Which CPU - Core i7 3820 or i7 3770?

[salvuwerwer]

I'm really confused here...

I am in the process of upgrading from my trusty Core 2-Duo but I am confused about all the lanes, bells and whistles of the new CPU's.

I am currently looking at either the Core i7 3820 or the Core i7 3770 at 3.6 and 3.4GHz respectively. I'm not sure whether to go for the higher clock speed of the 3820 or the lower 3.4GHz of the 3770 since the latter is of the third generation.

I plan to purchase a Z77 motherboard, probably an ASRock Z77 extreme 3 or PRO 4 with 2*8GB of Kingston HyperX DDR3 @1600MHz.

My main use is office work, some developing etc. due to my lecturing but I also like to indulge in a game from time to time - portal 2 etc (although the new Tomb Raider is quite tempting as well). I also run 2 VGA monitors which are quite enough form my use although they are in my plan of replacements.

Any suggestions would be quite welcome as I am really a 50 year old confused ex-tech who has been away from the hardware scene for a few years. Thanks.

 

[asalikus]

Why 3770k is better.

* You can overclock it.
* Cheaper MOB
* Faster CPU
* Better Price/Performance ratio.
* Better gaming performance.
* Integrated GPU.
* Comes with the heatsink
* Newer, better architecture.

Anything else? Feel free to ask questions!

Here's a good benchmark: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Opteron+3280

 

[atomicWAR]

honestly i would go with the 3770..if your budget allows i would get the 3770K series and then you can set the clock higher if you like. even without a k series unlocked and overclocked chip, 3770 stock perfomance should be slightly better than i7 3820. keep in mind though if you go with the i7 3820 you need a socket 2011 motherboard not an 1155 (z77) as for the i7 3770.

check this out
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/523?vs=551

 

[imomun]

For your type of work and occassional gaming a i7 3770 will be more than enough if money matters you can go for the 3470 aswell which in real life usage you wont be able to tell the difference. People often endup buying more powerful processor than they need a wasteof money actualy. You will need a H77 motherboard which is much cheaper than z77 but retains most features. If gaming and the games you mentioned you like to play, a GTX650Ti or HD7850 will be just fine. If you want more GFX power on want to invest more you can Buyt the GTX660 or HD7870 the next tier. A corsair CX500 will be good psu for the system. Goodluck with your build.

 

[rolli59]

If you are getting a Z77 board then the 3770K is the only option since the 3820 is lga 2011 and that platform comes at higher cost and is more suited for productivity workhorse such as rendering and editing.

 

[salvuwerwer]

Thanks for all the info. The prices I'm looking at are almost the same with the boxed version of the 3770K being a around 25euros more expensive than the boxed 3820 although the Z77 motherboard is cheaper. As for VGA, I'm making do with what I currently have at the moment so that is not an issue right now.

 

[asalikus]

Make sure to select a best answer so that the thread would be shown as solved.

Thanks for all the info. The prices I'm looking at are almost the same with the boxed version of the 3770K being a around 25euros more expensive than the boxed 3820 although the Z77 motherboard is cheaper. As for VGA, I'm making do with what I currently have at the moment so that is not an issue right now.