What to go for?..

[Antony1995]

Hey everyone,

I've been planning on upgrading my rig for quite a while, but couldn't do anything until I had a job. I now have a job so I'm starting to plan more thoroughly what parts to get.

Check out my other thread going through hardware etc.. http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=59409

I have the basic system set out but can't decide on a couple of things, first is the graphics but that can wait, as I'm planning on getting that last. The main thing is what CPU to go for. I've come down to two choices:

4690K
Xeon E3-1230 v3

Intel comparison link:
http://ark.intel.com/compare/80811,75054

I will be using the rig for Gaming, Internet use, Programming, CAD/3D graphics, Virtual box, Folding@Home just to name a few things.

I'm trying to build a system that will last me a good few years so that's another reason I'd like more threads.

There isn't much in the price between the two, but I think I would benefit from the more threads that the Xeon would give me. What I'm stuck on is would it be best to get the Xeon with no overclocking ability or get the I5 and overclock?..

Thanks for reading,
Antony

 

[Excalabur50]

Probably the Xeon would suit you better for the majority of what you intend to do with your rig

 

[Feronix]

The extra threads in the Xeon will come in handy with rendering and such, but because of the different instruction set the Core i5 tends to even beat it in most gaming scenarios (as most games don't use more than 4 cores anyway).

So for gaming the i5 is already similar, if not better out of the box and then you can still overclock it for a nice boost in performance.

For editing/modeling/rendering, the extra threads of the Xeon will help.

Up to you which one of the scenarios you do most/ are more important.

 

[Antony1995]

The extra threads in the Xeon will come in handy with rendering and such, but because of the different instruction set the Core i5 tends to even beat it in most gaming scenarios (as most games don't use more than 4 cores anyway).

So for gaming the i5 is already similar, if not better out of the box and then you can still overclock it for a nice boost in performance.

For editing/modeling/rendering, the extra threads of the Xeon will help.

Up to you which one of the scenarios you do most/ are more important.

The Xeon would still be good enough for most gaming situations though right? and I've just had a thought that I could always run the Xeon for 6 months or so, until the price of the 4790K comes down when the new architecture is released.

 

[Feronix]

The Xeon would still be good enough for most gaming situations though right? and I've just had a thought that I could always run the Xeon for 6 months or so, until the price of the 4790K comes down when the new architecture is released.

It'll be fine for games, just not great. They are workstation chips after all.

Might as well save up a bit more now and shell out for a 4770/4790k? Have the best of both worlds and will be cheaper than upgrading in the long run.

 

[Antony1995]

It'll be fine for games, just not great. They are workstation chips after all.

Might as well save up a bit more now and shell out for a 4770/4790k? Have the best of both worlds and will be cheaper than upgrading in the long run.

Just had a look at 4770k prices and found it for £215 delivered so I think I'll go with that, if that price changes I'll just go with the Xeon. I need to balance out all the other components so can't really go much over £200 for the CPU. But £215 is probably do able.

As for the instruction set the Intel website along with Wikipedia said's the Xeon, 4770K, 4690K and 4790K pretty much have the same have the same, with the Xeon supporting a few more things. The only real differences seem to be the integrated graphics and ECC memory support by the Xeon, also clock speed.

But I guess games like more clock speed over threads?

 

[Feronix]

Just had a look at 4770k prices and found it for £215 delivered so I think I'll go with that, if that price changes I'll just go with the Xeon. I need to balance out all the other components so can't really go much over £200 for the CPU. But £215 is probably do able.

As for the instruction set the Intel website along with Wikipedia said's the Xeon, 4770K, 4690K and 4790K pretty much have the same have the same, with the Xeon supporting a few more things. The only real differences seem to be the integrated graphics and ECC memory support by the Xeon, also clock speed.

But I guess games like more clock speed over threads?

Seems like a good deal

Depends per game, most games also prefer strong cores, hence the Core i series often have the same performance as an AMD FX chip with twice as many cores.
From most benchmarks I have seen the Core i5 out-performaned the Xeon in some games, but in some they were the same. The overclocked i5 won most game benchmarks though.

Either way it'll serve you fine but with the i7 you have the best of both worlds and £215 is worth it in my opinion.

 

[Antony1995]

Lets hope I can still pick up the 4770K for £215 next month when I get paid, won't be able to afford it this month unfortunately

EDIT:

Probably the Xeon would suit you better for the majority of what you intend to do with your rig

Thanks Excalabur that's what I was thinking but wasn't to sure

 

[Excalabur50]

No worries as long as you get the right chip for what you intend to do most.