i7-860 vs i5-2500k

[Justinat0r]

I currently have a i7-860 in my current rig, would going with a 2500k be a decent upgrade for gaming or is the i7-860 a fast enough card that I wouldn't see much of a difference one way or another?

I'm trying to decided what is the biggest bottleneck on my system, my Radeon 5770 1GB, or my processor.

This might be obvious for you guys but I'm a novice as far as hardware goes. My assumption is the graphics card is the biggest limiting factor at the moment, but I can't get over the clock speed difference. (2.8GHz stock vs 3.3Ghz stock). Can someone help me out with some perspective?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Overclock your CPU, and upgrade your graphics card. Then you should be happy.

 

[toyota]

with a 5770, you would never see the advantage a 2500k would have over the 860. just oc your cpu and get a new card.

 

[Zorander]

Agree with the CPU overclock and new GPU suggestions. Both will provide greater performance increase per $$$ spent (remember you will also need to buy a new motherboard with the 2500K as it utilises a different socket & chipset to the 860).

 

[Justinat0r]

with a 5770, you would never see the advantage a 2500k would have over the 860. just oc your cpu and get a new card.

I'd like to OC, but I've got a stock cooling fan. I don't know if that would do me much good as far as keeping the heat down... lol

Also my case doesn't have great airflow, I was thinking of upgrading the case as well as the GPU, but it seems like a big undertaking for someone who has only ever installed a GPU/Ram before. It's kind of intimidating to rip everything out of your system and reassemble it when you've never done it before.

As far as the GPU aspect, I was thinking of this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500231

Comes with BF3, which I don't own and in the reviews everyone was raving about the card saying it was nearly as good as the 570.

 

[toyota]

I'd like to OC, but I've got a stock cooling fan. I don't know if that would do me much good as far as keeping the heat down... lol

Also my case doesn't have great airflow, I was thinking of upgrading the case as well as the GPU, but it seems like a big undertaking for someone who has only ever installed a GPU/Ram before. It's kind of intimidating to rip everything out of your system and reassemble it when you've never done it before.

As far as the GPU aspect, I was thinking of this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500231

Comes with BF3, which I don't own and in the reviews everyone was raving about the card saying it was nearly as good as the 570.

well buy you an aftermarket cooler. something like the Coolermaster 212 Evo will do a good job and you can transfer it to your next build.

what resolution will you be playing at? also what case do you have and what are the other specs of your pc?

 

[RavenSEAL]

+1 on Hyper 212.

Overclock your CPU, add that GTX 560 or an HD 6950 and you'll be set.

 

[Justinat0r]

well buy you an aftermarket cooler. something like the Coolermaster 212 Evo will do a good job and you can transfer it to your next build.

what resolution will you be playing at? also what case do you have and what are the other specs of your pc?

I have a terrible Dell Studio XPS case. I bought this PC when I just started to get into PC gaming because it seemed like a good deal at the time for around ~$900. It has almost no airflow, there is a small air intake in the front at the bottom of the case, and a single 120mm fan in the back.

i7-860 @ 2.8GHz, ATI Radeon 5770 1GB, 8GB RAM @ 1066MHz. The motherboard is probably a Dell mobo they got manufactured on the cheap.

 

[toyota]

well with that Dell then you probably cant oc the cpu anyway so dont worry about it. you still did not list your resolution though.

 

[Justinat0r]

well with that Dell then you probably cant oc the cpu anyway so dont worry about it. you still did not list your resolution though.

Oh, sorry. 1920x1080. Currently running dual monitors but I only use a single monitor for gaming.

The case I WANT is this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...bsidian%20650d

But I don't know what kind of proprietary stuff Dell has in my case which would prevent me from easily transferring the hardware into a new one.

 

[toyota]

Oh, sorry. 1920x1080. Currently running dual monitors but I only use a single monitor for gaming.

one more thing you need to check is the power supply.

 

[Justinat0r]

one more thing you need to check is the power supply.

I recently upgraded the PSU to a 650W, it came standard with a 350W (ouch!)

 

[toyota]

I recently upgraded the PSU to a 650W, it came standard with a 350W (ouch!)

is this a decent 650 watt psu though? please list the exact model if you can.


if its fine then I would go with the gtx560ti 448 sp.

 

[Zorander]

I recently upgraded the PSU to a 650W, it came standard with a 350W (ouch!)

You should be good with most cards on that PSU.

I'm sporting a HD6970 and also i7-860 on a 620W Corsair PSU myself.

 

[Justinat0r]

You should be good with most cards on that PSU. I'm sporting a HD6970 and also i7-860 on a 620W Corsair PSU.

Which HD6970 did you go with? I'm trying to be careful with my choices because the one I choose needs a really nice fan on it to keep it cool considering my case has terrible airflow.

 

[Rvenger]

Edit: nevermind, seen that he has a dell mobo

 

[toyota]

Which HD6970 did you go with? I'm trying to be careful with my choices because the one I choose needs a really nice fan on it to keep it cool considering my case has terrible airflow.

you still did not list the exact psu that you have.

 

[Zorander]

Which HD6970 did you go with? I'm trying to be careful with my choices because the one I choose needs a really nice fan on it to keep it cool considering my case has terrible airflow.

I'm using the MSI TwinFrozr III model. It's a good performer while also truly quiet, but it is also a really hot card. I used to run my P180 case with just one exhaust fan in the upper chamber (PSU is in lower chamber and has its own fan). Post-upgrade, I had to add two extra case fans and actively cool my CPU now to keep things stable. I upgraded from the HD5850 because of my resolution of 2560x1600; I would not have upgraded otherwise as the card was perfectly capable at 1920x1200.

Given your situation, I don't recommend the 6970 (don't know how a stock 6950 runs thermally though). I have used both 5850 and 6850 in a space-restrained HTPC. Fine performance at 1920x1080 without any heat-related issue. The 5850 is slightly faster and IME also cooler, so I personally recommend it (if you don't mind going used). Otherwise, I think a HD6870 will fit the bill too.

Cheers!

 

[upsdriver]

Would a i7 860 at 3.6ghz (no turbo) be roughly equal to a i5 2500 at stock (with turbo) for gaming? I'm assuming they are but it's a little harder to compare with turbo versus no turbo, ipc differences, and slight HT gains. Just trying to figure out what to expect when I look at FPS charts that use a 2500k.

 

[Maximilian]

Would a i7 860 at 3.6ghz (no turbo) be roughly equal to a i5 2500 at stock (with turbo) for gaming? I'm assuming they are but it's a little harder to compare with turbo versus no turbo, ipc differences, and slight HT gains. Just trying to figure out what to expect when I look at FPS charts that use a 2500k.

Yes, sandy bridges IPC advantage over nehalem is non existant in gaming. i7 860 would probably beat a stock 2500k slightly as stock 2500k can only turbo 2 cores to 3.6ghz not all 4 of them so games that use 4 cores like BF3 etc would only see 3.4ghz on a stock 2500k.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Here is a free upgrade. Lower your gaming resolution!

 

[Zorander]

Here is a free upgrade. Lower your gaming resolution!

Ding ding! Exactly what I did when I played DA2 on the HD5850. :$

 

[toyota]

Yes, sandy bridges IPC advantage over nehalem is non existant in gaming. i7 860 would probably beat a stock 2500k slightly as stock 2500k can only turbo 2 cores to 3.6ghz not all 4 of them so games that use 4 cores like BF3 etc would only see 3.4ghz on a stock 2500k.

um what the heck are you talking about? the ipc advantage is most certainly there for gaming. in most cases the stock 2500k is faster than the 875k at 4.0.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i7-2600k-990x_9.html#sect2

 

[Justinat0r]

you still did not list the exact psu that you have.

I wouldn't be able to tell you. It was a gift and I tossed out the box. I know it was a non modular Corsair 650w

 

[Maximilian]

um what the heck are you talking about? the ipc advantage is most certainly there for gaming. in most cases the stock 2500k is faster than the 875k at 4.0.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i7-2600k-990x_9.html#sect2

Hmm, i always though nehalem and sandy bridge were about equal for gaming at the same frequency. Its what looking at AT benchs 975 extreme vs 2500k leads me to believe anyways:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/99?vs=288

Ah well live and learn.