i5 or i7?

Renton

Renton

Renton

Associate
Joined
1 Dec 2006
Posts
666
Hi guys, sorry but its another spec me thread but I didn't put it in the title to draw you in :p

Current system which is pretty much just for gaming is a [email protected] AMD 9750 with a 256 SATA SSD, most of which was purchased 2009 so my philosophy is buy well and you don't need to upgrade to often

Its now time for a complete upgrade and I am pretty sold on a X99 i7 5820k with a corsair h2o cooler, 950 pro 512g and a 980ti but i do have some questions

I hear the i7 is over kill for gaming argument but have read that you will not get the full speed/ benefit of the 950 pro or the 980ti with out the X99 factor, is this the case? if not and a i5 system could make the most of both of these then i would rethink the i7

With the memory, I take it the best way is 4 sticks on the X99 format to get the quad channel but if I was to go i5 then is 2 sticks is better or does it not matter?

I don't mean to sound glib but budget is what it is tbh as the cost between the i5 and i7 is going to be pretty big but I don't mind spending more if its a better performing more future proof system.
I will overclock to a point where it is stable on reasonable heat but i'm not one for benching so I will get it stable and just leave it where it lands

I have looked at the 8 pack bundled systems but they always seem to be out of stock even though the individual components are in stock so are those systems the best of components or are they a compromise between power and price?

Thanks for any advice/ specs
 
1 - Save money and get a i5 on Z170. This leaves you some future upgrades to an i7, should the Z170 platform remain relevant.
2 - Get an i7 on Z170.
3 - Get an i7/5820K on X99. Leaves you a little more upgrade opportunity as the 'workstation' class platform usually lasts a little longer.

If this is about gaming then the fastest system is Option 2. In the future perhaps Option 3 could be faster if DX12/Vulkan isn't terrible and games cater for more cores. Also, Option 2 is still the fastest for gaming at the moment even if you had a 5960X.
 
Renton said:
...I don't mind spending more if its a better performing more future proof system.
Click to expand...

Spending more = more performance.

But diminishing returns means whether it's worth it is up to you. Unfortunately nobody can help you with that.

Edit: Tom's Hardware keeps things real and puts it nicely:

Top-end CPUs offer rapidly diminishing returns when it comes to gaming performance. As such, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Core i5-6600K, especially since this multiplier-unlocked processor is easy to tune up to 4.5GHz or so with the right cooler.
Click to expand...
 
I was in a similar position when I upgraded my PC and went for the i5 4670 in the end.

It saved me a good bit of money which I was able to throw at other parts and it's not let me down at all.

For gaming, an i5 is more than adequate :)
 
i5 6600k or i7 5820k the i7 6700k is pointless now days as its so expensive and only offers HT, you may as well go for the extra cores and HT of the 5820k
As yo say your system right now is just for games i would go i5
 
Depends on the longevity you want. An i5 will in theory last you 3-4 years in performance terms. An i7 6-7, I'm still using an i7 2600 with a 980Ti and it still eat's any game up at 1440p. I know I'm a bit CPU limited now as my mate has a 4970k and a 980Ti and has about 15% more perfomance than me when OC'd.

comes down to budget and long or short game.

both will serve well and always work well but an I7 will last you longer.
 
Thank you guys a lot of food for thought there but I'm still undecided :confused:
yashiro said:
2 - Get an i7 on Z170. Option 2 is still the fastest for gaming at the moment even if you had a 5960X.
Click to expand...

Yashiro, that's an option I had not considered, what makes the Z170 platform a better gaming option over the X99 atm?

I'm really falling for the i5 option now as this is purely a gaming rig, all I really need to know is will an i5 bottle neck the 950 pro or the 980ti at all? if not then I think that's the way to go

Cheers again for the advice
 
Renton said:
I'm really falling for the i5 option now as this is purely a gaming rig, all I really need to know is will an i5 bottle neck the 950 pro or the 980ti at all? if not then I think that's the way to go
Click to expand...

The answer depends on your monitor resolution, games, and a little bit on memory bandwidth in some cases.
 
I have to say i currently use a i5 6600k overclocked with a 980ti and have no problems with gaming at all. Oh and that's at 1440p too...
 
I have a 4670K at 4.6. Can't see much reason to upgrade. I will when Skylake E comes out, but thats only because DDR4 and NVME SSD yo

As above, 1440p, i5, 980TI, no issues here
 
Buy the best you can afford. If you can afford i7 then go for that and you won't get that scratching feeling in the back ofyour head that maybe you should have gone bigger.
 
Cool Breeze said:
Depends on the longevity you want. An i5 will in theory last you 3-4 years in performance terms. An i7 6-7, I'm still using an i7 2600 with a 980Ti and it still eat's any game up at 1440p.
both will serve well and always work well but an I7 will last you longer.
Click to expand...

load of poo, ppl are still using there 2500k's so they lasted just a long. games only benefit by 2-5% from hyper threads, so the desktop range of i7's is dead if you ask me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom