From i5 4440 to i7 6700K worth it for me?

Carl Wolsey · Sep 6, 2016

I use my PC for audio work, VR gaming, regular gaming and VR game development which entails light video editing and 3D rendering.

I'd like to upgrade from a GTX 970 to a GTX 1080 but heard that my i5 4440 would bottleneck the 1080 so I'm considering a 6700K to go with the 1080, but how much of an upgrade would the 6700k be compared to the 4440? Also any advice on whether I should bother with the K or go with the regular one would be appreciated.

jupopp · Sep 6, 2016

The K is only worth it if you want to overclock. You aren't able to do that with the 4440 however you can do that with the 6700k.

You do have to upgrade a lot of different parts though to upgrade the CPU

First you have to get a new CPU

Then a new Motherboard, something with the Z170 chipset will do.

Then you have to get new RAM DDR4 to be exact. Any clock rating will work.

If you also bought an oem copy of windows you will have to buy another copy (most likely 10) this is because the OEM liscense sticks to the motherboard that you are working with.

However the Motherboard is attached to the CPU and if you want to upgrade that then you have to upgrade the CPU.

So in short. The 4440 will bottleneck. But you can upgrade the system. But it will cost you a lot of money to do so.

I would recommend upgrading to an i7 4790k so you have to avoid all of that upgrading. Then you should be able to use the 1070 just fine.

Carl Wolsey · Sep 6, 2016

So no 1080?

jupopp :

The K is only worth it if you want to overclock. You aren't able to do that with the 4440 however you can do that with the 6700k.

You do have to upgrade a lot of different parts though to upgrade the CPU

First you have to get a new CPU

Then a new Motherboard, something with the Z170 chipset will do.

Then you have to get new RAM DDR4 to be exact. Any clock rating will work.

If you also bought an oem copy of windows you will have to buy another copy (most likely 10) this is because the OEM liscense sticks to the motherboard that you are working with.

However the Motherboard is attached to the CPU and if you want to upgrade that then you have to upgrade the CPU.

So in short. The 4440 will bottleneck. But you can upgrade the system. But it will cost you a lot of money to do so.

I would recommend upgrading to an i7 4790k so you have to avoid all of that upgrading. Then you should be able to use the 1070 just fine.

jupopp · Sep 6, 2016

If you get the i7 4790k then yeah you can get the GTX 1080. My bad I meant to type the 1080 not the 1070

Carl Wolsey · Sep 6, 2016

And will the upgrade from 4440 to i7 4790k make a big difference? Since I'm upgrading the CPU I don't really want to make a purely sideways upgrade.

jupopp :

jupopp · Sep 6, 2016

If you want you can upgrade to the 6700k but it will be a big investment. Practically rebuilding the whole computer. however if you upgrade to the i7 4790k it will max out at that CPU level for that socket. You won't need to upgrade for about 4 years with that chip and card.

Tradesman1 · Sep 6, 2016

4440 to 6700K is a big step forward and even bigger if you decide to OC the 6700K, well worth it

Carl Wolsey · Sep 6, 2016

Okay but juppop suggested I should think about going to 4790k instead of the 6700k, which means I'll avoid having to change mobo/mem etc. What do you think to that and how much better is the 6700k than the 4790k? I have the money but obviously I don't want to spend it all if the 4790k is almost as good as the 6700k.

Tradesman1 :

Tradesman1 · Sep 6, 2016

Good idea if you have a Z97 mobo, with your CPU, I'd guess you have a H97 or lower chipset, the 4790K is a step up but will need a Z97 mobo to OC

Carl Wolsey · Sep 6, 2016

Yeah it's H87

So I guess I'm better off going the 6700K route?

Tradesman1 :

turkey3_scratch · Sep 6, 2016

No you can't run a 6700K with an H87 board.

Tradesman1 · Sep 6, 2016

That's the route I'd think I'd go, If you go 4790K and new mobo then you will save some by reusing your DRAM, then again same as the mobo, would guess you have slower 1333 or 1600 DRAM, optimal for a 4790K is 2133 or better

Carl Wolsey · Sep 6, 2016

Obviously I'm talking about getting a new motherboard. My current can't run an OC'd 4790K anyway.

turkey3_scratch :

Tradesman1 · Sep 6, 2016

turkey3_scratch :

Pls keep up with the topic before posting

Carl Wolsey · Sep 6, 2016

Well I guess if I can't run 4790K on my current motherboard OC'd the only option left is an entire upgrade to 6700K? I mean I'll still have to switch memory and get a new motherboard to accommodate a 4790K anyway. Would running the 4790K non-OC'd be fine? Is that still a better option than forking out for 6700K setup?

Tradesman1 · Sep 6, 2016

Check and make sure your mobo supports the 4790K, if so yes you can run it. The CPU price might be considered a bit high as you are still stuck with no OCing and slower DRAM. To pick up from that point you'll be back to face a basically whole new build or searching for a Z97 mobo

frank_hnd · Sep 7, 2016

try to find a 4790 non K or similar i7 first , second hand or ebay.
if you can't then the obvious choice is upgrading CPU/Mobo/Ram .

From i5 4440 to i7 6700K worth it for me?

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