4790k worth it?

[Horemheb]

As the title states I have been looking at a 4790k for my current system. I figure its the cheapest upgrade path. If I were to get it for around 200$-250$ would it make sense? If I upgrade to a newer cpu I will have to get a new motherboard and ram. I am trying to get a little more horsepower till I do a complete system rebuild.


Everyone has been very helpful in the past so I look forward to your suggestions.

 

[jboydgolfer]

If your system specs are current,I would personally save my money for an actual upgrade. Meaning a full upgrade. That 200+ dollars could be used towards a newer generation chip, you wont see much jump in perf from 4 xtra threads unless your doing lots of rendering, or other thread heavy tasks,& even then it wont be worth the $ imo

And if all you really do his game on your PC you definitely don't want to waste the money on an i7

 

[b214cm]

The 4790k is a great cpu. With your current system specs it would be a great upgrade. You will definitely see an increase in performance.

 

[biffzinker]

I vote save the money for a Ryzen R5 1600X/1600 over haul when the wrinkles are ironed out.

 

[evernessince]

For that kind of money you can get a Ryzen CPU brand new. You'll save money on a CPU cooler as well and you'll have a warranty.

 

[alucasa]

Not worth upgrading to anything. Your rig is fine.

 

[Horemheb]

My system specs are current. I do see where everyone is going with their responses. I have been looking at lower core Ryzen chips. I am only thinking about upgrading my CPU because I spur of the moment bought a 1080ti. Now I am thinking "OMG MORE POWER!" I should have upgraded my system and then bought the new gpu.

Thank you for the responses so far.


Edit because I forgot to mention I do have it OC to 4.2ghz and it runs flawlessly. I can get it to run at 4.6ghz with no problem but my cooler can't keep up at that speed.

 

[Kursah]

Love my 4790K's, but if your CPU is fine now...then stick with it or OC further, or OC if you haven't. Unless you do a lot of multitasking, heavily threaded tasks, games or workloads...odds are you won't see much that you wouldn't see by overclocking to 4.4GHz.

That said the extra threads are nice and that platform is solid still. If you have the upgrade itch that certainly isn't a bad decision IMHO. But if your current performance is acceptable for your needs then you're probably fine to stick with what ya got.

 

[Sasqui]

My 2nd home rig is a 4790k / Z97 ...amazing chip, best I've ever owned and wow for overclocking on that platform, such a no brainer for high OCing... That said, my main rig is a 3570k, and I don't notice that much diff in gaming, both have 290x's.

 

[evernessince]

If you can wait might as well see what Intel and AMD bring to the table next year. You should be fine enough with what you have now.

 

[Kanan]

Because you have a 1080 Ti, I absolutely say "yes". A friend of mine did the same (had a i5 4670K and switched to i7 4790k), not only is HT of help (up to 30% more performance from the same 4 cores), but he also got increased overclocks, from 4.1 to 4.6 GHz by doing the upgrade (if you're not overclocking, you get 400 MHz more, 3.6 GHz -> 4 GHz, turbo excluded). The reason he did it was because he had not enough ressources to drive a 980 Ti in 1440p in CPU heavy games like BF1, with minimum background applications. In your case with a 1080 Ti, I would say, it's a absolute "must" to do it, because the i5 is in no way strong enough to feed that GPU + a CPU heavy game at the same time. 250 bucks minus 150 bucks (or more) you get for the i5 are only 100 bucks or less actually invested and absolutely worth the price, if you sell the i5. The 4790K (maybe with OC), would be good for another 2 years I'd say.

 

[evernessince]

Because you have a 1080 Ti, I absolutely say "yes". A friend of mine did the same (had a i5 4670K and switched to i7 4790k), not only is HT of help (up to 30% more performance from the same 4 cores), but he also got increased overclocks, from 4.1 to 4.6 GHz by doing the upgrade (if you're not overclocking, you get 400 MHz more, 3.6 GHz -> 4 GHz, turbo excluded). The reason he did it was because he had not enough ressources to drive a 980 Ti in 1440p in CPU heavy games like BF1, with minimum background applications. In your case with a 1080 Ti, I would say, it's a absolute "must" to do it, because the i5 is in no way strong enough to feed that GPU + a CPU heavy game at the same time. 250 bucks minus 150 bucks (or more) you get for the i5 are only 100 bucks or less actually invested and absolutely worth the price, if you sell the i5. The 4790K (maybe with OC), would be good for another 2 years I'd say.

Lol, if you're going to recommend him a CPU and then say it's only going to last 2 years, it isn't a good recommendation.

With Ryzen around it doesn't make sense to drop money on older, more expensive parts that don't come with a warranty, decent IHS solder, or decent CPU cooler. Not to mention the lack of an upgrade path (Ryzen won't require you to buy a new mobo every time you want a better CPU) and newer features like M.2 and USB Type C and 3.1. Ryzen's IPC is a bit above the Intel 4000 series and the 2 extra cores on the R5 will help immensely in CPU intensive games now and in the future, feeding more hungry GPUs.

OC is going to be based on silicon lottery and you are going to have to buy an aftermarket cooler with any Intel CPU if you want to OC.. The 4790k still has the crummy paste under the IHS as well.

 

[Hood]

My system specs are current. I do see where everyone is going with their responses. I have been looking at lower core Ryzen chips. I am only thinking about upgrading my CPU because I spur of the moment bought a 1080ti. Now I am thinking "OMG MORE POWER!" I should have upgraded my system and then bought the new gpu.

Thank you for the responses so far.

Edit because I forgot to mention I do have it OC to 4.2ghz and it runs flawlessly. I can get it to run at 4.6ghz with no problem but my cooler can't keep up at that speed.

I have a 4790k@4.6 (with H110 cooler), 16GB DDR3-2400, GTX 780 Ti, 1440p/60Hz and it runs very fast. I was impressed with the Devil's Canyon i7, the first to reach 4 GHz base clock, but the headroom is not that good (4.4 turbo clock, and mine was never stable past 4.6 on all cores, 1.32v) Like the Ryzen 1800x, it's factory clock is near the limit, which is fine, but no fun for playing with overclocking. Your i5 can probably go a bit higher, maybe 4.7, if you use a 240 or 280mm water cooler ($100). That's what I would do first, because you need better cooling to get the most out of any high end CPU. That will get you a performance increase without costing so much, and the water cooler can be used on future upgrades. But I also agree with others who suggested waiting and saving for a complete new system if you're mostly satisfied with the way your present one runs now. At least the cooling upgrade would give you something to play with, if you enjoy finding your highest overclock (or highest stable OC). I also have the upgrade itch, even though I don't need a better system (I just enjoy building/tweaking new hardware).

 

[biffzinker]

(I just enjoy building/tweaking new hardware).

Same here, but it's getting difficult to resist the temptation for a AMD R7 1700 overhaul from the current 4790K build.

 

[Frick]

Same here, but it's getting difficult to resist the temptation for a AMD R7 1700 overhaul from the current 4790K build.

I'm actaully betting on many people feeling this way so I can get a decent i3/i5 on the cheap.

 

[biffzinker]

I'm actaully betting on many people feeling this way so I can get a decent i3/i5 on the cheap.

Sorry, but your not getting my i7-4790K.

Last Intel CPU was a Pentium 4 (Northwood) before this 4790K.

 

[Toothless]

Unless you're going to use the extra threads, no. While it's a cheaper upgrade path it'll only be good for processing power.

 

[Komshija]

If your main purpose is gaming and some occasional photo/video editing, than absolutely no. It would be a total waste of money. In other words, unless you are editing photos/videos for living, I would suggest saving money from something else.

 

[jboydgolfer]

@Horemheb
if this helps You at all, ill share a similar situation w/ You that i was in.

I was running a 4690k oc'd like yours is, and had the "itch" , so i ordered a Xeon (basically the same 4 core 4 thread cpu as the i7 your considering), and i put my i5 in my daughters PC. I work/game (very little) watch videos, have recorded a game or two, and casually browse. I saw absolutely Zero difference in ALL scenarios. not 10%, not 25%, not even 2%, NONE(xeons don't oc like an i7 however, but still). its like buying a pair of sunglasses in a way. If your going to be in the sun, then yes, you'll likely want them, and use them, but if your NOT going to be in the sun, well there isnt really any need for it. You need to decide whether your usage will justify the cost, for the "scenario based performance increase". which is exactly what kind of performance increase it would be, a scenario reliant increase.

 

[Kanan]

Lol, if you're going to recommend him a CPU and then say it's only going to last 2 years, it isn't a good recommendation.

Ryzen would cost him a entire new system and not only 100 bucks. Stupid comparison you made here. And that 2 years I was talking of was a "minimum" baseline and just a guess btw, no one could know for sure, but 2 years is a good minimum guess I'd say.

With Ryzen around it doesn't make sense to drop money on older, more expensive parts that don't come with a warranty, decent IHS solder, or decent CPU cooler.

Since when is a used 4790K more expensive? It is not. I don't think you understand the OP, he could simply replace the i5 with the i7 4790K on the same mainboard/system. Ridiculous being quoted by people and laughed at who didn't even understand the main post. And who needs warranty on a CPU? Nobody, it will work, else he can give it back. And if it works, it will never be defective, because it's a frickin CPU. Please go and troll somewhere else, Ryzen fanboy.

Not to mention the lack of an upgrade path (Ryzen won't require you to buy a new mobo every time you want a better CPU) and newer features like M.2 and USB Type C and 3.1. Ryzen's IPC is a bit above the Intel 4000 series and the 2 extra cores on the R5 will help immensely in CPU intensive games now and in the future, feeding more hungry GPUs.

Irrelevant, because again he wouldn't need a new CPU for another 2 years+ and would only spend about 100 bucks if he sells the i5.

OC is going to be based on silicon lottery and you are going to have to buy an aftermarket cooler with any Intel CPU if you want to OC.. The 4790k still has the crummy paste under the IHS as well.

Bullshit, the 4790K is well overclockable to at least 4.4 GHz minimum with the stock cooler, and a aftermarket coolers are just a few bucks (212 Evo or so), if he wants to do higher OC.

That AMD fanboy is going nuts here. Quote someone else next time, I'm gonna counter your bs every time.

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@Horemheb i7 4790K is a good bet if you want to save money/not buy a entire new system. What I told you about my friend is 100% true, he had a nice increase in FPS after switching to the 4790K from the i5 4670K @ 4.1 GHz OC at heavy tasking games, and that is with a overclocked 980 Ti, so the 1080 Ti would profit even more. For such a GPU, a high clocked i7 is a must (4790K being one of the options), a 6 or 8 core i7 the optimum.

"Ryzen Ryzen Ryzen", first let the platform mature and have decent support in games, then we can talk about it again. At the time it's just slower than Intel's stuffs. Normally I'm always in to defend Ryzen, but not for someone who is strictly gaming, I would only recommend Ryzen for workstation and/or streaming while gaming usage, not for pure gaming, because it's simply not up to the game there, atm.

 

[newtekie1]

Edit because I forgot to mention I do have it OC to 4.2ghz and it runs flawlessly. I can get it to run at 4.6ghz with no problem but my cooler can't keep up at that speed.

Then spend a lot less than $200, and get a better cooler. In gaming, you will notice pretty much no difference in performance between the 4670K and the 4790K.

Bullshit, the 4790K is well overclockable to at least 4.4 GHz minimum with the stock cooler, and a aftermarket coolers are just a few bucks (212 Evo or so), if he wants to do higher OC.

Considering mine wouldn't even maintain the stock 4.2GHz turbo speed with the stock cooler, I'm saying 4.4GHz with the stock cooler is the actual bull.

 

[biffzinker]

Bullshit, the 4790K is well overclockable to at least to 4.4 GHz minimum with the stock cooler, and a aftermarket coolers are just a few bucks (212 Evo or so)

I wasn't able to get mine to play along at 4.4 GHz with an aftermarket cooler without the core temps going nuts until I popped the heatspreader. I even tried it with the stock cooler for kicks at the time at default clocks, and nope wasn't happening nvm 4.4 GHz. No unrealistic stress testing either aka Prime 95.

 

[Kanan]

I wasn't able to get mine to play along at 4.4 GHz with an aftermarket cooler without the core temps going nuts until I popped the heatspreader. I even tried it with the stock cooler for kicks at the time at default clocks, and nope wasn't happening nvm 4.4 GHz. No unrealistic stress testing either aka Prime 95.

The 4790K is supposed to do a minimum of 4.4GHz because it's own turbo stock can do it, when less than 4 cores are used. I'd say you had bad luck. I'm not gonna change my opinion because of singular users that had bad luck. I saw countless users running it on 4.4 GHz or greater, I think the average overclocks are about 4.4-4.5 GHz.

And people who are saying i5 4670K = i7 4790K in performance with a highend GPU of 980 Ti or greater, are just wrong btw. the i7 4790K has a higher clock and HT, that sets it easily apart from the i5 4670K. It's a fact and I have proof for that aswell.

Considering mine wouldn't even maintain the stock 4.2GHz boost speed with the stock cooler, I'm saying 4.4GHz with the stock cooler is the actual bull.

Pretty irrelevant, because a aftermarket cooler like 212 Evo isn't expensive and would easily allow some overclocking. And doesn't change a thing about the other things I stated, and you are disregarding. Money, price/performance wise, the 4790K is his best bet atm, not a entire new system. Overclocking is just a bonus, the i7 4790K will be easily faster than the i5 4670K without it too.

Anyway, not important. He can simply buy the i7 4790K and not overclock it, even then it's easily faster than the i5 4670K (400 MHz higher clock + Hyper Threading that is worth another up to 20% performance in games).

 

[biffzinker]

The 4790K is supposed to do a minimum of 4.4GHz because it's own turbo stock can do it, when less than 4 cores are used. I'd say you had bad luck. I'm not gonna change my opinion because of singular users that had bad luck.

And people who are saying i5 4670K = i7 4790K in performance with a highend GPU of 980 Ti or greater, are just wrong btw. the i7 4790K has a higher clock and HT, that sets it easily apart from the i5 4670K. It's a fact and I have proof for that aswell.

My bad, I forgot I was trying for 4.4 GHz over all cores with the third party cooler - CoolerMaster 212+.

the i7 4790K has a higher clock and HT

Plus the extra 2 MB of L3 cache.

 

[peche]

@Horemheb why not adding a Closed water AIO to your system, enjoy better temps and also try better clocks when OC'ng, the 4790K its a beast, great chip, also if you upgrade may notice a boost (have seen people going from i3's to i7's and noticing 0.00% performance boost, but not all people give the same attention to the same details... results may vary according the user...) also in several things i7's are quite great, for example unlocked i7 resale prices...



Regards,