Intel i7-4790k or i5-4690k?

MerlinTwist · Jul 6, 2014

Hey guys!

I've had a bit of a dilemma letting my head settle one of the above CPU's, I'll be using my rig for gaming, photoshop, premiere pro and after effects.
I've heard that the hyperthreading in the i7 will help a lot more when it comes down to rendering videos and 3D work. I've also read that now games are beginning to take advantage of hyperthreading? Let me know what you think I should go for, it would be really appreciated! I'd like the build to be future-proof for a good few years anyway

Thanks everyone!

Wendeng · Jul 6, 2014

You answered your own question

MerlinTwist · Jul 6, 2014

Wendeng :

Yeah I think that's beginning to hit me :pt1cable:

Hard to justify the £80 price gap for a little more performance though

EasyLover · Jul 6, 2014

If you are not going for overclocking then better get yourself Xeon based CPU. That will do the job better for your requirements otherwise stick with i7.

junkeymonkey · Jul 6, 2014

look over the zeon chips there not overclockers but may cover all you want or need for less then the i7 [i7 less on-chip gpu]

http://ark.intel.com/compare/75047,75122,75054

EasyLover · Jul 7, 2014

With Xeon CPU make sure that you have dedicated GPU as Xeon CPUs don't have built-in GPU, but they do have more cores depending upon the model.

MerlinTwist · Jul 7, 2014

EasyLover :

I'll have a GTX GeForce 780 as a dedicated GPU

EasyLover · Jul 7, 2014

Good card.

Mac266 · Jul 7, 2014

EasyLover :

*Scratches head*

But yes, get a Xeon. An E3 1231 v3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117316

or A bit faster 1241v3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117315

EasyLover · Jul 7, 2014

Xeon only if not opting for overclockable i7. Just to remind please.

MerlinTwist · Jul 7, 2014

Mac266 :

The option of having an unlocked chip and being able to overclock easily would be a great highlight, especially since I'll be using it for gaming quite a bit as well, but would the performance between an I7-4790k be much different than a 1241 v3?

grimmjow660 · Jul 7, 2014

Get the I7, I got an I5 and a few weeks later I kept telling myself I'd upgrade to an I7 later on and I did. Kinda wasted money on the i5 or however you look at it. In the end it'll be worth it. It's your money though.

EasyLover · Jul 7, 2014

Read here:

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/492/Intel_Core_i7_i7-4770K_vs_Intel_Xeon_E3-1241_v3.html

MerlinTwist · Jul 7, 2014

grimmjow660 :

That's the way I'm kinda thinking, I want it to last a few years and I want the best performance out of it, so the i7 seems to be more suited, especially with the overclocking

EasyLover · Jul 7, 2014

Dear, i7/Xeon was recommended for your stated requirements not i5. If your requirement was purely for gaming then i5 would have been recommended. i5 has also 4 cores. i7 has 4 cores with two threads per cores, giving the impression that it has 8 cores which is not true as it has physically 4 cores with 4 logical cores.

Again Xeon was recommended if you don't opt for overclocking otherwise i7 is a way to go.

MerlinTwist · Jul 7, 2014

EasyLover :

Will the overclocking of the i7 make much more of a difference over the Xeon?

MerlinTwist · Jul 7, 2014

Another thing, will a Z97 motherboard support a Xeon chip?

leeb2013 · Jul 7, 2014

MerlinTwist :

I have the Xeon 1230-V2 and it's not maxed out in any latest games with 3 monitors and an R9-290. In fact it's mostly around 50% usage max. So paying an extra ~$100 for a unlocked I7 probably won't give any better gaming performance. It's unlikely that games will be released that will max out current I7's (locked/unlocked/Xeons) for several years, due to the low spec consoles and lack of competition pushing huge leaps in CPU performance.

However, if you do other stuff, such as video editing and anything that will max out the CPU and you need to shave a few seconds/minutes off these activities, then of course an overclocked I7 will perform a bit faster. In certain CPU intensive applications, with a decent o/c you might get 20-25% faster for approx. 40% more money. (Law of diminishing returns when you get high end).

MerlinTwist · Jul 7, 2014

leeb2013 :

MerlinTwist :

I have the Xeon 1230-V2 and it's not maxed out in any latest games with 3 monitors and an R9-290. In fact it's mostly around 50% usage max. So paying an extra ~$100 for a unlocked I7 probably won't give any better gaming performance. It's unlikely that games will be released that will max out current I7's (locked/unlocked/Xeons) for several years, due to the low spec consoles and lack of competition pushing huge leaps in CPU performance.

However, if you do other stuff, such as video editing and anything that will max out the CPU and you need to shave a few seconds/minutes off these activities, then of course an overclocked I7 will perform a bit faster. In certain CPU intensive applications, with a decent o/c you might get 20-25% faster for approx. 40% more money. (Law of diminishing returns when you get high end).

What motherboard are you using with your Xeon? I'm uncertain if a Z97 will support one as it doesn't state on any site that it does

EasyLover · Jul 7, 2014

There are two differences between i7-k and Xeon. i7-k has built-in GPU whereas Xeon does not have. i7-k is factory unlocked thus it has potential for overclock whereas Xeon is factory locked processor, hence can't be overclocked beyond its max turbo.

Having said this, I would still re-iterate that if you don't want to overclock the CPU then get Xeon CPU otherwise get i7-k series CPU as overclocking will give you boost in performance hence you'll be benefited.

Because you are not only gaming but also doing graphics intensive tasking, this is why it is important for you to have CPU with more and powerful cores. For gaming I would have recommended i5 only but for your requirements either i7-k or Xeon based on your overclocking criteria.

Check for Xeon with Haswell socket compatibility and it wold work on 97 series mobo. Also pl make sure that if you are buying Xeon based CPU then better buy H97 series mobo. Buy Z97 series mobo only if you opt for i7-k series CPU.

Hopefully, this would help

Intel i7-4790k or i5-4690k?

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