Would a 1st generation i7 be able to handle todays games compared to this generation??

[Brian99]

Todays pc games are demanding. Would a 1st generation i7 be able to handle todays games compared to the newer i7 or this generation?

 

[RedJaron]

Yes. Old Nehalem chips are still very capable. They're not as efficient as SB, IB, or HW, but they still have plenty of power.

 

[delaro]

Will it be able to play today's games, overclocked yes. Will it be able to handle today's games compared to a I5-4690K or I7 no.

 

[Goodeggray]

The i7 970 and 980 and i7 2600s will out preform the i5 4690k.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

The i7 970 and 980 and i7 2600s will out preform the i5 4690k.

In games that don't use more than four cores, no. The 4690k and 4790k will beat the living crap out of an i7-980.

 

[nkhaira]

The i7 970 and 980 and i7 2600s will out preform the i5 4690k.

Not necessarily,
In terms of benchmarks the i5-4690k cuts out ahead
Also want to consider that the 1st gen i7s though capable are quite old, compared to something like the i5-4690k

 

[RedJaron]

I think many of you are placing an inordinate amount of emphasis on the CPU. That's only a limitation when detail settings are low, a situation few people play at when they have an i7. Set the resolution to 1080 and detail levels to medium and the bottleneck shifts over to the GPU, just like it's been for years.

http://www.techspot.com/review/921-dragon-age-inquisition-benchmarks/page6.html
http://www.techspot.com/review/1006-the-witcher-3-benchmarks/page5.html
http://www.techspot.com/review/991-gta-5-pc-benchmarks/page6.html
http://www.techspot.com/review/979-battlefield-hardline-benchmarks/page5.html

Nehalem may not be as efficient as Haswell, but IPC can't be much worse than the FX-8350 ( if it's even behind that ), and that chip keeps pace with a 4790K pretty well.

Also, the question was about modern games, which are increasingly going to multi-thread.

Brian, your i7 is fine. The bigger factor is your GPU, especially if you're still using one from the same time you bought the Nehalem. If you've got a current GPU and old-ish i7, you can play just fine. You might give up a little performance, but you asked if it's playable, not if you can max out detail settings.

 

[delaro]

The i7 970 and 980 and i7 2600s will out preform the i5 4690k.

Used Value of I7 970 $275+ New Value Over $900
Used Value of I7 980 $350+ New Value Over $1000
Used Value of I7 2600K $160 New Value Over $400
Used Value of I7 2700K $300 New Value Over $500

Cost of a I5 4690K New $229

Gaming performance in 1080P over a I5 4690K..... next to nothing. Your not going to tell them apart at this resolution or any other unless you hit 4K and need Multiple GPUS. If you happen to have one of these bad boys then upgrading is more like a side grade to lower heat and gain what benefits you get from new tech.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

In some cases, a 1st gen i7 quad-core can bottleneck a GTX 980 or faster if not overclocked. A 4690k will not bottleneck any single GPU. If you need more efficiency, the new Broadwell i5-5675c will run much lighter in wattage.

http://ark.intel.com/products/88095/Intel-Core-i5-5675C-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz

 

[RedJaron]

In some cases, a 1st gen i7 can bottleneck a GTX 980 or faster if not overclocked. A 4690k will not bottleneck any single GPU. If you need more efficiency, the new Broadwell i5-5675c will run much lighter in wattage.

http://ark.intel.com/products/88095/Intel-Core-i5-5675C-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz

No way would I recommend a BW chip for a gaming-first desktop. You're spending extra money on an iGPU that will never get used. That same money can get you an i5-K if you want to OC, or get a 4460 and put the extra $60 toward other computer components.

Also, a Nehalem holding back a 980 only becomes a concern if you're at 4K or triple 1080p, which doesn't include the vast majority of gamers. A 980 is overkill for 1080 gaming. The point your 980 is held back at 1080p, you're already at more than smooth framerates.