I have a pretty decent system in terms of CPU/Mobo/RAM:

 

i7 4790K

Asus Maximus Hero VII

16GB G.skill Trident X 2400 DDR3

 

I'm thinking about upgrading an older machine, which has an older Phenom processor, and getting another Intel system.

 

Looking for knowledgable folks that might be able to explain just what improvements the newer processors have over my 4790K, in two specific areas:

 

- Simming (FSX/P3D/X-Plane)

- Gaming in general

 

Reason is because as I look at newer models, I don't see exactly why they would be a better option than just getting another of the ones I have.... Newer processors with lower base frequency (like 3.5Ghz or even 3Ghz), same 4 cores, or more cores less frequency, or a bit more cache but less speed, etc.

 

I know probably the architecture may be different and that's the part I don't know (and would love if someone could explain) , but at first glance they don't seem better and at the same time are more expensive, as well as the associated components are also more expensive.

 

Thanks!!

Newer processors also have better IPC (instructions per clock cycle) than the older ones. A Skylake chip clocked at 4.5 GHz will outperform my Sandy Bridge chip at the same frequency.

 

Skylake also has a feature called inverse hyperthreading, which will combine the power of all cores into one core to boost performance. This is useful for older single threaded games and apps, but not very useful for FSX or P3D which are already multi-threaded.

I've got my 6700K @ 4.7 and it gave me 40% increase in FPS over my 2500K @ 4.8. Those 2 CPU's are years apart though so I don't know if you'd see much of a difference coming from the 4790K seeing as its still a badass CPU.

The newer Skylake platform makes a lot of sense, and it's not just performance. There are loads of advantages to Skylake. On-board M.2, U.2, USB 3.1, NFC, faster and higher density RAM, second generation T-Toplolgy for better signal transfer... and others.

 

Skylake also has a feature called inverse hyperthreading, which will combine the power of all cores into one core to boost performance.

 

Last I heard was that was a myth! Has that been confirmed officially? Wasn't it just a rumour prior to release?

Each Intel processor generation is about 10% faster than the predecessor in FSX (for most other games, the increase is far lower, maximum 5% I guess). The 40% increase you see in the example of Ron (Skylake is the third generation after Sandybridge) is most probably a combination of the new processor architecture (30%) and the faster RAM plus the fact, that he went from a i5 to an i7 (remaining 10%). In your case, do not expect more than those 10% when switching from a 4790K to a 6700K, as it is a i7 to i7 replacement and you already use very fast DDR3 RAM.

 

But as you did not ask for a replacement of your 4790K, the only thing I can say: I would, if you buy new, anyway go for the Skylake generation. It does not make sense to buy a Haswell CPU with DDR3 RAM, unless you find a special offer resulting in a big money-saving.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

now, do all these wonderful sounding features that are great on paper actually translate to real world performance on games?  Or are we currently at a point were they don't really add much, being the bottleneck is the graphics?  What about FSX in particular?  Has anyone "upgraded" a 4790K to one of the newer CPUs?

 

Just thinking that if you don't gain anything in performance for games, there's no point in spending more money (as the new platform as a whole is more expensive) and rather just get a Hasswell/Z97/DDR3 which will perform the same with a good 970/980 card.... 

Each Intel processor generation is about 10% faster than the predecessor in FSX (for most other games, the increase is far lower, maximum 5% I guess). The 40% increase you see in the example of Ron (Skylake is the third generation after Sandybridge) is most probably a combination of the new processor architecture (30%) and the faster RAM plus the fact, that he went from a i5 to an i7 (remaining 10%). In your case, do not expect more than those 10% when switching from a 4790K to a 6700K, as it is a i7 to i7 replacement and you already use very fast DDR3 RAM.

 

But as you did not ask for a replacement of your 4790K, the only thing I can say: I would, if you buy new, anyway go for the Skylake generation. It does not make sense to buy a Haswell CPU with DDR3 RAM, unless you find a special offer resulting in a big money-saving.

 

 

Hmm.. well right off the bat I see the difference between a 6700K w/mobo and a 4790K w/mobo is about $100... plus whatever diference in price RAM has also.

 

Is it worth it?  What about the fact that the 6700K's base clock is 3.5Ghz compared to the 4790K's 4.0Ghz???

As far as I know, the difference between DDR3 RAM and DDR4 RAM is not that big. And honestly, $100 for a system that costs more than $1000 in total, is not that much, it is more or less exactly around this 10% you will also gain in performance. And btw: the 6700K runs also with a base clock of 4.0GHz, only the turbo is slightly lower (4.2GHz) compared to the one of the 4790K (4.4GHz).

Last I heard was that was a myth! Has that been confirmed officially? Wasn't it just a rumour prior to release?

 

On further searching, it was a rumor.

As far as I know, the difference between DDR3 RAM and DDR4 RAM is not that big. And honestly, $100 for a system that costs more than $1000 in total, is not that much, it is more or less exactly around this 10% you will also gain in performance. And btw: the 6700K runs also with a base clock of 4.0GHz, only the turbo is slightly lower (4.2GHz) compared to the one of the 4790K (4.4GHz).

 

Yes, you are right. I was looking in Microcenter who have pretty decent prices for CPUs, but on their main CPU page where they showcase them, they had it listed as a 3.5Ghz base clock:

 

http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx

 

When you go the product page and the specs, it actually does show it as 4Ghz.