I7 4790 compared to Xeon E3 1270 v3 with 3070 (upgraded from i3 4 generation)
I7 4790 compared to Xeon E3 1270 v3 with 3070 (upgraded from i3 4 generation)
You're considering a 3070 model. If that's unavailable, the 1270 V3 remains a viable choice, provided your board can handle it.
It's essentially an i7-4770 without the integrated graphics. The i7-4790 runs at 100MHz faster, though the impact is probably minimal. Neither model suits the RTX 3070 well.
Six from the same type, half a dozen from another. The differences aren't significant. Choose the more affordable option. Currently, it seems to be the Xeon. https://www.ebay.com/itm/285091718636
I've been using an E3 1280V3 for three years now. It's clear it was a significant improvement over the i5 4440 I owned before, but it lags behind even a first-generation Ryzen 5. The 4c8t parts handle 1080p at 60 frames per second well. For 1440p or higher frame rates, you'll need something more recent. In rendering, performance improves by roughly 80-90%, though upgrading from an E3 1280V3 to a Ryzen 9 3900XT gave a 450% increase. I highly recommend moving to a Ryzen 3000 or newer model.
Truly, the price gap between options is usually just a small difference. Be aware that Xeon may not be compatible with your current BIOS—consider upgrading. I don’t think there’s much point in giving up on the 3070; keep the GPU. Make the most of your Haswell chip and plan for better performance later when you can afford additional RAM, memory, or a faster CPU. Anything above Gen 4/5 will likely need new RAM too. You might also need a cooler depending on your existing setup.