i5 6600k and cooler or i7 6700k

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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Jan 28, 2016
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Stuck on the fence between getting an i5 6600k with a Kraken x61 and just overclocking it or getting an i7 6700k and a cheap air cooler and OCing it to 4.6ghz or something.
Using the MasterCase Pro 5 and wondering whether the temps will reach above 70c with the i7.
Heard games nowadays are also utilizing hyperthreading and that it can have dramatic difference in frame rate (up to 20 fps in some titles) but I also want the visuals of a radiator with an LED :p
Help meeee! :I
 
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Karadjgne
Honestly, I'd go with the i7 and cryorig H5 Ultimate. The difference in price is only initial outlay, and breaks down over 3.5yrs to about 8¢ a day or $2.50 a month. While the i5 is quite a capable cpu, when pushing the limits of what a 980ti is capable of, and even possible sli to take advantage of 4k gaming, you'll need the power that the i7 brings over the i5. Many games like Battlefront are using compressed audio. That takes a core, either physical or virtual, all to itself. In huge battle scenes, with lots of audio, music, explosions etc, you'll be constantly running the game engine itself on 3 cores with an i5. That might be enough for most games today, but in 2 years that'll be a different story. I've got so much crap running in...
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Rooster__

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I doubt you would need it, but as as rule I would pick the i7, it will be superior in other ways than just gaming performance, I have a problem with liquid cooling lower tier cpus rather than just getting more horsepower. You can also get a liquid cooler later, but you cannot get hyperthreading later on.
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Good point, any CPU fan suggestions that don't block any ram slots and are under say $50?
 
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Rooster__

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212 evo is always a good choice, very cheap and amazing cooling, I hit 4.8 ghz with it on my 2500k with temperatures of about 70-80C (1.45v), and it does not interfere with the ram slots, only thing to consider is the height- the cooler is quite tall in comparison to other coolers around.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-RR-212E-16PK-R1-Performance-Universal/dp/B0068OI7T8
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Thanks, but seems to run a bit hot on load with overclocked settings, I was thinking the Cryorig H7? What are your thoughts on that?
 
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Rooster__

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I'm sure it would be fine, there will be little difference in cooling either way, both have 120mm fans. The 212 evo is pretty tried and tested, it competes reasonably well against highest tier coolers and liquid AIOs. If you're using stock cooler, there is a WORLD of difference.
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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I game at 1440p with a 980ti on a 4 year old i5 and it doesn't hold it back. Get the i5.

As for air cooler. The H7 is better than 212 EVO (I own EVO) and I'd buy that today over the EVO. Just make sure you get a decent mobo that can overclock and you'll get more than enough out of the i5 +980ti.
 
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Rooster__

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I would argue a 5 year old cpu is holding you back, I use a 2500k and am looking to upgrade, especially for games like gtav and heavy cpu bound tasks. An i7 will really be leaps and bounds ahead, If you can afford it, just go for it, you will be thankful in the future, and you will be able to multitask more heavily than with an i5.
 
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turkey3_scratch

turkey3_scratch

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If you really want the best gaming performance, getting an I5-6500, an H110 motherboard, stock cooler, and then a GPU that is the next step up will get you more FPS. GPU > CPU in gaming.

There is no such thing as "utilizing hyperthreading" - only utilizing multiple cores. Hyperthreading is virtual cores -> two threads of instructions executed on a single physical core.
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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I plan to upgrade in 2017 with Cannonlake. However, I don't play GTA V, but when I game (BF4) I get a solid 85fps average with lots of 100+fps. I see no holding back yet. i5s are built to compete for 5 years.
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Agreed, I have an inno3d GTX 680 and an i7 2700k at the moment and they're still tearing through games, however division beta at medium settings 25-30 FPS is sending me a message. :O
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Honestly, I'd go with the i7 and cryorig H5 Ultimate. The difference in price is only initial outlay, and breaks down over 3.5yrs to about 8¢ a day or $2.50 a month. While the i5 is quite a capable cpu, when pushing the limits of what a 980ti is capable of, and even possible sli to take advantage of 4k gaming, you'll need the power that the i7 brings over the i5. Many games like Battlefront are using compressed audio. That takes a core, either physical or virtual, all to itself. In huge battle scenes, with lots of audio, music, explosions etc, you'll be constantly running the game engine itself on 3 cores with an i5. That might be enough for most games today, but in 2 years that'll be a different story. I've got so much crap running in my skyrim (yes, a single threaded game) that I constantly run 2-4 cores.

The i7 is worth the price if you plan on pushing the performance levels. For everyday casual gaming, an i5 is the better option.
 
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