Hardware Wanna buy a new CPU and would appreciate some advice.

[ILuvGames]

1. Are hyper-threaded CPU's worth the extra money ?

2. I have seen some people advising others against buying a Haswell CPU/motherboard because the technology is too new. Does that really hold true over any other piece of new technology ?

3. I can afford an i7-3770k, but am considering an i5-3570k or an i5-4670k as they are cheaper. Would I notice any real benefits spending the extra for the i7 over the i5 cpu ?

The reason I ask is I am hoping that PC games are gonna start utilizing more than one or two cores in the next year (or three) and that spending the extra for hyper-threading capability now will provide dividends later. I believe that hyper-threading is best used for things like video-editing that can take advantage of the extra threads but I do convert 'a lot' of videos to other formats and may get some benefit straight away.

 

[trumpet-205]

Get i7 then. Since you do a lot of video encoding you will make use of those HyperThread.

I think the only reason people are against Haswell is because small performance boost compared to Ivy Bridge. I'm using i7-3770K (not overclocked though) and I do video encoding periodically.

 

[grossaffe]

I don't think the hyperthreading will do much for you in gaming, because even if games go on to making use of 3 or 4 threads, the 4-core i5 still has that covered. However, as trumpet mentioned, you'll make good use of the hyperthreading from the video encoding, so if the time it takes to encode the video is important to you, go with the i7.

 

[ILuvGames]

I thank you both for your advice and the time you took to help me. I will take your advice to heart.

 

[Theconejo]

You should look into the programs you use to convert videos, I remember seeing a few that are limited to 2 cores and a few that don't really utilize hyper threading when running also. I built a new computer last year before ivy came out and got a great deal($180) on an i5-2500k. Now despite it being a few years past it hasn't stopped me from doing anything yet.

Also if you have a micro center around they usually have awesome deals on cpu's and mobo's. Save money and go for Ivy or even sandy if you can still find them.

 

[Niksy]

If you are doing video converting and have the $$ than get the i7. However, as Theconejo mentioned, check to see if the programs you convert with make use of the extra "virtual" cores.

Still, I'm running an i5-2500K and a GTX560Ti and can play any game I want on medium-high settings. For instance, I can run Batman Arkham Origins on max settings with DirectX 11 stuff and PhysX enabled. Of course, the game does not run at 60fps (at least I do not think it does, I haven't actually checked) but I do not notice any stuttering. Also, it is worth noting that I play on a 1440x900 monitor and not a 1980x1020 monitor so that helps with performance as well.

 

[trumpet-205]

Haswell does have the advantage of AVX2, which x264 does make use of in H.264 encoding. AVX2 brings about 5% performance boost.

And yes x264 does make use of however many threads available (up to 32 IIRC). For people doing video encoding they should be using program that use x264 anyway.

 

[ILuvGames]

Thanks once again.

I am gonna buy an i7-4770 without the unlocked multiplier to save a little cash. I'd rather spend the extra on a decent motherboard.

I use Xilisoft's video converter ultimate for aac/ac3 conversion and for anything I don't want to wait a long time for. That uses the cuda cores in my GPU (a gtx 770) and speeds up things considerably. I also use x264 based conversion tools like xvid4psp and x264 command line for custom stuff.

I've also gotta get a new motherboard. Am looking for something reliable for around £80-£120 (about 120-180 usd). Full ATX. Two-way SLI. 3+ 3/4 pin case fan headers. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ILuvGames]

Niksy, the 560ti was a great little card. Still got mine. My Core2 Quad 8400 is showing it's age more, though.

 

[trumpet-205]

tl

Latest Handbrake nightly build has Intel Quick Sync, which is a fast way to encode video without using CPU. I encourage you to give it a try. In my experience it has better encoding efficiency than CUDA and OpenCL.

If you are not going to overclock look at the price tag Xeon E3-1245V3 instead. Basically i7-4770 with ECC RAM support (you can still use non-ECC RAM). Xeon E3 can be cheaper than i7. If you don't care about Quick Sync 1240V3 or 1230V3 can be even cheaper.

Also, do you really need SLI?

 

[ILuvGames]

Thanks m8. Things are different (price-wise) in the uk. You would have thought that by dropping the on chip graphics on those Xeons (1245 excluded), they would be cheaper in the uk as they are in the us. No. The 4770 is £209, the Xeon 1245 is £219, the Xeon 1240 is £208.49 and the Xeon 1230 would be the only real money saver at £185 (but I will certainly consider the 1230).

Do I really need SLI ? No. Would I use SLI in the life of the motherboard (3+ years) ? Yes (funds permitting).

The MSI Z87-G45 Gaming seems nice for the money. Getting great reviews too.

Aah, handbrake. Tried it, but there were too many options for me. I only really convert fansubbed anime and scene rips which are more conformist in what codecs they use and don't need to be edited like home movies. I only use the Xilisoft (cuda enhanced) software because I spent money on it and it's quick and easy to use for some things.

 

[Amber Lamps]

core i7 for the fucking win. I have one. But why an i7 ivy bridge when a new chip came out that is slightly faster for about the same price? ah well an i7 is an i7... any of them are fast as hell. that is, until AMD starts unveiling some kick ass stuff one of these years. for now intel is the show.

I have i7 3770k. And I came to find out that the non-K version is more for virtualization. I would be more keen on the non K for non gaming, and the K for gaming. However the i5 variant is suppose to be probably just as fast in games since you are relying more on GPU anyway.

also I think you can get a titan now for 500 bucks or so.. rhediculous. but also there's new amd/ati stuff out.. I have 3770k, 16gb ram (specifically found the best ram to buy at the time and it was dirt cheap anyway, ran me about 20 bucks total cos my friend donated me one stick), and I got ssd drives, and 4gb 670 gtx video card which I took out. I don't game any more so I just dev on that box.... it's an ass rockin' PC either way. and I stuck it all in an old enlight case that my workplace let me grab.

 

[ILuvGames]

Ah, Amber Lamps. I think you mis-understood my posts. I was looking at a 3rd gen i7 but changed my mind to the possibility of getting a Haswell I7-4770. Thanatos Telos is making some suggestions to me (that may help lessen my budget), by questioning me as to whether I need or want certain features or not.

As far as GPU prices are concerned, it seems like NVidia are trying to get a price jump on their higher end cards over AMD's newly revised range.

Personally, I'm gutted. Buy a GTX 770 less than a month ago and watch the price drop 20%.

 

[Originality]

The graphics card industry is a cutthroat business. They're always trying to undercut and overtake each other.

Before you make your final decision on CPU/mobo, double check the sockets. Z87 is not compatible with IvyBridge.

 

[ILuvGames]

Thanks Originality, I will. Seeing as I am doing a PC maintenance course I can save some money by doing the upgrade myself. I already have some experience taking them apart and rebuilding them so it will be as easy as pie.

 

[Kirito-kun]

AMD FX 8350

 

[Theconejo]

In regards to nvidia cards, was there a big leap from the 600 series to the 700. My 570 I bought right after the 600's came out is great still, although I haven't tried any of the graphic heavy games people benchmark by.

The point of my previous point is that new models to hardware these days don't seem to have such a huge leap in power and doesn't always justify the premium. If the high end 600 is cheaper yet performs on, or close to, the 700 wouldn't you just get the 600 and use the extra money in something else. Maybe that's just how I go about thing when building computers. Prices go down to fast to really justify having the latest and greatest.

 

[ILuvGames]

Thanks Kirito-kun, I appreciate the advice. Although AMD CPU's are great value for money overall, it's the lower TDP and faster video encoding speeds that swing it for me.

 

[trumpet-205]

AMD FX 8350

I'd only recommend FX processor for video encoding if you are doing 2-pass encoding (average bitrate/ABR). ABR is used when you want a predictable file size, at the expense of video quality. If you care about video quality you would do CRF or QP encoding (both of them are 1-pass encoding) instead.

It is only 2-pass encoding that FX-83xx will come close to the speed of i7. Otherwise it is around i5 level, but overall i5 is better due to better gaming performance and lower TDP.

 

[Kirito-kun]

I'd only recommend FX processor for video encoding if you are doing 2-pass x264 (average bitrate/ABR). ABR is used when you want a predictable file size, at the expense of video quality.

It is only 2-pass x264 that FX-83xx will come close to the speed of i7. Otherwise it is around i5 level, but overall i5 is better due to better gaming performance and lower TDP.

FX 8350 is better for next-gen PC games as the next-gen consoles also have 8-core x86 AMD processors. Since devs often make games for consoles first and port to PC, a similar CPU will help a lot.