aaron886 Posted December 31, 2013 Posted December 31, 2013 Tech gurus of ED forums... I need some advice. I just purchased an i7 4770k, but as I wait for it to arrive I'm wondering if it was an inefficient choice. I am primarily looking for blazing fast performance in DCS and good performance in media applications. In terms of media applications, I have only really seen problems with gigantic Photoshop files (~200mb, hundreds of layers) with my previous processor: an AMD Phenom x4 965. I do occasionally render videos, but my primary media uses are in 3ds Max and Photoshop. I've heard that the i5 4760k performs just as well in gaming applications, but I'm not entirely sure how the two compare in DCS World. I imagine the i7 has little or no advantage in this relatively old engine. Are there any signs that the i7's primary advantage, its 8 threads, may be useful for gaming purposes in the future? I'm now realizing that the price difference between the i7 and i5 is enough to pick up a small SSD, something I don't yet have. Will have: i7 4770k on an ASUS Z87-A board 8GB DDR3 1600 (9-9-9-24) (I've read that 2400 is preferable for Haswell) GIGABYTE GTX760 4GB (I've read that a 760 or 780 would work better with the i7) 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1000w Antec TruePower Quattro (Haswell-safe, apparently) Can I at least be consoled by happy i7 users? :D
Graphic Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 (edited) Be calm, you made the right choice. As you i was in the same position a few weeks ago, but decided to take the i7 4770k. For rendering (doesn't matter what, 3D or video or photoshop) it just has more power than the i5 - see for yourself: http://www.hardwareluxx.com/index.php/reviews/hardware/cpu/26405-haswell-test-intel-core-i7-4770k-and-i5-4670k.html?start=11 WITHOUT the professional work (rendering etc.) it's a different story. In that case the i5 would have more bang for the buck, and would perform quiet well like the i7 with overclocking. But that's it. I would consider the i5 only if i have to build a pc ONLY for gaming. As you described your situation - it's nothing you need... ;) 2400 RAM is sometimes better in case of overclocking (a bit more durable due to the fact that it is build for it), without it you could stick with 1600 RAM and save a few bucks. The 'speed' difference isn't there, except you are an overclocking nerd looking for the single frame more... As RAM is pretty cheap at the moment, i would buy 16 GB. I have the 770 with 4GB. Good choice on the vRam - youn can never have enough, especially with multi monitor setups! The Baracuda is good. But instead of the 1000W i would save some money, buy a 500 to 550 PSU and invest the rest in an 128 or 256 GB SSD. SSD's are a must have today, and are the BIGGEST time saver! SSD = OS, programs, Games HDD1 = Copy of files for editing, Cache (Photoshop) HDD2 = Output renderings, recording files for editing Don't be fooled by the GPU watts masseges, what nvidia tries to sell you. A normal System like you have with ONE! HDD, One good GPU and an overclocked CPU has no problems with 550W PSU. A good rule of thumb is to use above 800 W for SLI/Crossfire. Overything below will have good performance with 550 W. You only have to watch out for a good quality PSU. Nothing hurts more than frying your fresh system with a cheap PSU. Edited January 1, 2014 by Graphic A bit more infos depending the system... [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
aaron886 Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 Excellent response, thank you! I'm feeling vindicated now. :D Good tip on the RAM, I'll take a look around for some more. SSD is definitely my next upgrade though. I do already have the 1000 watt PSU so unless you were suggesting lower wattage for the sake of my utilities bill, I'll just stick with it. Reliable piece of hardware... It's been going strong since 08. I do have an 850w sitting around, might use that instead.
EtherealN Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Pretty much entirely agreed with the previous speaker, though with one modifier: I "choose" my PSU wattage based on expected components, you typically want twice the capacity you will be using (since they're the most efficient there - meaning less incoming electricity gets lost as heat). This is however a purely economics consideration - it's about keeping an eye on your electricity bill. As far as the performance, totally agreed. And of course, depending on the electricity prices where you live and how much the computer gets used at "full draw", it might actually get more expensive to buy a "bigger" PSU than just accept the energy loss. Here in sweden energy is fairly expensive (we have a big tax on it, and then we pay VAT on the total INCLUDING the tax - so yeah, we pay tax on the tax we paid... go figure! :D ) so it is probably less relevant to you than to me. 1000W PSU would depend on it's rating. If you give me the exact model name I can check it out. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Daniel "EtherealN" Agorander | Даниэль "эфирныйн" Агорандер Intel i7 2600K @ 4.4GHz, ASUS Sabertooth P67, 8GB Corsair Vengeance @ 1600MHz, ASUS GTX 560Ti DirectCU II 1GB, Samsung 830series 512GB SSD, Corsair AX850w, two BENQ screens and TM HOTAS Warthog DCS: A-10C Warthog FAQ | DCS: P-51D FAQ | Remember to read the Forum Rules | | | Life of a Game Tester
EtherealN Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 I'll add a clarification: The rating on the PSU's aren't what they always draw, it's their maximum. (Or, well, maximum where the manufacturer guarantees that they'll do it right and not burn etc. :P ) So having a 300W draw on a 1000W PSU doesn't mean you are paying a kWh for each hour your computer is on. (Most likely the total draw will be somewhere around 330W or 360W, with the extra lost as heat during conversion. This will however vary depending on what you are doing; during "facebook load" it'll probably sit way lower - like 100W - while during "rendering time" it'll peak up to that 300-450 region.) Ratings are typically for what they GIVE, so a 1000W PSU can theoretically draw something like 1100W to 1200W from the grid if fully utilized, but a computer that manages THAT is rare. :P [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Daniel "EtherealN" Agorander | Даниэль "эфирныйн" Агорандер Intel i7 2600K @ 4.4GHz, ASUS Sabertooth P67, 8GB Corsair Vengeance @ 1600MHz, ASUS GTX 560Ti DirectCU II 1GB, Samsung 830series 512GB SSD, Corsair AX850w, two BENQ screens and TM HOTAS Warthog DCS: A-10C Warthog FAQ | DCS: P-51D FAQ | Remember to read the Forum Rules | | | Life of a Game Tester
danilop Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Haswell i5 is all what's needed for games really. i7 is the next step (beyond gaming) and hyperthreading is great for media editing, so your choice is sound. Regarding RAM - although 8GB is plenty for gaming (and DCS), if you do a lot in Photoshop or 3DS Max 32GB RAM is not overkill. 16GB would be minimum to consider for serious photo editing / CAD PC. Get at least extra two HDDs (beside system SSD) for scratch disk and output render. The most important information in PSU specification is basically who made it. If the maker is reputable, say Seasonic, Enermax or similar, wattage and specs actually do mean something, could be relied upon and accurately represent what you are going to get. If you work with apps that support GPU acceleration (and both PS and 3Ds Max do), get the GPU with most CUDA cores you can afford.
Graphic Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Ok, i didn't know you already had the 1000W PSU, idk it's ok to use it. And i totally agree with EtherealN. Some solid infos about PSU usage... [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]
Night Posted January 3, 2014 Posted January 3, 2014 The SSD would have made a much, much larger impact than an i5 to an i7 would have made. As far as DCS goes, the i7 offers maybe a 5% improvement. But an SSD would offer a vastly larger improvement. Then again, if you use it for hyper threaded media applications like Photoshop, the i7 would offer a much larger benefit than the i5. But even in this case the SSD would probably have helped out much more. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Nvidia GTX Titan Pascal - i7 6700K - 960 Pro 512GB NVMe SSD - 32GB DDR4 Corsair - Corsair PSU - Saitek x52 Pro - Custom FreeTrack IR Setup - iControl for DCS
aaron886 Posted January 4, 2014 Author Posted January 4, 2014 Hey guys, thanks for the replies. Just got it up and running... wow, this is incredibly fast. It's chewing up everything I throw at it, so no I'm not the least bit disappointed. :D An SSD will be next for sure.
cichlidfan Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Gotta love the first day on a new upgrade!! Have fun! :thumbup: ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero, i7-6700K, Noctua NH-D14 Cooler, Crucial 32GB DDR4 2133, Samsung 950 Pro NVMe 256GB, Samsung EVO 250GB & 500GB SSD, 2TB Caviar Black, Zotac GTX 1080 AMP! Extreme 8GB, Corsair HX1000i, Phillips BDM4065UC 40" 4k monitor, VX2258 TouchScreen, TIR 5 w/ProClip, TM Warthog, VKB Gladiator Pro, Saitek X56, et. al., MFG Crosswind Pedals #1199, VolairSim Pit, Rift CV1 :thumbup:
EtherealN Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Gotta love the first day on a new upgrade!! Have fun! :thumbup: Agreed. I've been drooling for a new computer for a while, but sadly I still can't quite justify buying something new when what I have still has this annoying habit of just working. :( But the minute I start having real performance issues in any game I play, oh man I'll look forward to that "new computer smell". :D [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Daniel "EtherealN" Agorander | Даниэль "эфирныйн" Агорандер Intel i7 2600K @ 4.4GHz, ASUS Sabertooth P67, 8GB Corsair Vengeance @ 1600MHz, ASUS GTX 560Ti DirectCU II 1GB, Samsung 830series 512GB SSD, Corsair AX850w, two BENQ screens and TM HOTAS Warthog DCS: A-10C Warthog FAQ | DCS: P-51D FAQ | Remember to read the Forum Rules | | | Life of a Game Tester
cichlidfan Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 Agreed. I've been drooling for a new computer for a while, but sadly I still can't quite justify buying something new when what I have still has this annoying habit of just working. :( But the minute I start having real performance issues in any game I play, oh man I'll look forward to that "new computer smell". :D That 'new hardware' urge is tough to beat sometimes. The last time I was overcome, I ended up with a Synology NAS. :D ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero, i7-6700K, Noctua NH-D14 Cooler, Crucial 32GB DDR4 2133, Samsung 950 Pro NVMe 256GB, Samsung EVO 250GB & 500GB SSD, 2TB Caviar Black, Zotac GTX 1080 AMP! Extreme 8GB, Corsair HX1000i, Phillips BDM4065UC 40" 4k monitor, VX2258 TouchScreen, TIR 5 w/ProClip, TM Warthog, VKB Gladiator Pro, Saitek X56, et. al., MFG Crosswind Pedals #1199, VolairSim Pit, Rift CV1 :thumbup:
danilop Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) Gotta love the first day on a new upgrade!! Have fun! :thumbup: Except when things go south :crash: My day one recently went reasonably well (knock on wood), without major hiccups, apart from usual tweaking to force new hardware / drivers / software / technology to cooperate in the new build. It was great to fire up DCS for the first time on the brand new rig. :pilotfly: Moment to remember. Edited January 4, 2014 by danilop
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