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Which i7 ?

logicfry

logicfry

logicfry

Associate
Joined
20 Jun 2013
Posts
261
Hey all,

So it's upgrade time and want to nail down the final spec before the new GPUs come out this week.
been looking to get a 4770k for some time now but the newer 4790k is already running more like i'd want to run the 4470k at 4.4ghz on boost.

is the 4790k noticeably faster than the 4770k?

would getting the slightly faster chip be better for futureproofing or do the sums not add up?

which of the two is better for running with faster ram (2ghz +)

anything else i've overlooked?
 
If you are still running the spec in sig it would be much cheaper to just drop in a 3770k. Theres not an awful lot of performance difference between it and the 4770k/4790k. Thats if you really need the features of an i7, hyperthreading that is useful in a few games, though moreso with multi gpu.
 
only going to run a single gpu (770 or 780) due to only running 1 screen but am changing the mobo and ram at the same time as the cpu. basicly a barebones upgrade as this old girl just feels a bit slow after a few years.
going to watercool both cpu and gpu too but that's another topic.

mostly gaming with games like CoD, Civ 5, Assetta corsa, Empire total war, F1 etc etc so none of them are really heavy users of hardware even with graphics at MAX.
But do a fair amount of CAD rendering when not gaming which works the cpu a bit.

Was held back by budget when specing up this current rig so the i5 was the only choice but am free to get whatever this time round. though not looking to chuck money away.
So the 4770k is more than enough then? will save a few pennies on not getting the 90.
 
your current CPU is still plenty fast, the ones you're talking about won't feel any faster in normal use, and few games will gain significantly either paired with such a slow single graphics card.

Things to consider for feeling faster:
* cleaning up your OS install (probably lots of junk slowing things down)
* an SSD for your OS (biggest feeling of speed difference of any component upgrade)
* Faster graphics card - things have become significantly faster than the 560ti while things in the world of CPUs have changed very little.

For CPU-based rendering you could, as advised, go for a 2nd hand 3770k. Would make you pretty much the same speed as a 4790k for much less money especially if you sell your existing CPU at the same time.

Edit: I see you're thinking the 4770k over the 4790k... given they're basically the same price here I'd certainly go for the 4790k. I just think either is a waste compared with a 3770k.
 
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so really i'm wasting my money aiming for an i7 build over an i5, even though i'm looking to watercool and OC as much as a 24/7 OC will allow?

the new cpu isn't going to go with my old kit. it's a full barebones upgrade of mobo, ram, cpu, gpu and watercooling. the new single gpu will be either a gtx770 or if prices fall with new card, a 780. running a topic on each part of the system to sort the specs out.

already running boot drive on a 120gb ssd (best performance upgrade ever!) but it's nearly full so some games are installed on the 1tb disc.
when i say slow, it just isn't as quick as some of my friend's kit when opening things or loading games etc. i'm sure some of this is due to the slow ram and old low spec gpu. takes around 7-8s to boot after the 'beep'

will update my spec in my sig to include more things now.
 
The 3770k we're suggesting is an i7 :) you'll get the same number of cores, same number of threads and once overclocked the same rough performance as a 4790K, without having to replace your motherboard. If you were getting a new mobo anyway then a 4790k makes sense, but I see no reason why you would replace your mobo. Getting more RAM may help, just noticed it says 4GB in your sig, I'd consider Kingston HyperX 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-14900C9 1866MHz
 
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I agree with the above statements however, if budget isn't an issue (within reason of course) I'd go for the haswell refresh just to future proof a bit more (not that the 3770k won't be future proof). My reason for that is that if you go for the z97 platform, you'll be able to upgrade to broadwell (if you wanted/needed to)
 
The reason I'd disagree with future proofing is the tendency we see in this thread - with an option to upgrade people still don't and buy new. He has a valid upgrade path but would prefer all new which is so often the case.
 
If you are upgrading the CPU, motherboard and RAM anyway, I would go for the Intel 5820K. It will cost about £200 more than a Z97 board and 4790k but you would get 6 cores and DDR4 so it would be a good upgrade for CAD software.
 
I have a similar spec to you and frankly i think your wasting your money on an upgrade with the exception of a GPU and the water cooling if your pretty much just gaming.

If you were going sli/xfire then yeah i'd stick an i7 in, but if your sticking with single GPU then your i5 will cope fine for a good while yet.

Watercooling is a good investment as you can transplant most of the equipment to new builds.
 
thanks for the replies people.

this is a theme that seems to keep coming up. for my use it seems i'm specing hardware that simply isn't needed. if not upgrading anything other than the cpu then it would be possible to get a better graphics card and some more ram.

my mobo can't take faster ram, stuck with 1600 or 2800(oc) only. other speeds are not supported according to the manual. 2800 is quite expensive. maybe just slap another 4gb in there and upgrade to the 3770k?

i am planning on watercooling both gpu and cpu. if not changing the mobo or getting expensive ram then the watercooling parts could be better spec.
 
With your spec I would:

- Add 4GB more RAM to 8GB total
- Replace GPU with 770 or 970 depending on budget
- Get a bigger SSD if you're running out of room (+clean Windows install)
 
The guys here are pointing you in the right direction.

If you want a snappier feeling system.

1. Install 16Gb of RAM. This will give you a much smoother feel to the your OS functions (and games) as Windows will use much more if it is there. You do not need faster RAM. 1600Mhz is more than adequate and you won't notice any difference using 2400Mhz etc. You just need more memory than 4GB.

2. Get as big as SSD you can afford. (Samsung EVO 512Mb or 1TB) Once SSD's get full then the performance tailors off.

3. Reinstall the OS and clean out the unneeded services (see BlackViper). You should have mid 30 to low 30's before you install your programs.

4. If you are getting the upgrade itch then as stated go to 6 core as that will have an impact on your CAD work.

Edit. As billysielu says top that off by getting that 970 for a good improvement in your games.
 
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thanks all again for the advice.

well turned out that my brother is buying my old mobo, ram and cpu so it's full upgrade time :D
have chosen to go with the 4790k over the 4770k just cos they are basicly the same price and one packs a little more punch.
went with a palit gtx770 as there are some alright deals out there right now and there are full cover waterblocks for it. could have saved a few quid more by waiting a few more weeks but for the odd £30 i couldn't be bothered to wait.

my brother wants more than 4gb ram so have advised him to just get more 1600 to fill up the other 2 slots, keeping the same model and timings.
 
logicfry said:
thanks all again for the advice.

well turned out that my brother is buying my old mobo, ram and cpu so it's full upgrade time :D
have chosen to go with the 4790k over the 4770k just cos they are basicly the same price and one packs a little more punch.
went with a palit gtx770 as there are some alright deals out there right now and there are full cover waterblocks for it. could have saved a few quid more by waiting a few more weeks but for the odd £30 i couldn't be bothered to wait.

my brother wants more than 4gb ram so have advised him to just get more 1600 to fill up the other 2 slots, keeping the same model and timings.
Click to expand...
For the price, you definitely won't regret it.
What mobo and ram have you gone for?
 
went with the gigabyte z97-soc mobo, didn't see the point in the Force version. also 8gb g.kill 2400 c9 ram.

hoping it will zoom along with all these new bits. plus it's going watercooled aswell so a decent OC should be reachable.
 
logicfry said:
went with the gigabyte z97-soc mobo, didn't see the point in the Force version. also 8gb g.kill 2400 c9 ram.

hoping it will zoom along with all these new bits. plus it's going watercooled aswell so a decent OC should be reachable.
Click to expand...

great choice there as well. keep us posted!
 
I built a PC with an i5 2500K back when the new base architecture first came out. (3 years ago?)

I would still have it now, because it was to this day, a fantastic CPU, even paired with the GTX780 I had for a while.

I only upgraded it to an i7 2700K because one came up cheap. :)

In your position I would stick another 4GB of RAM in and grab a new GPU (a GTX970 perhaps) and then get a used 3770K.

e; I see you have pulled the trigger on some z97 kit. Fair enough then... :p
 
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