Is extra threads/Hyper threading important for BF3/General Gaming

[sherlockwing]

Hi, I am building a Gaming PC to play BF3 and a few other PC games, I have settled on this build, only intend to OC up to 4.5GHz:

Category Item Price
Processor Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz $229.99
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 $134.99
Memory G.Skill Ares F3-1600C8D-8GAB(2X4) 8G $54.99
Graphics EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW $407.99
Storage Samsung 830 256G $228.99
Seagate Baracuda 3TB $149.99
Optical Drive LG Black SATA 24X DVD Burner $14.39 (Purchased)
Enclosure NTZX Phantom 410 $99.99
Power supply Seasonic X650 Gold $118.99 (Purchased)
CPUFan COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO $34.99
Monitor ASUS VG236H 23” 120Hz $329.99
Total: $1805

Reserve: $105.5 left in my budget for Thermal Paste/Price changes/Any hardware changes.

and I get these reviews/recommendations when I posted on .anandtech.com

"CPU i7-2600K $270 @ Amazon
BF3 likes threads and so does your budget! It also overclocks to 4.5 more easily than 3570K.

&

Ivy's lower power consumption only counts for a few dozen watts at 4.5GHz, it pales in comparison to the value of the extra threads for a BF3 enthusiast.

Are these people correct in that I should get a i7 processor(Ivy or Sandy) over a i5 because it could significantly improve my gaming or should I stay with my Ivy i5 CPU?

I am doubtful of that because this review in Techreport.com's summer system guide

Compared to the Core i5-3570K, all the 3770K has to offer are slightly faster base and Turbo speeds (3.4GHz and 3.9GHz, respectively, up from 3.3GHz and 3.8GHz) and Hyper-Threading capabilities. Having eight graphs in the Task Manager is nice, no question about it, and the extra threads can help with heavy multitasking. If you think that's worth $80, see the alternatives section on the next page. We think the i5-3570K is a better deal.

 

[13thmonkey]

i'm running a 3570k @4.3Ghz and BF3 is very very happy, only using 40-50% of processor utilisation. Some reviews have seen performance drops from HT across several games.

 

[sherlockwing]

i'm running a 3570k @4.3Ghz and BF3 is very very happy, only using 40-50% of processor utilisation. Some reviews have seen performance drops from HT across several games.

That's what I read from multiple reviews on hyperthreading, that it hurts more than helps dedicated gamers who aren't running 10000 different programs while gaming.

 

[jaguarskx]

HT generally has a small hit on gaming performance. Generally on average 1% - 2% based on a few reviews about it over that last few years. However, I recall someone recently posting a benchmark that showed around a 25% drop in performance for a specific game which I believe was Left 4 Dead.

 

[sherlockwing]

HT generally has a small hit on gaming performance. Generally on average 1% - 2% based on a few reviews about it over that last few years. However, I recall someone recently posting a benchmark that showed around a 25% drop in performance for a specific game which I believe was Left 4 Dead.

So I should stick with the cheaper i5 processor instead of spending for more expensive i7 processor?

 

[13thmonkey]

yes, i5, for gaming no-to-little benefit from HT. Save that cash for a better gpu.

 

[jaguarskx]

Yes. Stick with the i5 for a gaming unless you will be using programs that can take advantage of HT such as video encoding, 3D rendering, large database management and scientific / financial modelling.

 

[sherlockwing]

Yes. Stick with the i5 for a gaming unless you will be using programs that can take advantage of HT such as video encoding, 3D rendering, large database management and scientific / financial modelling.

Yeah, I am never going to do any of those except handbraking some anime, but saving 10 second on that is not getting a more expensive CPU as the main purpose of this PC is a Gaming Rig.

 

[jaguarskx]

You might want to consider using Quick Sync to encode anime. Quick Sync is extremely fast and I've read that the quality is much improved compared to Quick Sync on a Sandy Bridge CPU.

However, you must use a program that supports QS (like Cyberlink's Espresso) and you are limited to using the h.264, VC-1 and MPEG2 codecs.

 

[sherlockwing]

Best answer selected by sherlockwing.

 

[sherlockwing]

You might want to consider using Quick Sync to encode anime. Quick Sync is extremely fast and I've read that the quality is much improved compared to Quick Sync on a Sandy Bridge CPU.

However, you must use a program that supports QS (like Cyberlink's Espresso) and you are limited to using the h.264, VC-1 and MPEG2 codecs.

I will give that a try after I get my new computer, right now all I need is to take a MKV file with softsubs and turn it into a hardsub mp4 to play on my PS3.