CPU upgrade time

[JHefile]

Here I am, never thought I'd say it because I think I know the answer but you know how it is, the upgrade bug comes and makes me want to build.

The issue is I have a 6 core Phenom 2 at 3ghz that does most everything I need other than it's a dog at rendering videos. Most of my time spent is gaming with occasional video editing.

I was thinking of going to top of the line i5 and over clocking it a touch and leaving it there at a stable point.

My main questions are should I be waiting for mainstream DDR4?Do you think I would notice the i5 in everyday usage?

I'm just having a hard time because the old saying, "if it ain't broke don't fix it," comes to mind. And in my case I would be going from 6 cores to 4 which doesn't seem like the right thing to do now days.

 

[DejaWiz]

What exact programs do you use and what is your max budget?

 

[Araxie]

bro, you can go from a High clocked octa core FX 83XX to any ivy bridge or newer i5 and you still will get much better gaming performance, and compared to your phenom 6 core the highest end i5 4690K you will receive about twice single threaded performance so that's really an immediate big performance bump in everyday usage, specially gaming, and even video editing and other stuff where a good 4.3+ghz i5 can do a great job.. but if you are planning to keep that machine as long as your Phenom I would go straight to a i7 4790K where the 4 extra threads and much higher factory clock will make things even way better and more noticeable for you (specially video editing).. actually I think the 4790K its the fastest gaming chip.. you will not find anything better for the money, even the beloved Haswell-E six and octa core chips at most will do the same job gaming as a 4790K.

 

[DejaWiz]

^ What Araxie said, but I'm leaning towards recommending the 6 core i7-5820K on an X99 platform if your budget allows for it. If cost becomes a factor with the X99 platform, then definitely go with a Z97 and an i7-K, or at least the i5-K.

 

[redrage]

Pretty much anything after Sandy Bridge and up will be a fair upgrade going from my personal experience of going from a 1090T to a i73930.

fewer cores doesn't mean slower. one of the newer intel cores could probably complete 10 tasks in the same amount of time your 6core could do 5. just making that up but wouldn't surprise me if it is close to true

grab a haswell i7 quad core if you can afford it. other wise an i5 quad core should be a nice upgrade and probably less power too.

then again.. if it does everything you want.. why upgrade?

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I agree with what others ahve said here.

Let me add my thoughts regarding waiting for DDR4 or not.

If you are ready to upgrade I would just go for it.

DDR4 will be an added expense. Unless you have really bad ram, you can reuse your existing DDR3 from your phenom2 and save yourself some cash in the upgrade process.

From what I can tell, we won't see DDR4 in LGA1150 broadwells (next chip after current haswell) so unless you want to spend a lot and get a socket 2011-v3, you'll be waiting a WHILE for DDR4.

Honestly, IMHO DDR4 is really in its infancy,and - while it benches great in synthetic benchmarks - will not have a huge impact on overall system performance for what most people do for some time.

I think you will be more than happy with a 4 core Haswell upgrade. An i5-4690K will be a real upgrade, despite its fewer cores.

From a game perspective, it will have be faster due to higher per core performance. Games LOVE higher per core performance, and most titles benefit only at the margins from more than 4 cores. It's higher per core performance will also more than make up for the fact that it has 50% fewer cores in rendering.

Since you say 3GHz Phenom II x6, I'll assume it is a 1075T at stock clocks.

There aren't THAT many benched comparisons because of the difference in age of these chips, but Anand has some, and as you can see it is a SIGNIFICANT step up.

Also, if you keep waiting, there will ALWAYS be something new on the horizon to wait for, and you can't enjoy an upgrade today, that you buy tomorrow.

I suggest going for it. I feel very confident you will be happy with it.

 

[DejaWiz]

Does anyone else think a soldered LGA2011-v3 CPU would be better for thermal dissipation and lower operating temps over a Paste TIM LGA1150 CPU when video editing/rendering is underway?

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Does anyone else think a soldered LGA2011-v3 CPU would be better for thermal dissipation and lower operating temps over a Paste TIM LGA1150 CPU when video editing/rendering is underway?

Probably yes, but the question is if the cost premium us worth it to the OP.

We are looking at ~$150 more for a 5820k over a 4690k, and at least $80 more for the motherboard, not to mention having to buy all new DDR4 ram.

We don't know the OP's budget, but I have to assume there was a reason he went with he i5 as his example.

With a haswell i5, OP could be up and running with a z97 chipset motherboard and a i5-4690 for like $315 shipped, presuming RAM, cooler and all other components are up to snuff.

Go to an LGA2011-v3 montherboard, a 5820k and four sticks of DDR4 and we are just about tripling the budget.

 

[DejaWiz]

Probably yes, but the question is if the cost premium us worth it to the OP.

We are looking at ~$150 more for a 5820k over a 4690k, and at least $80 more for the motherboard, not to mention having to buy all new DDR4 ram.

We don't know the OP's budget, but I have to assume there was a reason he went with he i5 as his example.

Indeed...which is why I asked about specific applications/programs and budget.

 

[JHefile]

My main programs run are games off Steam. I do some audio editing with PreSonus and video editing with Wondershare - I know weird name but it's actually a nice editor.

I wanted to keep this PC alive instead of consuming it for a new pc's but I could save on memory, HD and SSD,gtx 760 and P/S.

I'm actually running that 960t unlocked to 6 cores.

As for the suggestion for me to just get the i7 since I keep my CPU's so long I do like that idea. Although I have limited money to spend since I am trying to keep out of debt. I can swing for a cpu and mb.

I just wanted to make sure people thought it would be worth it from my cpu to current gen Intel.

Thanks!

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I just wanted to make sure people thought it would be worth it from my cpu to current gen Intel.

Thanks!

Yeah, look at the benches I linked above.

The difference will be pretty large. Double in some applications.

I think you will be happy with it.

 

[JHefile]

Yeah, look at the benches I linked above.

The difference will be pretty large. Double in some applications.

I think you will be happy with it.

Oh I missed that. This really would be a nice bump. That's even the i5 also.

 

[DejaWiz]

There are just zero negatives to doing this kind of upgrade. I say go for it. Even if you get an i5 now, finding an i7 in the near future when you have additional funds won't be much of a chore.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Oh I missed that. This really would be a nice bump. That's even the i5 also.

Yep, the only really important difference between an i5-4690K and an i7-4790k is 100mhz top turbo and hyperthreading.

The i5's are great chips.

The only reason an i7-5820k (which is haswell-ep and uses the 2011-v3 socket as opposed to 1150 the others use) was recommended above was because the internal construction.

Intel used thermal paste under the heatspreader of the socket 1150 chips, resulting in higher temps, lesser overclocking and (theoretically) shorter lifespans.

On the lga2011-v3 chips they used solder like they used to, which results in better temps, better overclockability and possibly longer life of the chip.

If you go the lga-2011v3 route though, the motherboards are much more expensive, the chips cost more, and you are forced to buy DDR4 RAM, so the cost goes up

 

[Araxie]

Yep, the only really important difference between an i5-4690K and an i7-4790k is 100mhz top turbo and hyperthreading.

The i5's are great chips.

correction.. the max turbo frequency in the 4690K its 3.9ghz.. the max turbo frequency in the 4790K its 4.4ghz those extra 400mhz make a very noticeable difference in performance.. its basically pre-overclocked so its a good thing to consider for thing that don't want to overclock..

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

correction.. the max turbo frequency in the 4690K its 3.9ghz.. the max turbo frequency in the 4790K its 4.4ghz those extra 400mhz make a very noticeable difference in performance.. its basically pre-overclocked so its a good thing to consider for thing that don't want to overclock..

My bad, I remembered the specs incorrectly. Either way, that difference isbeasily made up for by overclocking, and the has well 4960k is still a huge upgrade over the current setup.

 

[melk]

lol that's 500mhz last time I counted x4 cores = an extra 2000 mhz total over the i5, PLUS Hyper-Threading. Pretty easy to see why I went with the 4790k

 

[DejaWiz]

Yep, the only really important difference between an i5-4690K and an i7-4790k is 100mhz top turbo and hyperthreading.

The i5's are great chips.

The only reason an i7-5820k (which is haswell-ep and uses the 2011-v3 socket as opposed to 1150 the others use) was recommended above was because the internal construction.

Intel used thermal paste under the heatspreader of the socket 1150 chips, resulting in higher temps, lesser overclocking and (theoretically) shorter lifespans.

On the lga2011-v3 chips they used solder like they used to, which results in better temps, better overclockability and possibly longer life of the chip.

If you go the lga-2011v3 route though, the motherboards are much more expensive, the chips cost more, and you are forced to buy DDR4 RAM, so the cost goes up

I recommended it not only for the solder under the IHS, but also because it is a true six core with HT.

 

[JHefile]

I recommended it not only for the solder under the IHS, but also because it is a true six core with HT.

The only problem with that route is now we're talking considerably bigger $$ with MB and mem included.

I might go with the non-k i5-4690 and a mb at about $100. Even without an oc it's much better than my current pc. This kinda fits my budget better.

Thanks for all the tips

 

[DejaWiz]

The only problem with that route is now we're talking considerably bigger $$ with MB and mem included.

I might go with the non-k i5-4690 and a mb at about $100. Even without an oc it's much better than my current pc. This kinda fits my budget better.

Thanks for all the tips

That is definitely the downside with the X99 platform - the cost, even for the cheapest parts, can be quite a jump.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I recommended it not only for the solder under the IHS, but also because it is a true six core with HT.

Ahh, my bad. I forgot the lowest end 2011 part is now six core as opposed to sandy-e and ivy-e.