What should you realistically pay for an ivy i7?

[ExoMale]

dont know if I asked this question or for i5 models the other week, but I get paid next week and might put money in to my computer if I feel I'll use it and as previously covered that I can't overclock if I wanted to so would make sense to get the better processor..

luckily for me a family friend I gave a hd6670 to years ago never used it so now as I sold my 5850 the other day I am okay for graphics side of things for now, so thinking processors again, but I keep seeing prices going up and down over the last few days..


I think I saw a 3770k for £125 in a 2nd hand shop or the none K for £25 less, mean is that good or they should be cheaper? It's like £60-80 I think for a 2600? I can still get a 2300-2500k from £20-50.


Ideally I would just sell my computer and buy better system, but haven't found a cheap enough decent power supply replacement as I would regret selling my supernova I think.

 

[darket]

i think that 100-125 for a 3770k is a reasonable price, delided and clocked they can still mix it up with the latest tech.

 

[DarrenM343]

Mix it with the latest tech or not, we're talking 5 year old CPU's here (bigger change of failure). I think with all the new stuff on the market now < £100, ideally < £80.

 

[ExoMale]

Okay thanks for that.

I don't think I will bother trying to find a system to put it in to overclock to need to worry, but then I don't need high demand, Anno 2205, rainbow 6 siege, fallout 4 probably be the games of demanding nature I'd play, don't know if I could be bothered to get back in to the division, I won't have the time to dedicate to gaming like I used to, just if I upgrade this acer more, then I might as well try aim high, the i5 range probably be more tired by now.

 

[ExoMale]

Mix it with the latest tech or not, we're talking 5 year old CPU's here (bigger change of failure). I think with all the new stuff on the market now < £100, ideally < £80.

I didn't see you reply by the time I wrote my other one.

Yeah I see where your coming from, it's not like it's haswell that still seem to hold strong, just even private sales are all over the place, I don't think I could sell up and buy better the more I think about it, with the low gaming use, I just want to make this one better as cheap as possible with less faff, just never had an i7 before.

 

[DragonQ]

i think that 100-125 for a 3770k is a reasonable price, delided and clocked they can still mix it up with the latest tech.

Why would you delid it? I thought Ivy Bridge was soldered.

 

[Armageus]

Why do you actually need a better processor?

If it's for old games (based on your GPU), then only single core performance matters, in which case none of the 2300-2500k processors are actually going to be any faster than your I3.

If you are doing anything that actually needs 3 or more threads, then yes a 2500 or 3570 or 3770 is probably a good idea, but as above - £125 is a lot for outdated tech, when the chip or motherboard is at least 5 years old and could die tomorrow

You mention Rainbow 6 seige - I would have thought a better GPU would have been more of a improvement (given that the minimum spec calls for a 6870 GPU at least)

I just want to make this one better as cheap as possible with less faff, just never had an i7 before.

Again why is there a need to have an I7 just because you have never had one? In day to day use an I7 is no different from an I3 - unless you need one it just seems like a pointless waste of money.

Instead of wasting any more cash with your random "upgrades" - stick £100 to one side, and then do the same for the next couple of months and buy some brand new hardware that's appropriate for what you want, rather than throwing good money after bad on random GPUs, CPUs and PSUs.

 

[Armageus]

Why would you delid it? I thought Ivy Bridge was soldered.

Sandy Bridge is Soldered, Ivy uses TIM

 

[DragonQ]

Sandy Bridge is Soldered, Ivy uses TIM

Wow, didn't realise they made the switch that long ago.

 

[ExoMale]

The 6670 was free as they said I could have it, but I'm not gaming right Now, I have browser open and YouTube and going to be that way for days unless I install old games, though I got a USB clone of a snes controller for my Pi which I'm going to test on pc first with mortal Kombat X, but I like to spend money on upgrading computers I have within reason, I am actually not that bothered about new tech, I won't have the time to appreciate it, so I am making the most of what I do appreciate.

I also didn't say I was going to pay £125 for an i7, I was using that price as an example from what I've seen, they might be old tech but they still quads, don't always need to overclock everything and most of the instructions I don't understand so more than likely don't use them to even care for those differences, I could go out right now and buy an i5 3330 for £25, but in no hurry.

 

[Aneskimo]

I have noticed you post a lot in different sections on random upgrades on old tech, you should really just save your money and buy some more up to date tech that’s going second hand if money is an issue to really notice a good difference

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

If its FO4,if you mod the game and build large settlements using mods,it can be very taxing on the CPU. It tends to not only push one or two threads massively but also uses a reasonable amount of other threads at a lower level(probably around 6 to 8),so ideally a Core i7 is the best CPU for the game.

OTH,if you are not really into building massive,modded settlements or using mods which expand the NPC spawn points,its actually not as bad,as a modern Core i5 should be sufficient.

Edit!!

However in the case of the card the OP has,they will be probably also GPU limited too.

Wow, didn't realise they made the switch that long ago.

Yep,I have a Xeon E3 1230 V2 which is a 69W TDP IB Core i7 and its actually reasonably warm even under an AIO water cooler at stock clockspeeds!

Edit!!

Since you have an oldish system OP,these performance mods will help improve your performance in the game:

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/...age=0&src_cat=26&src_showadult=1&page=1&pUp=1

Its worth looking at them!

 

[Armageus]

If its FO4,if you mod the game and build large settlements using mods,it can be very taxing on the CPU. It tends to not only push one or two threads massively but also uses a reasonable amount of other threads at a lower level,so ideally a Core i7 is the best CPU for the game.

A Radeon 6670 is going to be more of a limitation for Fallout 4 than any CPU will be.

I like to spend money on upgrading computers I have within reason, I am actually not that bothered about new tech, I won't have the time to appreciate it, so I am making the most of what I do appreciate.

I like putting old hardware to use rather than chucking it out, but you are taking it to some kind of irrational level. If you won't have time to appreciate new hardware, why will you have time to appreciate old hardware?

they might be old tech but they still quads

But unless you are doing anything that specifically needs it, then what is the point? An I3 is still fine for web browsing and youtube.

I could go out right now and buy an i5 3330 for £25, but in no hurry.

You could, and outside of a few use cases (e.g. games or apps that heavily use 3 or more threads), you will notice no difference over your I3 2120.

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

A Radeon 6670 is going to be more of a limitation for Fallout 4 than any CPU will be.

I re-edited my last post,but even with my GTX960 the drops could happen - if you do intend to build large settlements it becomes a major issue and then the game essential becomes more a test of your CPU.

If you do tend to not bother too much with the settlement building part on any scale,as long as you have a reasonable CPU you should be OK,but you can see even in this example of how poorly optimised the game can be:

Thats with an X4 860 and a GTX750TI. In Diamond City you can see framedrops to the 35FPS mark(what you don't see is the stutter),and despite what the video says,parts of the Boston Commons also could be even worse.

The game also does have advantages to running it off an SSD too,as it tends to stream date frequently off a drive,and the load times are famous for their length.

Having said that as I did mention an HD6670 is going to be a problem too,hence why I linked to this page where there are performance enhancing mods:

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/...age=0&src_cat=26&src_showadult=1&page=1&pUp=1

Some of those mods should reduce the graphical load,and attempts to fix some of the stuttering issues which could affect the game.

TBH,I have been following some of the posts the OP made and I perplexed why they are wasting soo much money on little upgrades here and there.

My IB Core i7 cost me just over £100 a few years ago and only now am I am starting to see some limitations here and there.

Not sure why the OP just does not save their money up and buy a solid CPU and a decentish GPU.

 

[Armageus]

Not sure why the OP just does not save their money up and buy a solid CPU and a decentish GPU.

Even the OP doesn't know, hence why at the beginning of the month he was planning on saving for a Ryzen build, but also asking the same questions about whether to get a 2500k.

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/does-the-xfx-hd5850-1gb-unlock-to-5870.18794988
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/is-any-i5-under-2500k-good-upgrade-from-i3.18795033


Only difference is now we've gone from GPU Pokemon "Got to catch them all" to CPU's

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I could go out right now and buy an i5 3330 for £25, but in no hurry.

In the end,if you really want to save money,take it from me - buy something reasonable and stick to it. I bought my IB Core i7 off the famous auction site for just over £100 in 2014(IIRC),so its not cost me that much over time.

In the end I suggest you look at that Core i5 3330(or something similar and IB does have newer extension support) for around £20 to £30,and put £75 towards a graphics. Many retailers will do B grade RX460 card for that sort of money for example. You might be able to pick up a GTX950 or the AMD equivalent for something similar. Maybe even a cheap GTX670/GTX770??

Plus if you are looking for a solid cheapo PSU,the Be Quiet System Power 8 400W can be had for £30 to £35 on offer if you are patient. I honestly don't understand why you ditched that decent PSU you had before!

So for under £150,you will have a quad core CPU,a newish card and a reasonable PSU.

Then when you have some more money,and SSDs price have gone down,get an SSD for some of the games like FO4. That way you will have a reasonable performing system for console money.

Then save up for a year or two and then start upgrading parts in a stepwise manner.

Even the OP doesn't know, hence why at the beginning of the month he was planning on saving for a Ryzen build, but also asking the same questions about whether to get a 2500k.

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/does-the-xfx-hd5850-1gb-unlock-to-5870.18794988
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/is-any-i5-under-2500k-good-upgrade-from-i3.18795033


Only difference is now we've gone from GPU Pokemon "Got to catch them all" to CPU's

I think they are like my mate,who gets bored and just dumps hardware after a brief period and then wants something new. In my mates case it is worse since he can actually somethings plonk down a decent amount!!

 

[ExoMale]

I have noticed you post a lot in different sections on random upgrades on old tech, you should really just save your money and buy some more up to date tech that’s going second hand if money is an issue to really notice a good difference

thanks for the advise, but for me money is limited, i spent over £600 on an haswell setup couple years ago and sold it about 5 months ago because i needed the money nor had time to use it as i was console gaming more due to having an XB1S and was easier, i still dont always have time, but i still needed a computer as a laptop i purchased for a quarter of the desktop sale was rubbish(E300 apu). some intel dual with 8400m i replaced with was okay, but i wanted to play some pc games that required dx11., i used to buy and sell old computers as a hobbie keeping the good parts for my own systems, so was a big cycle i got use to, hence why i look at old tech... spending £200-300 over the last 5 months i couldve got a really nice used gaming system, just not what i want, my mood for gaming and times change all the time, i just dont want to own too weak of a system.

i was just playing anno 2205 on medium at 1920x1080 and was happy, okay not as smooth as an haswell i3 and a gtx 750 i had, but so long i can play it well enough all is good.

 

[ExoMale]

In the end,if you really want to save money,take it from me - buy something reasonable and stick to it. I bought my IB Core i7 off the famous auction site for just over £100 in 2014(IIRC),so its not cost me that much over time.

In the end I suggest you look at that Core i5 3330(or something similar and IB does have newer extension support) for around £20 to £30,and put £75 towards a graphics. Many retailers will do B grade RX460 card for that sort of money for example. You might be able to pick up a GTX950 or the AMD equivalent for something similar. Maybe even a cheap GTX670/GTX770??

Plus if you are looking for a solid cheapo PSU,the Be Quiet System Power 8 400W can be had for £30 to £35 on offer if you are patient. I honestly don't understand why you ditched that decent PSU you had before!

So for under £150,you will have a quad core CPU,a newish card and a reasonable PSU.

Then when you have some more money,and SSDs price have gone down,get an SSD for some of the games like FO4. That way you will have a reasonable performing system for console money.

Then save up for a year or two and then start upgrading parts in a stepwise manner.



I think they are like my mate,who gets bored and just dumps hardware after a brief period and then wants something new. In my mates case it is worse since he can actually somethings plonk down a decent amount!!

thanks for the advise.

i probably will get an i5, i just wanted to know what you should pay for an i7 basically.

i did miss out on a gtx 950 for £50 quid the other week, well i say missed, they never bothered replying to me, have seen the old 670/660/660ti for £50-75, but too much i feel, someone on here selling older 580 for under £30 and fairly local to where i am currently, but it trade blows with the 5850 i had so no good, i could get a 7770 for £15, but again no good, i was impressed by a youtube video of a fx 6300 + gtx 1030 playing fallout 4 pretty well on medium, but £65 is a lot for a media card, im almost going back to a 750 the way things are looking with prices, but i want something stronger.

i keep looking at ssd's, but i think id feel better with a 240 rather than another 120 i had once and so far seen nothing under £60 used.

as for psu, if you look at my sig you will see im very good in that department, cost me £40 and was brand new unsealed, so its a keeper.


im not looking for fantastic, im looking for playable medium to high at 1920x1080 save faffing with res, i wont always be gaming, but would like it to be capable.


edit: in response to your other comment about fallout 4, i dont mod games, i have no interest, the free offline copy i had before was good enough that i liked it how it is, but i want to buy a proper version with updates, but im not gospel to that game, just want the option like..



but this topic gone a bit side tracked anyways, was only asking about processors lol, i got the 6670 because i sold my monitor couple days ago and a 32" smart tv im using doesnt have pc inputs so i needed something with hdmi and as its free then why not.

 

[ExoMale]

Even the OP doesn't know, hence why at the beginning of the month he was planning on saving for a Ryzen build, but also asking the same questions about whether to get a 2500k.

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/does-the-xfx-hd5850-1gb-unlock-to-5870.18794988
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/is-any-i5-under-2500k-good-upgrade-from-i3.18795033


Only difference is now we've gone from GPU Pokemon "Got to catch them all" to CPU's

not exactly, i said about saving for a ryzen whenever that would be and implied i could get a ryzen build at the end of the month round the 1200 that would do what i want, but as i cant justify all that cost for how much use i would give it then it be pointless and rather spend like £100-150 or not even £100 to upgrade what i have to still do what i want, just not as fantastic.

also bare in mind not all my purchases were from wages, i have sold other parts to add up the costs or to cover the costs depending what its for, i will have £250 next week i know i could spend on a decent gaming computer, but i have 3 kids and other stuff to contend with which is why i make the most of things... ideally i want a gaming laptop even an older dx11 that could spend like £200 on because i would use that more, hell even the none game i7 versions with 600m series would be fine as gaming not a high priority, but havent found anymore and a desktop has been useful.


edit:

the 6670 was free so it hasnt cost me anything, read above i have explained about needing something with hdmi to actually use my computer, i used to game on this 6670 before and was fine, not demanding games, but fine, but thats irrelevant.

 

[Armageus]

i was just playing anno 2205 on medium at 1920x1080 and was happy, okay not as smooth as an haswell i3 and a gtx 750 i had, but so long i can play it well enough all is good.

That's the thing though - if it ran fine on your i3 4160, it will run fine on an i3 2120 - it's not like they are world's apart (300mhz, and probably 5-10% better IPC).

Whether the 6670 was free or not isn't the point - that is likely your bottleneck in any of the occasional gaming you do, not the CPU.

What money you have will be better spent on making sure you have at least 8Gb of ram, picking up a cheap SSD (which improves general PC usage more than any CPU upgrade will) and picking up another 750Ti (or something slightly better e.g. 660/670/760/770/950).