i5 or i7?

BeK

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I'm looking to build a new gaming system in the next few weeks and I was wondering if it would be worth it to completely bypass the i5 and just go with the i7 or is the i5 fairly capable of running today's latest and greatest games on high settings?
I understand that the i7 has hyper threading technology, but I'm not sure how much this would really benefit.
Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

This is one of the CPU's that I considered.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...;IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel i5 4690K
    Motherboard
    MSI Z97 Gaming 5
    Memory
    G.SKILL*Ripjaws*X Series*8GB*240-Pin*DDR3*SDRAM*DDR3 186
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX-970
    Sound Card
    N/A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Panasonic 50" Plasma HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD: Intel 520 120GB SATA III
    SSD 2: Crucial 64GB SATA III
    HDD 1: Western Digital 2TB 7200 RPM
    HDD 2: Western Digital 1TB 7200 RPM
    HDD 3: Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM
    PSU
    Antec*High Current Gamer Series*HCG-900*900W
    Case
    NZXT*Phantom*PHAN-001WT*Red Steel / Plastic Enthusiast*ATX*Full Tower Computer Case
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
    Keyboard
    Logitech G13 & Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810
    Mouse
    Razer Naga Epic Chroma
    Internet Speed
    75Mbps/10Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Case Fans 140MM (x1), 120MM (x3), 200MM (x2)
It depends on what you want to spend, how high a cpu temperature you can live with.
Depends on the most compatible device for the motherboard you like.
Noise is a big factor for me. I don't do games, but I could.
Depends on if one of the first things you would do is go out and bench test the cpu at 100% for a long time.
What type of cooler do you like? How much noise can you tolerate?
This is a good place to browse for cpus.

PassMark Software - CPU Benchmark Charts
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
I would go straight to I7 if money is not a great problem. You can save some money if you get a processor without "K" on the end, (if you are not planing to overclock it, that is). With OCing capability (if MB and PSU can handle it) it would be even more "futureproof).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
I just got an i5 4670k a few months ago and have been running all the latest games maxed out. Coupled with my GTX770 all the games run smoothly. Apparently I can over clock the cpu to 4.2ghz but I have had no need yet.

As for cooling I have a after stock cooler on my cpu (can't remember model/make but can post it later) and 3 intake fans and 3 exhaust fans on my case so temperatures on cpu usually stay low even when gaming for hours.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 7
I think your games will depend much more on the GPU power than on the CPU. An i5K would be my choice for gaming. Then you always have the option to OC it.

I do a lot of video encoding. For that and for 3D work, I prefer the i7. Video work needs CPU power and the 8 cores do help - even though 4 cores are only hyperthreaded.

There are some real 8 core AMDs with brutal performance. But those need water cooling @ 125 Watts.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Consider AMD platform ?
FX8320 or 8350 is more than a mach for any game or video card for less money than I7.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Thank you for all of the responses guys. I plan in using at least a GTX 660 with this new rig. I just wanted to know if the difference in price would be worth it.

I also have built 2 AMD systems in the past and I have never gone with Intel but I have heard a lot of great things regarding their performance so I want to give them a try. The video game that I currently play the most (Tera Rising) doesn't seem to play well with AMD processors.
The games user interface is also flash based and was not built 'into' the game per se.
Maybe the i7 may help with performance due to the hyper threading? I'm just speculating.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel i5 4690K
    Motherboard
    MSI Z97 Gaming 5
    Memory
    G.SKILL*Ripjaws*X Series*8GB*240-Pin*DDR3*SDRAM*DDR3 186
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX-970
    Sound Card
    N/A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Panasonic 50" Plasma HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD: Intel 520 120GB SATA III
    SSD 2: Crucial 64GB SATA III
    HDD 1: Western Digital 2TB 7200 RPM
    HDD 2: Western Digital 1TB 7200 RPM
    HDD 3: Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM
    PSU
    Antec*High Current Gamer Series*HCG-900*900W
    Case
    NZXT*Phantom*PHAN-001WT*Red Steel / Plastic Enthusiast*ATX*Full Tower Computer Case
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
    Keyboard
    Logitech G13 & Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810
    Mouse
    Razer Naga Epic Chroma
    Internet Speed
    75Mbps/10Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Case Fans 140MM (x1), 120MM (x3), 200MM (x2)
Well, hyper threading is not a substitute for real cores, (they are just virtual cores) but I7 has very good single thread performance and in case of game or program that can not use all the cores, together with better floating point can make difference. Anyway, buy the best you can afford now so you will have more time before you have to upgrade.
Good luck.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Core i5 should be just fine for what you want to do.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Seriously would recommend an AMD FX 8350. You will save money (even over an i5) and for gaming it packs more than enough punch (8 3.5GHz cores :D). Contrary to what someone said above, it doesn't require water cooling. You shouldn't be using the stock cooler with an Intel or AMD though in a gaming machine, so look into something like the Coolermaster EVO 212 (about 30$ give or take). Also if you like it overclocks nicely to 4GHz and higher (obviously requiring a better cooling solution the more insane you get). The only deciding factor after that will be which GPU you choose. Paired with 8GB RAM (16GB is nice too but not essential) and a nice video card (nVidia 770 or AMD 280x are good value for $ cards), you should be able to run anything on high settings.

Intel's a great but there is also a massive hype, and a much larger price tag associated with that hype. That said I have an i7 4700mq in my laptop and love it :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sager NP8265-S
    CPU
    i7 4700mq
    Motherboard
    Clevo
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI HD8790m
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19" Samsung / 15.4" lcd
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    128GB Adata SX300
    750GB WD 7200rpm
    PSU
    Clevo
    Case
    Clevo
    Cooling
    2 fans
    Keyboard
    10$ msi Chicklet
    Mouse
    gigabyte gm-m6800
    Internet Speed
    decent
Love my new FX 8350.... I play BF4 in ultra with a oc'd gtx 770. 100 fps... Just moved all my games to SSD last night. I'm in the vehicle of my choice before the other players come online hahahahaa.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy H8-1536
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Angelica 2
    Memory
    10
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 770 OC
    Browser
    IE, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
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