Which refreshed i5 CPU should I choose?

[David Williams]

Hi all,

I am looking to upgrade my current i5 2500k for one of the newly released i5 CPU's (june 2014 release).
It is for primarily for gaming and general tasks. I've never really over clocked so I'm happy to go with a CPU or what ever people feel would be most beneficial.
Anything for NZ$400 or less would be great.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nuckles_56]

if you are overclocking; this one http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k, if not; this one http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690

 

[oxiide]

Beware that if you opt for the -4690K (or any K-series processor) you'll also need a motherboard based on the Z97 chipset to take advantage of its overclocking features. A -4690K on an H97 board is effectively an extra expensive -4690.

If you truly have no plans to overclock, go with the -4690 with an H97 motherboard.

 

[Nuckles_56]

Beware that if you opt for the -4690K (or any K-series processor) you'll also need a motherboard based on the Z97 chipset to take advantage of its overclocking features. A -4690K on H97 is effectively an extra expensive -4690.

If you truly have no plans to overclock, go with the -4690 and you can save some money with an H97 motherboard instead as well.

You can also go with the z87 chipset as well if you are willing to give up the compatibility for future generation processors

 

[oxiide]

Beware that if you opt for the -4690K (or any K-series processor) you'll also need a motherboard based on the Z97 chipset to take advantage of its overclocking features. A -4690K on H97 is effectively an extra expensive -4690.

If you truly have no plans to overclock, go with the -4690 and you can save some money with an H97 motherboard instead as well.

You can also go with the z87 chipset as well if you are willing to give up the compatibility for future generation processors

Just make sure you check with the manufacturer of the specific Z87-based motherboard to make sure they're supporting Haswell Refresh processors on it with a BIOS update. That's not something to take for granted.

I personally don't see a point in using a Z87 motherboard unless you already own one. Z97 boards seem to be replacing Z87 boards at the same prices for the most part, so there's not much money to save there. Extra features for free, even if they're not needed.

 

[logainofhades]

Hi all,

I am looking to upgrade my current i5 2500k for one of the newly released i5 CPU's (june 2014 release).
It is for primarily for gaming and general tasks. I've never really over clocked so I'm happy to go with a CPU or what ever people feel would be most beneficial.
Anything for NZ$400 or less would be great.

Thanks in advance.

You do not need to upgrade that CPU for gaming. Make sure you have good aftermarket cooling and overclock that thing. Depending on what graphics card you have, you are probably better off spending your money there. Spending all that money on a new platform for a measly 10-15% is foolish at best.

 

[David Williams]

Hi all,

I am looking to upgrade my current i5 2500k for one of the newly released i5 CPU's (june 2014 release).
It is for primarily for gaming and general tasks. I've never really over clocked so I'm happy to go with a CPU or what ever people feel would be most beneficial.
Anything for NZ$400 or less would be great.

Thanks in advance.

You do not need to upgrade that CPU for gaming. Make sure you have good aftermarket cooling and overclock that thing. Depending on what graphics card you have, you are probably better off spending your money there. Spending all that money on a new platform for a measly 10-15% is foolish at best.

Thanks for your advice - I have a Gigabyte HD7970 3gb - but I believe this is PCI 3.0 and the i5 2500k is only PCI 2.0 so there may be a bottleneck there?

 

[logainofhades]

Not at all. http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Ivy_Bridge_PCI-Express_Scaling/23.html

 

[David Williams]

Not at all. http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Ivy_Bridge_PCI-Express_Scaling/23.html

Thanks for the link, but I only have a Sandy bridge processor, not an Ivy Bridge processor.

 

[logainofhades]

The point is the PCI-E bandwidth. Look at the charts themselves. They were compared at different speeds.. The performance difference is basically non existent going form PCI-E 2.0 to 3.0.

 

[David Williams]

The point is the PCI-E bandwidth. Look at the charts themselves. They were compared at different speeds.. The performance difference is basically non existent going form PCI-E 2.0 to 3.0.

Yes, there is only a slight difference - but in the future I guess it will decrease further. I guess I would like to future proof my rig for longer this time, so if I get a new CPU and a motherboard that will support M.2 and 5th gen intel processors then I will only have to replace one item in the future instead of both - does that make sense?

 

[logainofhades]

Not even a 290x can saturate a 2.0 x16 slot. You are fine till at least skylake. It just sounds to me like you have the upgrade bug and money burning a hole in your pocket. I have been there myself. Been wanting a mini-itx 1230v3 rig, though I have no need of one. :lol: