Help deciding on CPU upgrade

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CaptainChrisNo1

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Aug 18, 2016
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For the past 2 years, I've had a Xeon E3-1220 v3. Long story. Since Christmas, and my Bday, is approaching- I'm looking for an upgrade. Purely for gaming. I currently have a 1070 and 8GB 1333mhz dual channel ddr3, but I'm looking to upgrade my gpu aswell in the near future. I know I have a few options within a budget of £400:

My first thought was to buy a second hand 4790k. £230 on ebay, £100 z97 mbod, and I could reuse my current RAM.

But then I thought I could get a 7600k or an 8400- but then I would have to spend £100 on new ddr4- which I know has next to no performance impact in gaming.

So, I was looking for some advice. I know the 4790k has the highest clock speed and most threads: but how many games use more than 4 threads? None? It also has the oldest architecture, BUT I could save £100 using my current RAM. The 8400 has the most cores, but how many games use more than 4?

I know that all these processors with give me a noiticeable performace impact, but purely for gaming, and all things like mbods and ram considered, which should I go for?

Thanks 4 ur time <3.
 
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InSovietRussiaComputerBuildsYOU


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CaptainChrisNo1

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What is the biggest factor for gaming performance? Clock speed, cores or threads?
I've heard that IPC, a factor which isn't advertised, is actually one of the most important
 
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salerhino

salerhino

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It all depends on the game.
Some games which need only 2 cores are more likely to need higher CPU frequency then.
But if the game needs 4+ threads you simply can't make that up only with high frequency dual or triple core CPU.
 
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CaptainChrisNo1

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So what is the most important factor then if not generation? Ur saying I will see no fps increase from my current cpu to a 4ghz 4790k and that my xeon doesn't bottleneck my 1070 at all? or a future card?

(not mad just curious. Thx for time <3)
 
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CaptainChrisNo1

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Wow man that video was a real eye opener: what do u recommend for pure fps? the 4790k I guess as it will be cheapest? Or I could even look into a 2600k?

I'm really considering just leaving my CPU as it is now and selling my 1070- looking to get a 1080ti. But would my current Xeon bottleneck with that? Probably.

I think the best course of action is to get a 4790k now, which I can see being a good cross between 2600k and 8700k with modern features in a z97 mbod, and then looking to upgrade to a 20 series card when they come out.

Thanks a lot @InSovietRusiaComputerBuildsYOU for the eye opener- seems to be really poorly known information and you've influenced my choices.

Once again thanks for everyone's time <3
 
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salerhino

salerhino

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haha told you to get 4790k from start.
It is a beast of CPU, you wont regret it.
 
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InSovietRussiaComputerBuildsYOU

InSovietRussiaComputerBuildsYOU

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You're welcome.
Where I was getting at was that you could go for 2nd/3rd gen (2600K as you suggested) for playing games so you can save some buck (I've heard people using the 4700K a lot so I assume it might be more sought after and therefore more expensive), since gen 2 - 7 you won't get much fps improvement. If you want to be future proof, definitely 8th gen, because you can upgrade that CPU after a while (Intel changed the socket at coffee lake, so getting a gen 7 CPU is not really worth it - it has high cost like the 8th gen, but there is no room for improvement in the future, where as with 8 gen you could possibly upgrade to 9/10th gen or to a i9 (I think) )
To (roughly) check if any of your components might bottleneck eachother use http://thebottlenecker.com
Mind you the calculator does not include Intel's TurboBoost in the calculations, so take the final result with a bit of salt - turbo boost is quite powerful.

(BTW Sorry I missed the part where you said you want to upgrade your GPU, I thought you want to upgrade your CPU to match the 1070. If you're looking at very high end GPUс you *might* want to go with a more powerful CPU, but again refer to the bottlenecker for a better idea).

I wouldn't be worried too much about the RAM, prices are bound to drop again at some point (soon) when demands are met.

TL,DR;
- Try to get the most juice out of your current rig:
Check if the CPU you want will bottleneck the GPU you're planning on getting. If so look for cheap alternative (or use your bottlenecked GPU I'm sure it won't be a that bad) until you decide to upgrade everything else

OR

- Upgrade to a scalable/upgradable system: it will feature the expensive and unavailable Coffee lake chips, along with the expensive Mobos and RAM that comes with them.

P.S. The information in the video is not widely known probably because Intel WANT you to buy their latest gen CPUs, although you might not always need them (e.g. Apple's Iphones)
 
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