This configuration supports gaming at 1080p with a smooth 60Hz refresh rate.
This configuration supports gaming at 1080p with a smooth 60Hz refresh rate.
Consider your needs and budget before deciding on an i7 processor.
Reject the suggestion to switch to a different processor. The i5 should suffice for both everyday tasks and workstation use. Performance limits aren't as significant as the person implied, and hyperthreading typically doesn't offer much advantage.
Looking ahead I’d also think about improving your monitor to 1080p at 144Hz or 1440p. You could keep your current screen as a secondary display for browsing or watching videos while your main game runs. This setup offers smooth gaming if you choose the right model. PCPartPicker provides a list of parts and pricing details for monitors, including the Asus VG248QE at 144Hz for $249.99 on Amazon, with all costs covered by shipping, taxes, and available discounts. Created by PCPartPicker on June 27, 2015 at 17:36 EDT.
I've experienced full utilization across all four cores in games such as GTA 5, BF4, and Witcher 3. This leads to stuttering and microstuttering issues. The recommended specs seem to hinge on an i7 processor. Your suggestions keep pointing to i5, but many users report similar problems and attribute them to developers' optimization shortcomings. Check the frame rates and FPS in Novigrad for Witcher 3 here: https://youtu.be/Rutk9ErhKG4?t=1m21s
The performance gap between the i5 and i7 in that clip was minimal. For half the price, the i5 offers excellent value. This comparison focused on a limited part of the game. Of course, cities will likely impose higher taxes on your CPU, but most of the action happens outside those zones. As mentioned earlier, the i5 still handled itself reasonably well. Also, once DX12 becomes common, CPU limitations will become even less important. For future context, the Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 provides better overall value compared to the i7 if you don’t intend to overclock.
No difference? The difference is 13 fps, and no microstuttering. In GTA 5 you're in the city most of the time. DX12 reduces CPU overhead and enables multiple cores to talk to the GPU. But if you're already hitting 100% on all cores DX12 is not going to improve performance. There's stuff CPU needs to process per frame, and if non-rendering cores are hitting 100% with DX11, there's no room for improvement. Making draw calls will be less expensive, but the CPU will not be able to process everything else. And since other cores (other than the rendering one) hit 100%, they can't afford to talk to the GPU anyway. So no increase in performance in those situations. It's 6-core and 8-core CPUs that will benefit the most from DX12. 4 core CPUs will benefit only when the sole bottleneck is draw calls.
I made some changes to my earlier post. Perhaps in certain games the 8-core CPU paired with 980 will work better, but I’m ready to wager that more often the 980 and a 4-core CPU will beat it. Core i7 4790K - 65.0/84.4 Core i5 4690K - 52.0/79.2 Those were the outcomes from that brief two-minute test, which was a worst-case situation. A noticeable 13 fps gap in minimum frames, and 5.2 fps difference in average frames. Just guessing, it seems the i7 and i5 had frame times around 15 to 20 ms. Sadly, the data didn’t include that detail. It doesn’t seem like the i5 frame times increased enough to cause visible stuttering, and they stayed low throughout. I think you’re mistaken about DX12. According to ExtremeTech, it cuts down a lot of CPU workload, as they explain: “Newer graphics libraries let developers run graphics code directly on the GPU instead of through the CPU. Once it made sense to use the CPU, but now it’s seen as unnecessary overhead.” This means less CPU usage and more speed. DX12 won’t make much impact if your CPU isn’t the limiting factor at all. http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/187970...-tech-demo
They're discussing the underlying processes, noting that everything ultimately relies on the CPU. It functions as the central hub of a computer, directing the GPU on what to display. The presented slides from AMD clearly illustrate the differences between DX12 and 11.