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Got an i7-4790k and honestly...it's overkill for me.

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  • Gaming
  • Intel i7
  • CPUs
  • Intel
Last response: in CPUs
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September 1, 2014 7:21:32 PM

Amazon has a very lenient return policy, and I'm starting to think about using it. Before you think I'm crazy, all I do is play games and watch movies, Word, and console emulation(PCXS2, Dolphin, SNES9x, etc..) The money could be used elsewhere, but I still want that great emulation power. I have a 3258 that I have toyed with, but I know it can't compete with an i7 for upcoming games. Say I got my $330 back, what would you suggest I get that will hang with upcoming games and still get me some money back.

**Oh, and I only have a 750ti Superclocked. I will not be upgrading that. I have a new addition to the family, so I'm on a budget. Hence, why I feel a little guilty.

Thanks in advance, and I promise to choose the best solution.

More about : 4790k honestly overkill

September 1, 2014 7:24:58 PM

4690k
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September 1, 2014 7:28:41 PM

If you're not overclocking, Xeon E3-1231 V3
If you are, i5-4690k
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September 1, 2014 7:30:30 PM

4690k and some cash in your wallet
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September 1, 2014 7:32:01 PM

If you still want the i7 performance, you could purchase the Xeon E3-1231 v3 which performs similarly to the i7-4770 whilst more affordable.

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($247.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $247.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-01 22:25 EDT-0400

The Xeon does not have integrated graphics however, hence you will need a dedicated/discrete GPU to receive a signal on your monitor; this isn't an issue however since you have a GTX 750 Ti.

If you still think $250 is too much for a processor, yet still want to play all the high-end games I'd recommend an i5 processor.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $184.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-01 22:28 EDT-0400

The above i5 should still perform same as the i7 in games, since most games only utilise 4-cores and even fewer games utilise Hyper Threading. (The i5 has 4/quad-cores but no Hyper Threading, whereas the i7 is quad-core with Hyper Threading.) If your motherboard is an 8 series, then update your BIOS before returning your i7, otherwise the i5-4460 may not be compatible.

Furthermore, both the processors I have mentioned are not for overclocking; you cannot overclock either of them.

Congratulations to the addition to your family, and all the best. :) 
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September 1, 2014 7:36:00 PM

Obnoxious said:
If you still want the i7 performance, you could purchase the Xeon E3-1231 v3 which performs similarly to the i7-4770 whilst more affordable.

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($247.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $247.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-01 22:25 EDT-0400

The Xeon does not have integrated graphics however, hence you will need a dedicated/discrete GPU to receive a signal on your monitor; this isn't an issue however since you have a GTX 750 Ti.

If you still think $250 is too much for a processor, yet still want to play all the high-end games I'd recommend an i5 processor.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $184.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-01 22:28 EDT-0400

The above i5 should still perform same as the i7 in games, since most games only utilise 4-cores and even fewer games utilise Hyper Threading. (The i5 has 4/quad-cores but no Hyper Threading, whereas the i7 is quad-core with Hyper Threading.) If your motherboard is an 8 series, then update your BIOS before returning your i7, otherwise the i5-4460 may not be compatible.

Furthermore, both the processors I have mentioned are not for overclocking; you cannot overclock either of them.

Congratulations to the addition to your family, and all the best. :) 


Thanks man, I appreciate it!

I'm not much of an overclocker, unless it's cheap like the G3258. That i5 is more in line with the price range I'm looking at.

This is the mobo I have.

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-graphics-Motherboard-Mot...

I updated the bios on it due to some heating issues with the i7, so I'm guessing it should be alright?

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September 1, 2014 8:01:31 PM

Yep will be alright and more than enough to support the 750ti.

My first reaction was the same, by the way. I expected it to be fast, but didn't expect such a rapid performance increase compared to my old q6600@3ghz.
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September 1, 2014 8:06:12 PM

gorebs said:
Amazon has a very lenient return policy, and I'm starting to think about using it. Before you think I'm crazy, all I do is play games and watch movies, Word, and console emulation(PCXS2, Dolphin, SNES9x, etc..) The money could be used elsewhere, but I still want that great emulation power. I have a 3258 that I have toyed with, but I know it can't compete with an i7 for upcoming games. Say I got my $330 back, what would you suggest I get that will hang with upcoming games and still get me some money back.

**Oh, and I only have a 750ti Superclocked. I will not be upgrading that. I have a new addition to the family, so I'm on a budget. Hence, why I feel a little guilty.

Thanks in advance, and I promise to choose the best solution.


The processor below should be okay...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

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Best solution

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September 1, 2014 8:07:41 PM

gorebs said:
Thanks man, I appreciate it!

I'm not much of an overclocker, unless it's cheap like the G3258. That i5 is more in line with the price range I'm looking at.

This is the mobo I have.

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-graphics-Motherboard-Mot...

I updated the bios on it due to some heating issues with the i7, so I'm guessing it should be alright?

Haha, not a problem. It's always my pleasure to assist. :) 

Yes, the i5 I suggested earlier will be compatible with your motherboard. To be honest, you didn't need to update your BIOS to support the i5, since you have a 9 series (Z97) motherboard; the 9 series motherboards are compatible with all existing socket 1150 CPUs and the future to-be-released 5th generation Broadwell. It's not an issue however, the latest BIOS always does provide better efficiency and often microcode updates.

Regardless of all the details, the i5-4460 will be compatible. The i5-4460 is one of the cheapest i5's for your motherboard.

All the best. :) 
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