Then again, with Dx12 bringing much higher draw call efficiency, games will be less CPU dependent. AMD is working on making their drivers less taxing on the CPU
Good points! AMD will always be a force to reckon with and keep an eye on. It was AMD who spanked Intel years ago and it took Intel many years to leap frog back into the lead with the Core 2 Duo. Even though Intel promised (themselves and consumers) never to be embarrassed like that again, and have the resources to make it happen, AMD can put themselves into a nice little niche position here. I note in several CPU round-ups, the FX 4300 takes the Best Performance for the Price award.
That said, games will still have a significant dependency on CPU performance, but because so much depends on graphics horsepower, RAM, drive access and more (besides the CPU) the CPU will continue to be less a factor. This is why the i7 offers only a little more bang for the money. But more bang, just the same.
Plus, it must be noted that many RTS and MMO games remain very CPU intensive.
*******
I have BOTH the I7 and the I5, and it makes no difference in any games I have played.
Wow! So your vast experience with one or two i7s and i5s and a few games makes you the voice of authority allowing you to hold yourself in such high esteem? Amazing.
I speak and give advice in terms of the majority and common situations and opinions.
You too? Wow. I am humbled that you two have self-anointed yourselves as the spokespersons for everyone else.
You guys claim (with
NO supporting evidence) the i5 is better and offer
only your word as proof, then simply expect everyone to believe because you speak, or because you have used one or two i5s or i7s with a few games. Therefore you are experts with all of them, and speak for all.
No less than 6 references were cited to 6 different sources (including TechPowerUP.com, Toms Hardware, PCMag, PCMech, in2gpu.com, diffen.com) by 4 different members of this site. All these references show where the i7 offers better performance, including for most games.
All your references show - oh wait! You don't have any. Your argument is to attack Toms, ignore the other sites.
You cite yourselves as self-proclaimed authorities and declare because the i5 is not worth the extra money to you, it is not worth the extra money to anyone! I cannot argue with such omnipotence.
Others, including Frag Maniac report they HAVE seen better performance with the i7s (specifically the 4970K). So, is Frag lying then? Is Jetster lying when he says "the i7 has advantages even for gaming"? Are the others, including rooivalk lying when say
for them, it is worth it? Or are they "stupid" too as you imply all i7 supporters are, newtekie1?
YOU GUYS DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ARGUING ABOUT!!!!
I NEVER EVER said the i7 was worth the extra money - for
me! I said, and I showed supporting evidence, and others showed supporting evidence where the i7 offers better performance - which has been my point since I entered this thread.
I am done discussing this with people who's heads are stuck in the sand, who refuse to look at the facts, who are convinced their own personal opinions based solely on their own very limited personal experiences apply to all.
@ mroofie, no, the i5 will not soon become extinct. And for the most efficient bang for your money, definitely go with a good i5 (like the 4670K or 3570K) or AMD (FX-8350 or 8320). But for the ultimate in gaming performance, get a good i7, mount it on a good gaming motherboard populated with at least 8Gb of RAM, a great graphics card and SSD. Then buy a top quality Gold or Platinum 80-PLUS PSU (don't try to skimp on the budget with a cheap PSU) and put them in a great case that supports lots of cooling options.