kiddingguy Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I have an OC'ed Core i7 920 to 3.4 GHz. I just saw some sort of teaser - or possible one - for Half-Life 3. Maybe my GPU needs to be upgraded by that time the game comes out. But what about my CPU (and thus the rest of my computer)? I'm currently running a Core i7 920 @ 3.4. The CPUs nowadays doesn't really match up to those speeds, but architecture-wise and TDP/power consumption-wise there are differences. What about "pure" performance/CPU-power.... does it really matter? And if so, in what ways do I notice these differences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo1911 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 The real thing is AMD has lost CPU speed race and Intel has stagnated as a result of lack of competition. You can upgrade to upcomming Broadwell based or Skylake based CPUs. They are supposed to be faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binaryzero Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 http://ark.intel.com/products/75123/Intel-Core-i7-4770K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz 3.90 > 3.4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGHammer Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Oh, there IS a decided difference - however, it may not affect ALL applications identically. I just posted (elsewhere) my experience with an Intel G3220T in an HP Pavilion 23 (that belongs to my mom - I was setting it up for her, as her earlier refurbished HP tower croaked) - and did a comparo to the 8.1 side of my BYO tower (Q6600 CPU/GTX550Ti GPU/G41 chipset). Quad-core vs. dual-core. 4 GB DDR2-800 vs. 4 GB DDR3-1333. Both are bone-stock. Same OS. Q6600 is going to win, right? Wrong. Not even close. The seminal Intel quad-core got curb-stomped. By the current-generation bottom-end Intel dual-core. (I'm still spitting out feathers.) Now an i7 vs. i7 battle won't be a pasting like the one Q6600 just got - however, there are generational differences that software WILL notice - it definitely will NOT be any slower. T3X4S 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3X4S Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 http://ark.intel.com/products/75123/Intel-Core-i7-4770K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz 3.90 > 3.4 This is true if you're comparing to similar gen CPUs. I have the Core i7 950 - same as your - but I am clocked @ 3.2 I think. There have been a bunch of threads about this - including 1 recently where I gave up trying to tell someone they could NOT tell the difference between 3.6 and 3.7 on an OC. CPU isnt a huge factor on overall performance, but when it comes to gaming - no. Obviously the newer gen CPUs are better at thermals than ours is - but I dont know how much a Core i7 4770 is in real world scenarios - sure a benchmark will make it seem like a day & night difference - but IMO benchmarks should be taken with a grain of salt. The real question is not if it will improve, its "will the improvement justify the cost ?" - You and I have a similar system - I am using the 760GTX, the Core i7 950 @ 3.2GHz 24GB RAM and an SSD - I too have wondered if its worth it. I can no longer crank all the settings up - but if I had a 970GTX - I bet I could. ______________________ I say get a better graphics card. Why ? Because it will carry over when you do make the decision to upgrade the CPU & mobo. Also, it will make a bigger difference than a new CPU for certain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3X4S Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Does your notebook feel faster or more responsive compared to your desktop ? Your 2 systems are a decent example for this test - sure the mobile GTX750 isnt as good as the GTX760 - but that will only make the CPU yield more noticeable.....I think. Also, I am sure you have a decent PSU - but look at it this way. Cost of a CPU upgrade will be at least $400 (chip & mobo) and may make a difference. $400 spent on a video card will make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiddingguy Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 T3X4S, on 12 Feb 2015 - 11:13, said: This is true if you're comparing to similar gen CPUs. I have the Core i7 950 - same as your - but I am clocked @ 3.2 I think. There have been a bunch of threads about this - including 1 recently where I gave up trying to tell someone they could NOT tell the difference between 3.6 and 3.7 on an OC. CPU isnt a huge factor on overall performance, but when it comes to gaming - no. Obviously the newer gen CPUs are better at thermals than ours is - but I dont know how much a Core i7 4770 is in real world scenarios - sure a benchmark will make it seem like a day & night difference - but IMO benchmarks should be taken with a grain of salt. The real question is not if it will improve, its "will the improvement justify the cost ?" - You and I have a similar system - I am using the 760GTX, the Core i7 950 @ 3.2GHz 24GB RAM and an SSD - I too have wondered if its worth it. I can no longer crank all the settings up - but if I had a 970GTX - I bet I could. ______________________ I say get a better graphics card. Why ? Because it will carry over when you do make the decision to upgrade the CPU & mobo. Also, it will make a bigger difference than a new CPU for certain. Thx for the splendid answer! It is kinda what I thought that CPU isn't the main -and justifiable costwise- factor for upgrading to a more "2015-gaming" experience on CPU, but the GPU does Does your notebook feel faster or more responsive compared to your desktop ? Your 2 systems are a decent example for this test - sure the mobile GTX750 isnt as good as the GTX760 - but that will only make the CPU yield more noticeable.....I think. Also, I am sure you have a decent PSU - but look at it this way. Cost of a CPU upgrade will be at least $400 (chip & mobo) and may make a difference. $400 spent on a video card will make a difference. I don't really use my notebook for gaming purposes.... so no comparison can be made here. I did play Simcity once and there it made no difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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