Is it worth it to upgrade my i5 4460 in the next few months?

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gear999

gear999

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Jun 19, 2014
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As the title says, I am seriously considering upgrading my i5 4460, most likely after new years, when I will have the funds to do so. But is it really worth it? I find most of my games run well, the ones that don't are probably due to my old GPU (GTX 770 2GB, which I will most definitely upgrade to a 1060 or 1070). But at the same time, I see that everybody has newer CPUs, and I'm just stuck here with a 3 year old mid range one. I've been considering upgrading to a 8400 or even a i7 8700 (or maybe even a Cannon Lake when they come out), but do I really need to?
 
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Solandri
Clock for clock, even Sandy Bridge is within about 20% the performance of Kaby Lake.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2017/01/13/kaby_lake_7700k_vs_sandy_bridge_2600k_ipc_review/

Processors are no longer getting significantly faster with each generation. I expect your Haswell i5 will be good for the next 10-15 years (you probably wish you'd paid extra for the i7 after hearing that). The only compelling reasons to upgrade are:

  • ■You want more cores or threads in your CPU.
    ■You want one of the newer features only available with newer CPUs. e.g. motherboards with NVMe M.2 slots, USB-C/Thunderbolt support, will be using integrated graphics and want to be able to decode 4k streamed video (Intel cut a deal with Hollywood to use new...
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MRBANG1

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Feb 1, 2017
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I have a similar CPU and I don't really feel like i'm lagging behind in anything. I would take above posters advice and consider finding a new GPU and see how that serves you. Depending on your budget, there is plenty of options out there that will provide more fps than your 770.
 
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gear999

gear999

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Jun 19, 2014
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Well alright, I'll definitely evaluate my performance with a new GPU first to see how my system does. How would a GTX 1060 or RX 480/580 fare in my system? I usually play Rainbow Six Siege, PUBG and Forza Horizon 3. My PC does well in R6, but it's pretty bad when it comes to PUBG and absolutely horrid in Horizon 3.
 
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chemmajorp53

chemmajorp53

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Apr 5, 2013
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PUBG is pretty hard on graphics cards, a 1060 or 1070 should give you a pretty solid boost in performance. I have a 4670k @ 4.4 and a 980 ti (roughly eq to a GTX 1070) and I get over 100fps most of the time. I can't speak for Forza Horizons but I can't see how that could possibly be that CPU dependent of a game.
 
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Solandri

Solandri

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Jan 4, 2012
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Clock for clock, even Sandy Bridge is within about 20% the performance of Kaby Lake.

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2017/01/13/kaby_lake_7700k_vs_sandy_bridge_2600k_ipc_review/

Processors are no longer getting significantly faster with each generation. I expect your Haswell i5 will be good for the next 10-15 years (you probably wish you'd paid extra for the i7 after hearing that). The only compelling reasons to upgrade are:

  • ■You want more cores or threads in your CPU.
    ■You want one of the newer features only available with newer CPUs. e.g. motherboards with NVMe M.2 slots, USB-C/Thunderbolt support, will be using integrated graphics and want to be able to decode 4k streamed video (Intel cut a deal with Hollywood to use new encryption hardware only found on Kaby Lake for 4k streams), etc.
    ■You're making a low-power build and want the power reduction in newer CPUs. A low-power Sandy Bridge system would idle around 35 Watts. Kaby Lake has cut that down to 20-25 Watts. The i7-2600k used up to 91 Watts at load. The 35 Watt version of the i7 Kaby Lake can hit the same clock speeds as the 2600k.
 
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theonerm2

theonerm2

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Dec 28, 2009
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If you play at 1080p 60hz don't even worry about the cpu. The Core i5 4460 is fine for 60fps and even a bit higher. Upgrading to a GTX 1060 will give you the performance you want. If you want higher fps then you need a Core i7 4770 or better. Why you would need more than 60 fps on a 60hz monitor though is beyond me.
 
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gear999

gear999

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Jun 19, 2014
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Well, that's good to know. Looking at the three points you made, I have to say I probably don't need to upgrade my CPU. Most games are optimized for quad cores and I am not a pro video editor nor am I hellbent on using less electricity. The 4460 stays. New GPU incoming soon though.

Thanks guys.
 
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