My dilemma - 4820k or Xeon l5639 for gaming

[dmoney1980]

I currently have a x58 setup with an EVGA board and a Xeon l5639 6C/12T cpu overclocked to just under 3.6ghz. I also have 6GB of triple channel RAM, and it purrs away
on my win 7 gaming build with a Radeon 280x. BF4 on ultra with 4x msaa @ 1440p runs super smooth (50-60 fps), and the CPU never goes above 65% utilization.

So last week I picked up a used Asus x79 Pro board on this forum on a whim - got it for a great price. I'm now contemplating if I should just keep my current setup or sell it and pick up a 4820k at Micro Center for $270. I'm primarily a gamer so I don't think I would miss the 12 threads, plus the 4820k is unlocked so I would give it a mid to low 4ghz OC.

The other positive is that I can always upgrade to a 4930k at a later date if the gaming landscape changes and games start to take advantage of more cores.

The negative here is that I would need to invest in quad channel RAM set, and I'd prefer to get a windows 8.1 key for this, so that's about $250 just for those 2 items. The cost of the CPU would almost be nill if I sell my x58 setup. I would keep my Noctua cooler and get a $10 socket 2011 mount kit.

Thoughts?

 

[DigDog]

i'd keep the xeon .. for now. there's always time to sidegrade, and i don't see an advantage in that ..

 

[Subyman]

Depending on how you cool your 4820K, they are good for upwards of 4.8Ghz. Truly a nice chip. I'd say it would be a decent upgrade especially considering it gives you a better upgrade path in the future to a hex-core in a few years time, as you noted.

You could recoup about $120-$140 on your current CPU + Mobo.

 

[Burpo]

i'd keep the xeon .. for now. there's always time to sidegrade, and i don't see an advantage in that ..

BINGO! We have a Winner!

 

[Subyman]

He's already got the motherboard...

 

[TreVader]

I would save the money and buy an R9 290/R9 290x


I'm amazed BF4 will run playable on those setting on a 280x

 

[4ghz]

Its unlikely you'll see much of a difference in games at that res and only with a single card. I'd say keep the money. Try and return your 280x and get a 290 and just buy Win 8 if you want it.

 

[Makaveli]

I would save the money and buy an R9 290/R9 290x


I'm amazed BF4 will run playable on those setting on a 280x

His numbers seem accurate.

http://www.techspot.com/review/736-amd-radeon-r9-290/page2.html

In this review the 280x is doing 50 fps at 2560x1600 4xAA/16AF

And 2560x1440 is less pixels to push which should make up the gap between 50-60fps possibly.

(granted OP never specified if these numbers were from a Multiplayer map)

And OP this a tough choice I would agree it will be a sidegrade even with the IPC gap.

If you were going to purchase the board and the cpu and would say no, the fact that you already have the board makes the decision abit harder.

My gut tells me though to keep what you have if anything I would go up to 12GB's of ram.

 

[dmoney1980]

Makaveli - yes those numbers are for multiplayer. At times there are FPS dips, but nothing bothersome. To be a little more accurate, I'd say that half the time I get 45-50 FPS, the other half between 50 and 60 FPS. It really depends on the map and what's happening around me. (most dips happen inside a tank, or when I'm close to a falling structure)

Yeah the board was pretty cheap (<$120) and I have an unused W8.1 key. If I can sell the x58 mobo /CPU / RAM / Win 7 key in the $260 range I would do it that way. I would keep the Noctua cooler and buy the socket 2011 kit for $10, buy the RAM and CPU and off I go....I'm just not sure. I'm super impressed with the performance I'm getting out of the x58 setup.

What makes it more tempting is the fact that this shiny Asus x79 pro board is staring right at me! With it's UEFI bios, bluetooth, and USB 3 ports haha....

decisions decisions

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

That's a tough choice. I chose to swap out my i7 920 to an i7 970 in my game rig... and put the same Xeon L5639 in my main rig. So far I don't regret it.

 

[tweakboy]

Yes as the gurus said it's a sidegrade. Only problem with Xeon is the OCing,, u only get 200Mhz at most.

 

[aigomorla]

i too, gamer am..
greedy, however i are...

Moar cores!!!!

-end...


lol seriousness tho... if ur happy with gaming performance why spend money to change it?

If you want more, the fastest i see you net performance in gaming are:

1. SSD
2. GPU
3. CPU

even if the GPU is bottle necked by the CPU, a GPU upgrade will always produce noticeable results.
SSD's will improve loadup time, map transition time, anything which has to do with load up will see EXTREME noticeable improvements.

Maybe a SSD upgrade is a better merit then a platform upgrade
A 250gig EVO will probably net u the MOST benifit over both a GPU and Platform if your still on a standard spinner.

 

[tweakboy]

With Xeon your limited in your OC. Maybe 200 or 300Mhz .

All you need is a quad core 4820k .. Now you can OC more then 1Ghz . Your games will be faster on the 4820k.

You have cores but dont need them nor does cpu use them. thx gl