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Is it worth getting anything more than a i5-4690k for gaming?

Drkalinium

Drkalinium

Drkalinium

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I am going to upgrade my pc soon and after reading numerous articles and seeking advice from computer science friends they all seem to recommend the i5-4690k as being all you need for gaming, many benchmarks seem to suggest that even spending £100s more would barely get me 3-4 fps in a lot of current gen games. So is there any reason to pay more and get one of the newer CPUs if I am planning to only use this pc for gaming?
 
As your research suggests the i5-K has always been the "default" option for a gaming CPU.

Important to note though it still offers diminished returns over budget gaming CPU options (Intel G3258, AMD X4 860K, AMD FX-6300, Intle i3, AMD FX-8320) but in some cases it can be quite a bit faster than these, hence people usually stump up the extra.

Going to the i7 (extra cache, hyperthreading) usually makes a very small difference and isn't worth the extra.
 
if you had a little bit extra to spend i say go for the 6600/6700k skylake setup... if not the 4690k will be absolutely fine... its one of the best processors on the market right now and excels as far as gaming goes.
 
Drkalinium said:
I am going to upgrade my pc soon and after reading numerous articles and seeking advice from computer science friends they all seem to recommend the i5-4690k as being all you need for gaming, many benchmarks seem to suggest that even spending £100s more would barely get me 3-4 fps in a lot of current gen games. So is there any reason to pay more and get one of the newer CPUs if I am planning to only use this pc for gaming?
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Makes sense to get the newer skylake 6600k - much more futureproof platform with ddr4, 20 more PCI-E V3 lanes, easier to overclock and better performance.
 
Dave2150 said:
Makes sense to get the newer skylake 6600k - much more futureproof platform with ddr4, 20 more PCI-E V3 lanes, easier to overclock and better performance.
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It is quite a bit more money though the i5 6600k is 40-50 more and 2011 mobos are more expensive too, is it any faster at all?
 
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Drkalinium said:
It is quite a bit more money though the i5 6600k is 40-50 more and 2011 mobos are more expensive too, is it any faster at all?
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6600K needs an 1151 mobo, not 2011.

On performance it's probably not worth it, if that £50 could mean getting a better GPU/larger SSD/better quality case, etc. - something you'll actually notice. Don't believe DDR4 or PCIe lanes will make any difference.

On the other hand, many people get anxious not being on the "latest gen", so paying the extra might be worth it for them.

I'd go with pandem0nium's suggestion personally.
 
joeyjojo said:
6600K needs an 1151 mobo, not 2011.

On performance it's probably not worth it, if that £50 could mean getting a better GPU/larger SSD/better quality case, etc. - something you'll actually notice. Don't believe DDR4 or PCIe lanes will make any difference.

On the other hand, many people get anxious not being on the "latest gen", so paying the extra might be worth it for them.

I'd go with pandem0nium's suggestion personally.
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I would perhaps save it for a GPU upgrade but I am finding the 780 to be enough for now and I have had issues with my current CPU and expect its on its way out I have had it since release so its had a great run.
 
if your upgrading get a mobo that has the ability to accept ddr4 ram... that way your going to future proof your system because games will require the ddr4 ram in future and that is a fact.
 
thesuperlouis said:
if your upgrading get a mobo that has the ability to accept ddr4 ram... that way your going to future proof your system because games will require the ddr4 ram in future and that is a fact.
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I am not sure about that looking back over the past 10 years and RAM type has made very little difference to gaming performance, I see no reason why DDR4 would be a revelation when DDR3 was no significant improvement over 2 for gaming.
 
I purchased a 4690k yesterday as im building a second system for my other half as she is bored of playing COD on the PS4 whilst im on the pc with mates. I see no reason to pay the extra well over £100 for skylake i5-k plus expince overpriced mobo's, the 4690k will last a good few years in gaming yet. look how long the 2500k has lasted and thats still a good enough CPU for most games and that was Jan 2011
 
as i said the 4690k is a brilliant chip, but if your buying a system today you by one with ddr4 possibilities, the extra 50-100 will give you some future proof investment for future upgrades etc.... and thats simply why there is a premium on the z170/skylake systems at the moment.
 
Have you overclocked your i950? Unless it's a CPU intensive game then most games rely on your GPU. Rarely do i see my games get passed 25% (usually 10 - 25%) usage on my CPU gaming at 4k.

Install MSI Afterburner, enabled OSD and monitor the GPU/CPU/RAM usage and find out the reality vs what you think you need to be doing ;)
 
i have the same processor as OP, Intel I7 950.

i spent Sunday doing some overclocking and managed to get mine up to 4.2ghz on air using a decent cooler.

when playing games the temp doesn't go above 68C.

i find a I7 950 still fine for gaming but my GPU lets the system down, running a HD 5830.

what ress do you gave at?

If its the PC in your sig i wouldnt upgrade anything as its still fine for a bit longer yet, maybe a SSD if you dont have one or a decent monitor?
 
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I was fine with my 950 you guys are right its great but its also failing atm i tried it on a couple of different boards in friends pcs and its performance has dropped and its idling at 70c :( so I am upgrading. As for going for a skylake I guess I should think about it really I think that spending a 100 more now for a bit more longevity makes sense but i always feel that the extra longevity isn't always garenteed. Thanks guys for all the advice you guys are giving tho really helpful :) if i was to get either a skylake or 4690k would it make more sense to buy the bits individually or buy a combined overclocked bundle?

Basically it seems to cost a similar amount but the oc bundles have slower RAM for the same price despite having faster CPU clock speeds, which is preferable CPU or RAM clock speed?
 
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Drkalinium said:
I was fine with my 950 you guys are right its great but its also failing atm i tried it on a couple of different boards in friends pcs and its performance has dropped and its idling at 70c :(
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Sounds like you need to re-attach your cooler and remove dust while you're at it. I do that every year or two.
 
Either pick up £30 i7 930 or get something that fits your budget. I can't see much extra mileage personally in Skylake vs previous gen. Unless you're performing CPU intensive tasks most reasonable current CPUs will get the job done.
 
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