I'm building a gaming pc with an i5-6600k, but for an extra $40 I could pick up an i7-4790k. Is it worth it?

Aztec_Series

Reputable
Dec 28, 2015
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4,510
I'm currently in Senior Year of High School and I need a gaming computer. I'll be using my pc mostly for gaming and college (Computer Science). I'm buying most of the parts in Micro Center. The reason is that their warranty is amazing. If I bought their warranty and waited for 2 years I could come back saying it's broken and get a gift card that's worth the money I spent on the part originally. That means free upgrades for every two years if they still honor that warranty by then. I'm buying the CPU and motherboard bundled to save 20 bucks, SSD, and the R9 390. I still don't know which version I should get.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($409.00)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($0.00)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($42.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card ($303.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($20.00)
Total: $1120.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-14 19:58 EST-0500

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($42.31 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card ($303.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($20.00)
Total: $1155.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-14 19:59 EST-0500
 
Solution
In my opinion the i7 system will give you a little more performance but your upgrade path is closing fast. The i5 system gives you a larger upgrade path and plenty of current options.

tlhudson69

Reputable
Aug 12, 2015
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4,660
In my opinion the i7 system will give you a little more performance but your upgrade path is closing fast. The i5 system gives you a larger upgrade path and plenty of current options.
 
Solution