i7 4770k vs i5 4670k high end gaming build

eden2012 · Mar 28, 2014

I want the most PREMIUM performance. Even if its a 5-10 fps gain, I will spend the extra cash. I've heard that the i7 can be worse and the i5 is better and vise versa. Whats the truth? I keep hearing mixed stories. But heres the thing. I will have 2 780ti's in my rig and I don't want my CPU to bottleneck them.

Dblkk · Mar 28, 2014

For straight gaming, as of march 2014 theyy are both identical. Give or take a frame or two a second. But, throwing that much raw gpu power and spending that much, it's kind of a no brainer to spend the extra $100 and get the 4770k.

rolli59 · Mar 28, 2014

A modern I5 does not bottleneck any GPU today if you give them enough resolution to play with. For example a single 1080P monitor would bottleneck 2 x 780Ti regardless of what CPU!

sunder25 · Mar 28, 2014

rolli59 :

Some games might require more from the CPU than others.
So even if the Cpu does not bottleneck the graphic cards per se, you might get better performance on some games with the core i7.
An example would be rome 2 total war, a highly processor intensive game.

CTurbo · Mar 28, 2014

The i7 4770k is better than any i5, it's just not always worth extra $80-100. If you really need bragging rights, there are always the 6 core i7 Extremes like the 4930k or 4960x.

rolli59 · Mar 28, 2014

CTurbo :

+1
In 99% of cases the 4770K will give 0-5% increase over the I5 so definitely not worth the price premium based on gaming alone.

Dblkk · Mar 28, 2014

All very true, but if he wants to 100% future proof, plus is dropping almost $2000 on graphics cards, I'd just up the $80 and get the i7. If your spending $2500 whats $2580?

CTurbo · Mar 28, 2014

I agree. I would go with the i7 4770k if I wanted to spend over $2000.

eden2012 · Mar 28, 2014

Dblkk :

But is hyperthreading bad for gaming?

rolli59 · Mar 28, 2014

It is not bad for gaming, if you already have a quad core the games with very few (1 or 2) exceptions do not benefit from it.

zeph_yr · Mar 28, 2014

It isn't bad for gaming, it just doesn't give any advantages. Games don't use hyperthreading.

CTurbo · Mar 28, 2014

It's not bad ever, it's just isn't always useful.

Karadjgne · Mar 28, 2014

There are only a few 'games' that take advantage of hyperthreading on a cpu such as a 4770K since hyperthreading is basically 'virtual cores' and most games don't use even all 4 physical cores anyways. As far as production goes with graphics apps and other non-game related stuff, then yes hyperthreading is of use, but unless you are really into 1 or 2 of those 'hyperthreading games' then for the 0%-5% fps (at 180+fps you really going to notice the extra 4fps??) the extra cost and heat really isn't worth it.

eden2012 · Mar 28, 2014

rolli59 :

I haven't built the rig yet,
...

sunder25 · Mar 28, 2014

Thanks to the new ps4 and xbox one 8 core processors, i guarantee games in the future will use more than 4 cores at once.
Even if now most games do not use more than 4 cores, i'm sure this will change.
So if you want extreme performance just get the i7 and be done with it.

rolli59 · Mar 28, 2014

And when that happens 2 years + down the road you could always upgrade to bigger and better things from current I5.

CTurbo · Mar 28, 2014

I promise you that the weak low power 8 cores in the new Xbox and Ps4 have absolutely nothing to do with PC gaming. Those cpus would make TERRIBLE PC cpus. You know they are 1.6ghz x 8 for the Ps4 and 1.75ghz x 8 for the Xbox? And that is weak AMD cores.

sunder25 · Mar 28, 2014

It seems that opinions are split.
If funds don't matter, just throw money at it.
Things that cost more tend to be better.
Get the i7

/solved

CTurbo · Mar 28, 2014

The i7 offers more L3 cache that will help in extreme gaming, and they are the better binned chips so they usually overclock higher than the i5s.

Again, I don't normally recommend i7s for strictly gaming, but the OP has made it clear he is willing to spend the money to get maximum performance.

sunder25 · Mar 28, 2014

CTurbo :

I never said they were good.
I just said that if console games will be coded to use 8 corses, i am sure that games that are launched on both consoles and pc will also be coded to use 8 cores if available.
Is my logic flawed?

Karadjgne · Mar 28, 2014

Better get a good cpu cooler, 4770K's tend to run quite hot. Premium AirCooler would be Noctua NH-D14, Premium LiquidCooler would be CoolerMaster Eisberg 240L Prestige, but for premium performance, you should look to full boat water cooling, but that's more often used on the Intel Extreme (LGA 2011) systems.

Karadjgne · Mar 28, 2014

Not flawed, but not realistic. with such weak, low speed processors, the games (which don't have Windows stupid power/cpu core saving crap, are almost forced to maximize use of multicore tech. PC's however don't have that limitation and have much more powerful cpu's, so multicore coding isn't needed, and since the majority of Intel cpu's are 2-4 core, that's where the game manufacturers are gonna sink their money into in order to maximize sales. If games started to be written that really needed 8 cores to run well, AMD would have a field day, and 100% of the Intel users would be S.O.L.

eden2012 · Mar 28, 2014

sunder25 :

Is the i7 better for overclocking?

CTurbo · Mar 28, 2014

Yes but not by a whole lot.

Fewshin · Mar 28, 2014

Go for the i7. It is more likely to be powerful for longer. Rumors are out about the next i core. When that comes out the i3 will most likely become obsolete and your i5 core will be shittier because of its weaker capabilities and more demanding games. That's just me though.

i7 4770k vs i5 4670k high end gaming build

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