built for different types and levels of processing, across the ages.

For example, these two modern flagship CPUs have different purposes, but should perform the same for gaming: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8700K-vs-AMD-Ryzen-TR-1950X/3937vs3932

Look at benchmark comparisons (not just from the user benchmarks from that link, but they can help) for games you like to play and check out the prices for the processors and the accompanying accessories.

Here you can see the "general" (not definitive) performance trend for the upgrade you're looking at: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-750-vs-AMD-Ryzen-3-1200/2773vs3931

 

[SchizTech]

There's a term with an acronym IPC: Instructions Per Clock (as referenced by the poster above). In essence it boils down to the efficiency of the processor, because how much a processor does in a clock cycle is not set in stone. So, to say a CPU runs at 3 GHz simply means the clock runs at that speed, which means there are clock ticks sent at that frequency (3 "Giga-" or billion "-Hertz," times per second = 3 billion ticks per second of that clock). The clock synchronizes activity but doesn't tell you how much can be done in a single tick or any certain number of them.

As to how this efficiency is improved, lots and lots of small changes within the layout of circuits that make up the CPU (too much to describe in a simple answer).

 

[USAFRet]

My question is this; what the big difference between a 7 year old 4core/4thread cpu and a brand new 4core/4thread cpu? Because all of the benchmarks I've looked up show the ryzen 1200 outperforming my i5 750 by a much wider margin than just the 20% higher clock speed would suggest.

Can someone explain this in plain english?

As mentioned above, IPC. Instructions per clock.

Raw GHz is not the deciding factor. How many things can it do, per clock cycle?

Real world...
A school bus that can carry 60 people, and go 70mph
A 1992 Honda Civic that can carry 5 people and go 70mph

Same speed, right?
Which one will deliver the most people to the stadium in the shortest amount of time?

Double that Honda speed...it still loses.
Triple it...it still loses.