I5 760 or i7875 k

[asantesoul]

Hey Everybody! I would just like to know which of these two processors, the i5 760 or i7875k, will be suitable for my needs.

Now, I'm only going to be doing the following, so i want to make sure I am prepared for the present, and some of the near future:

Gaming
Multi-tasking
Moderate editing with video and imaging
Some compression and video conversions
Everyday tasks (browsing/email , etc)

I don't have a strict budget but I would like to know which of the two processors will be suitable to my needs. Additionally, the video card you would recommend for the cpu (again, price is no object as long as the card wont be a bottleneck)..I chose the 875k simply because I have read some tutorials on oc and am somewhat comfortable doing so, but I am very paranoid and worried one wrong move could be the demise of my cpu or other parts.

But please, help me out Tom's community! I've come to find that there are many people that have very good advice, and I would appreciate some more. I'm getting my stuff this week so I need to make a 100% confident decision. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Emperus]

Advantages/extra features of the i7 875k over the i5 760 -

1. Unlocked multiplier for easy overclocking

2. Hyper-Threading

The first advantage can be easily overlooked.. The i5 760 is a great overclocker in itself and we have a whole overclocking section here at Tom's hardware forums filled with highly experienced folks all willing to help you achieve your highest extent overclock desires..

Considering your work scenario, HT can actually be of help.. But then again, it is useless for gaming and is (somewhat) a hinderance while overclocking.. So if gaming is your primary concern, you can easily overlook that also..

All in all, the i5 760 is the better buy here.. Spend the extra bucks on getting a better motherboard..

 

[asantesoul]

Really? If that's the case then perhaps my money would be better spent going towards a quality motherboard then...but, what video card can I use with the i5 760? I'd like to be able to use one of the new ones...will oc allow me to use something more powerful?

 

[thechief73]

With the i5-760 you can use ANY GPU out there today, since the i7-875k is on the same LGA1156 socket there is no difference between the two when it comes to the GPU you use. Now if your considering going X-Fire/SLI then you may want to consider a CPU on the LGA1366 Socket. 1156 will X-Fire/SLI in x16/x8 PCI-E lanes and the 1366 is x16/x16. Almost all games will be limited by the power of your GPU not the CPU.

 

[Emperus]

The i5 760 at stock is powerful enough to handle most video card setups out there.. Overclocking gets necessary for ultra high end video card setups such as a couple of GTX 480's in SLI..

 

[asantesoul]

At stock it can handle a gtx 480? Man, I have been grossly misinformed about these processors. Do you think I can use any of the new radeons coming out next month? Or, if I go with a gtx 580 will that work? Or will I need to overclock? I'm pleased to know that i'll get some great performance with this thing

 

[Emperus]

You'll need to overclock for a ultra high end card like the GTX 580.. Just that the overclock required won't be that high end.. You'll be fine running the i5 760 at around 3.6 GHz which is quite easy with reference to the overclocking potential of it..

 

[asantesoul]

Yeah..I intended on doing an overclock at some point..once I become more familiar and comfortable...what is the best card I can use with this processor at stock?

 

[asantesoul]

Also, I'm curious as to how much of an improvement I'll see as far as gaming, multi tasking, and editing is concerned with my current cpu. I'm running a Dell XPS 720 (obtained in 2006, which I regret wholeheartedly) equipped with a Q6600 @ 2.4GHz (cannot oc because of locked bios), 4GB Ram, and 8800GTX. I'm definitely building a new cpu, but I want to know if the difference will be big.

 

[Emperus]

Yeah..I intended on doing an overclock at some point..once I become more familiar and comfortable...what is the best card I can use with this processor at stock?

Don't bother about the best card at stock scenario.. Get the best card you can afford.. Then check out with stock settings at first and then overclock if necessary..

 

[Emperus]

Also, I'm curious as to how much of an improvement I'll see as far as gaming, multi tasking, and editing is concerned with my current cpu. I'm running a Dell XPS 720 (obtained in 2006, which I regret wholeheartedly) equipped with a Q6600 @ 2.4GHz (cannot oc because of locked bios), 4GB Ram, and 8800GTX. I'm definitely building a new cpu, but I want to know if the difference will be big.

Multi tasking - no issues

Gaming - you are more limited by your card then your cpu.. The Q6600 is still quite a handful as a gaming cpu.. Although, no overclocking options will limit you from extracting the full performance from a new more powerful card..

All in all, you'll notice improvements with your new purchase.. The differences however won't be significant.. On the gaming front, the video card will decide the performance increment while multi tasking experience will be mostly similar..

 

[asantesoul]

Best answer selected by asantesoul.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey