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Help DR build a gaming rig, 2014 edition

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by Death Rabbit, Jan 23, 2014.

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  1. Shoshino

    Shoshino Irritant Veteran

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    Shoshino, Feb 28, 2014
    #21
  2. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Aha - and here's what I'm really wondering. I'm certain that the i7 is faster than the i5 (and by the way - I'll go for the K version over the T, as previously discussed - they're about the same price).

    What I'm wondering is, what does "faster" mean exactly? Are we talking twice as fast? Are we talking – in car terms – a car whose top speed is 120mph vs 110, and therefore "faster" technically, but not really practically? Or is it closer to 120 vs 60?

    So to answer your question – the $100 is certainly worth it if the difference isn't negligible, and if it's likely to give me another year or more of processing power before an upgrade is needed. Is the difference THAT significant.
     
    Death Rabbit, Feb 28, 2014
    #22
  3. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I would say it's significantly faster.

    Max Turbo Clock Frequency - 18% change from i5-4670T to i7-4770K
    Base Clock Speed - 52% change from i5-4670T to i7-4770K
    The performance of each should be the same clock for clock, so that should translate to an 18%- 52% better performance.

    Cache - 25% change from i5-4670T to i7-4770K. Benefit from cache is a little more nebulous since it depends on many things, but more cache hits means better performance.

    Hyperthreading - Again, depends on many things, but on multi-threaded performance, I've seen reports of benefits of 10% on average.
     
    Blackthorne TA, Mar 1, 2014
    #23
  4. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    I really wouldn't worry too much about the processor. Sure the i7 would be quicker, but you're really only going to notice this in very specific cases, like for instance video encoding or something else that can really use the faster CPU. For most games it's a non-issue as they're not limited by CPU power but rather rely on GPU power.

    Maybe the new consoles will change this, but I kind of doubt it.
     
    henkie, Mar 1, 2014
    #24
  5. Merlanni

    Merlanni Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    Henkie is right. for general purpose and gaming the i5 is enough. Again, if you want to, and you have the will pay for it, i7 will make you more happy.

    It is not a bang for buck decision, its is a moral one.
     
    Merlanni, Mar 2, 2014
    #25
  6. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I've done a bit o' Googlin'. Which, admittedly, I should have done in the first place, but I love you all so much. We should snuggle. Seriously.

    A search for "i5 vs i7 gaming" produced plenty of very thorough benchmark tests, all of which came to the same conclusion: when it comes to gaming, the i7 offers only about a 10% boost over the i5 in the extreme; the average difference is about 4%. The GPU is indeed the bottleneck, so an investment there would offer the biggest bang for the buck. Thank you guys for the advice here.

    I think I'm going to get a new case (an NZXT Phantom 410 - just need to pick a color), the i5-4670K, 16gb RAM, and a mobo. The 256g SSD and new GPU will come later - maybe after the tax return.

    Since my i5 Lynnfield seems to still be in working order, I may use it and the old parts to build a new PC for my mom.
     
    Death Rabbit, Mar 3, 2014
    #26
  7. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    You can save a bit now by just going for 8 GB RAM, you can always add more later. It's unlikely you'll even be using the full 8 any time soon.
     
    Taluntain, Mar 7, 2014
    #27
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