i5 6600K or i7 6700K "Which CPU will be the best choice for me ?

SharkVanDoom

Commendable
Jun 29, 2016
25
0
1,530
I'm planning to get GTX 1060, z170 chipset motherboard and 16GB memory. But I'm so confused about these CPUs. I will just do (1080p144Hz) gaming with this particular build. Should I get i7 6700K for upgrading my GPU in next 3 years or will i5 6600K just be enough ? I can afford both CPUs. I just don't have any idea about which option will be more balanced. Paying extra $100 for i7 6700K really worth it ?
 
Solution
The hyperthreading of the i7-6700K is really only worth it if you can use more than 4 cores, which is very rare in games and even some productivity applications. If you do a lot of video rendering or other high-demand work then it would be worth it, but otherwise, not likely. That said, if you play one game in particular almost to the exclusion of all others you may want to see if you can dig up some performance specs running it on various CPUs. For example, back in the Cataclysm Xpack was released for World of Warcraft (there was a graphics engine update in that Xpack) Chris Angelini (here on Tomshardware) did an article which demonstrated that WoW could use all the CPU (and GPU) you could throw at it. That was back in 2010 and WoW has...


If you are constantly streaming or editing and uploading your gameplay, the 6700K I7 is the chip for you.

Gaming and general PC activities? 6600K i5

You already know to get a Z170 but Idk if you know the 6600K doesn't come with a stock cooler. You will need to buy an aftermarket cooler such as the 212 Evo or the Cryorig H7. Only 2 examples among MANY. Considering an AIO water cooler? Nothing less than the H75. Preferably the H100I.
 
In the past I'd have advised you to go for an i5, but more and more software is using all 8 threads available to the i7 so I'd go for that option, particularly if you're already aiming at a Z170 motherboard.
And yes, the more observant of you will see I'm running a i7 6700 on a Z170 motherboard, I wanted the better connectivity and memory options of the 'Z' chipset rather than the overclocking and slight speed advantage of the 'K' chip. ;)
 

SharkVanDoom

Commendable
Jun 29, 2016
25
0
1,530


I'll be using Cubase for recording and mixing music but that's all. Other than that I'll be gaming for many hours. Thanks for your quick and concise answer.
 

SharkVanDoom

Commendable
Jun 29, 2016
25
0
1,530


So there's no reason to not go with i7 6700K ? I mean will I be able to use all advantages of 6700K while gaming with GTX 1060 ?

 


16GB RAM? When using lots of virtual instruments it can get sorta taxing on the RAM as well. The 6600K will deal with it fine. But it's best to have a bit more RAM. Even games(BF1) are eclipsing 8GB of RAM usage these days.
 

SharkVanDoom

Commendable
Jun 29, 2016
25
0
1,530


Oh man haha, I was really surprised for a moment but now I feel better. No problem at all.
 

Marcus52

Distinguished
Jun 11, 2008
619
0
19,010
The hyperthreading of the i7-6700K is really only worth it if you can use more than 4 cores, which is very rare in games and even some productivity applications. If you do a lot of video rendering or other high-demand work then it would be worth it, but otherwise, not likely. That said, if you play one game in particular almost to the exclusion of all others you may want to see if you can dig up some performance specs running it on various CPUs. For example, back in the Cataclysm Xpack was released for World of Warcraft (there was a graphics engine update in that Xpack) Chris Angelini (here on Tomshardware) did an article which demonstrated that WoW could use all the CPU (and GPU) you could throw at it. That was back in 2010 and WoW has had another graphics update (in terms of how they create some colors and effects) for Legion so it may not be applicable to WoW today.

One possible usage scenario is if you multi-box a game (run more than one copy of it at the same time). Performance can be improved by assuming the affinity of each copy to specific cores, spreading your games out in different cores it can help. Hyperthreading gives you more effective cores and is a benefit. But this only works in that kind of situation and really only if you run 4+ copies of the game at the same time.

I don't expect the gaming environment to change that in the next 3 years; you do want 4 cores, but 4-cores hyperthreaded, not so much.

I'd spend the money on a better graphics card myself, Here's a great option that won't be around long -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202186

Of course an upgrade will cost more (generally speaking, depends on which cards you're comparing) than $100 extra, but if you actually want to maintain ("maintain" not "reach on occasion") 144 fps then you'll want more horsepower than the GTX 1060 will supply even at 1080p. A GTX 1070 would be a much better option.

You could also save about $20 dropping down to 8GB to help pay for a GTX 1070. You won't see any performance degradation in the vast majority of games and, again, I don't expect that to change in the next 3 years. :)

Is your monitor G-SYNC capable? Particularly if your video card isn't quite up to maintaining the higher frame rate an adaptable refresh rate will make more difference in the look and feel of your games than the high refresh rate capability (I hate to say that being a fan of high refresh rates myself). Of course if you were to go with that Radeon R9 Fury I linked you would need FreeSync.

All that said, there is nothing wrong with going with a component just because you like it better. Buy the i7 6700 if you just like the idea better and it makes you happy!

And the obligatory - "wait a couple of months". Zen should be here first quarter of 2017, and Kaby Lake as well. Kaby Lake mostly just offers a clock rate bump over Skylake, but will cost the same and more performance for free isn't a bad deal. AMD's Zen is of course an unknown, but you might be able to get a 4-core hyperthreaded version for around the cost of the Core i5 and potentially satisfy that urge to get the hyperthreaded CPU and save money, both. Assuming, of course, that it doesn't give up a significant amount of performance in the games you play.
 
Solution

SharkVanDoom

Commendable
Jun 29, 2016
25
0
1,530
@Marcus52 - First of all, thanks for your information giving answer. I'm using BenQ XL2411Z (144Hz) as a monitor. And I don't really have a limited budget I just don't wanna spend too much for a pc that's all. So you're saying that having an i5 6600K with a GTX 1070 will be a much better option for me. And as you said the other option is waiting for the new generation CPUs. Actually, I got the main idea. I won't be able to use all advantages of i7 6700K right ? If that's true I will just go with i5 6600K and a much stronger GPU than 1060 that i5 can handle.