Upgrade from my i7 970 Processor 3.20 Ghz?

socrateez · Mar 21, 2016

Hey guys,

I'm in the process of upgrading my computer, and wondering if upgrading my CPU/Motherboard is something I should be considering as well (I'd be looking to spend around $500 for a MB/CPU/RAM combo). I currently have:

i7-970
ASUS P6X58-E PRO
GTX 780
12 GB DDR3-1600
1 TB HDD
500 GB SSD

I'm pretty happy at the moment with the graphics card, though my brother recently purchased an i5-6600K and is getting better performance on a lot of games than myself. I purchased the CPU/MB about 5 years ago through a sale, and I'm wondering if upgrading those now is a good idea? When I look on a lot of websites, the cpu is still considered high-end, and actually has better benchmark data than the i5-6600...is that really still correct for something like gaming, considering its age?

Thanks in advance!

DonkeyOatie · Mar 21, 2016

Benchmarks depend on what they are benching. For games it's a 'simple' comparison of number of cores and speed. The 6600K has enough cores and it is faster at stock base clock and has about a 30% generational advantage.

For your budget you have about two choices.

Modern Skylake like your brother.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($238.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $420.37
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-21 20:31 EDT-0400

Save money, buy a better motherboard or more memory.

Last generation Haswell, about 5% slower.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($321.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $496.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-21 20:33 EDT-0400

Fast i7 and cooler for decent (4.6 Ghz) overclock) using existing memory.

socrateez · Mar 22, 2016

Thanks for the response! So which of those are you recommending for a guy who isn't doing tons of video editing, primarily streaming, gaming, browsing etc.? Do you think the upgrade is really necessary or am I unlikely to notice the difference?

Thinking at the moment that I'd go with your option A and get 16 gigs of ram instead ($500 is rough, I wouldn't be fussed going over if it'd help).

Also (sorry again if this is obvious) but using http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/cpu, there are some, like the Intel Core i7-5820K that seem to score incredibly high at almost the same price. Would one of those be worth looking into?

DonkeyOatie · Mar 22, 2016

Furmark is all about CPU throughput. It is a metric for people who are doing tons of video editing and other computationally intensive tasks. (People other than you

) The i7 5820 is a great general purpose processor that will perform any task very well. I considered it as a third recommendation, but it exceeded your budget, and from what you say, you do not need it. (Which is why your slower, older i7 out benchmarks a newer, faster i5. Your hyperthreading allows for more work to be done in a given time, but does not help in gaming where there are only a couple of threads running)

Only you can determine your satisfaction level. If your existing system is more frustrating that you can stand, nearly, it needs to be upgraded. I built my computers on a three year cycle. One great year, one good year, and one would prefer it a little better year. You CPU is still relevant and will do what you want.

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Upgrade from my i7 970 Processor 3.20 Ghz?

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