Core I7 3770 vs. I7 3770k

Sniper_Merc

Sniper_Merc

[H]ard|Gawd
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Mar 25, 2004
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I have been out of the cpu game for a while now and may be forced into upgrading soon.

Other than 100 MHz cpu speed, what is the difference between the 3770 and 3700k and is it worth the extra 60 bucks to go to the K chip.

I'm guessing that the 3770k has an unlocked multiplier maybe?

Side by side comparison on Intel's site only shows a few specific items on the proc's that are different, none of which matter much to me.

TIA
 
Minus some of the 'advanced technologies' that you probably saw, there is absolutely no raw performance difference between the non-k and k versions.

I would get the K version because it is indeed unlocked and that is a major selling point over the non-k.

People into server chips aren't interested in desktop chips masquerading as server chips like the 3770 non-k and you will have a far more difficult time selling that over the k version when the time comes to flip the chip.
 
I've got a 3770, which I OC as well. I have it OC to 41x and 43x on turbo, getting me right at about 4.3. How are you getting 4.4? Are you increasing the BLCK? If so, are you able to run it stable (I've tried overclocking the BLCK but it would always end up causing stability problems).
 
I got a 3770s O.C. to 4.1 stable. Just because the multiplier is not unlocked doesn't mean the chip can't be squeezed for performance, depending on your MB.
 
Bordee said:
I've got a 3770, which I OC as well. I have it OC to 41x and 43x on turbo, getting me right at about 4.3. How are you getting 4.4? Are you increasing the BLCK? If so, are you able to run it stable (I've tried overclocking the BLCK but it would always end up causing stability problems).
Click to expand...

Yep. I increased the BLCK to 103.
 
Nice, BLCK at 103 and running stable, good to know.

On a more general note, I don't think you can go wrong with a 3770. It's a little cheaper than a 3770k, and it still overclocks to over 4.0 without much trouble. While you could probably get a 3770k to a 4.5 with a decent air cooler (or to 4.8 with a big cooler or water), a mildly overclocked 3770 should be more than plenty for gaming and most everyday applications.
 
If this will be used for gaming then there really will be no difference in performance. i7 is really overkill for gaming anyway.
 
Bordee said:
Nice, BLCK at 103 and running stable, good to know.

On a more general note, I don't think you can go wrong with a 3770. It's a little cheaper than a 3770k, and it still overclocks to over 4.0 without much trouble. While you could probably get a 3770k to a 4.5 with a decent air cooler (or to 4.8 with a big cooler or water), a mildly overclocked 3770 should be more than plenty for gaming and most everyday applications.
Click to expand...

4.4 vs 4.5-4.7 is nothing in gaming. And not that much of a difference in real-world apps. Waiting an extra second for a render to complete isn't going to drive you insane.
It is however, a noticeable difference in your wallet. Besides the lower OC potential, feature wise the 3770 is the superior CPU.
 
So basically go with the K if I want to push it harder on the OC, but a non K will do just fine for most things.

Thanks all :)
 
3770 if you don't push OC'ing and/or you plan to keep it a very long time, > 2 years.
3770K if you want the extra OC capability and/or higher resale value if you upgrade more frequently, < 2 years.
 
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There are really 3 differences between these two processors.
The Intel® Core&#8482; i7-3770K will have
-ability to overclock by changing the multiplier
-Intel HD 4000 Graphics.

The Intel Core i7-3770 will have
-support for VT-D (Virturalization with Directed I/O) also needs support from the board to work.
 
Both processors have HD4000 graphics! Thats a major difference compared to the 3570/3570K and the older 2600/2600K, where the non-K had a lower level graphics unit.
 
3770k - unlocked multiplier for ease of overclocking.
3770 - can be overclocked but also depending on your mobo, can only be done by boosting the turbo multiplier to 23 or 21. Runs stable - fact, $50 cheaper than the k variant.
 
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Thanks for all your help on this guys :) I'm still a little undecided on which one I should get.

I've been running basically the same rig now since Xmas of 08 without a vid card or mboard update and only a small shift in CPU from the 2180 listed in my sig to an E 4300 so longevity is going to be a factor on my next sys.
 
Getting the 3770 woudn't be a terrible idea if you only upgrade every blue moon :)
 
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