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I need educating on processors

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:47 pm
by dbt1949
I'm thinking of a new PC. I know how much ram I want and video cards but the different processors confuse me.
I see anywhere from 1.8 to 3.8+GHZ. I7 and I5. And of course AMD.
Is 1.8 half of 3.6? I figure there's more to it than that.

Thanks!

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 1:54 pm
by Isgrimnur

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:08 am
by Kasey Chang
Super short version:

Intel side:

Core series, as you know, have i3, i5, i7, and now, i9 series. They are now on 9th gen, ex: i7-9700.

Suffix K = overclock capable (unlocked clock) Suffix F = no onboard "Intel" graphics in the CPU (it's in the CPU rather than the mainboard chipset now) Suffix X = server (I think, more cores)

Core series CPUs have a "normal speed" and "boost speed". Boost speed automatically engages when needed. And MOST Core CPUs have hyperthreading (but not all) which means each actual core can execute 2 threads.

i7-9700K = 9th gen i7, 8 core, no hyperthreading, 3.6GHz base, 4.9GHz boost.

i7-8700K = 8th gen i7, 8 core, hyperthreading, 3.7 base, 4.7 boost

For gaming, *most* games cannot use more than 2 cores, so having more cores doesn't always help. Obviously new game engines will use more CPUs, but most tend to stress the GPU than the CPU.

Don't know much about the AMD side.

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:57 am
by Zenn7
Kasey Chang wrote: Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:08 am i7-9700K = 9th gen i7, 8 core, no hyperthreading, 3.6GHz base, 4.9GHz boost.

i7-8700K = 8th gen i7, 8 core, hyperthreading, 3.7 base, 4.7 boost
Based on that, the 9th gen is not as good as the 8th gen?

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:58 am
by Blackhawk
Gah, why do they have to put it all in code?

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2018 1:30 am
by Kasey Chang
Zenn7 wrote: Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:57 am
Kasey Chang wrote: Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:08 am i7-9700K = 9th gen i7, 8 core, no hyperthreading, 3.6GHz base, 4.9GHz boost.

i7-8700K = 8th gen i7, 8 core, hyperthreading, 3.7 base, 4.7 boost
Based on that, the 9th gen is not as good as the 8th gen?
According to Userbench, 9th gen is actually 10% faster in benchmarks than 8th gen

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:24 am
by Biyobi
Zenn7 wrote: Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:57 am
Kasey Chang wrote: Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:08 am i7-9700K = 9th gen i7, 8 core, no hyperthreading, 3.6GHz base, 4.9GHz boost.

i7-8700K = 8th gen i7, 8 core, hyperthreading, 3.7 base, 4.7 boost
Based on that, the 9th gen is not as good as the 8th gen?
The 8700k actually only has 6 cores plus hyperthreading. From the tests I’ve seen on Gamers Nexus, the 9700k has better gaming performance (the two extra physical cores plus architecture upgrades beat the 6 virtual cores provided by hyperthreading).

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 9:11 pm
by Victoria Raverna
Also not having or disabling hyper threading is probably a good idea if you worry about security.

Seem like they keep coming up of security flaw of hyper threading.

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:30 pm
by gameoverman
I'd approach this the opposite way. Instead of focusing on the CPUs, focus on what software/games you expect to run. Some things, like video editing, will use many cores and threads if you have them. Some games, like large multiplayer Battlefield games, will use more than 4 cores and threads if you have them.

Both Intel and AMD still sell new dual core CPUs. In the event that you don't anticipate running anything especially demanding, going with a dual core 4 thread CPU might allow you to budget more for something like an SSD or more ram, which might result in better overall performance.

Re: I need educating on processors

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 1:39 pm
by Cylus Maxii
Correction to notes above
- hyper-threading has dual pipelines so it is better able to keep the processor busy since it can tick-tock switching between them and waste less time idling for other things to catch up or waiting for data/instructions to load in the pipeline. Its like the split lanes for ordering at McD's drivethrough even though there is only a single set of windows for payment and pickup. It does not execute two threads at once on a single core.
- Intel Processors - the X designates Extreme - meaning higher binning (speed testing) and higher overall clock speed. They also tend to be on the high end of the generation's cores/thread count. Extreme processors also are unlocked like the K designation.

Threading and process optimization is a very (VERY) involved discussion. What you generally need to know is that that a modern OS has a lot of its own processes (threads) running and needs to keep up with all of them. So, more cores is always better. This would be exacerbated with the amount of things that you are simultaneously running on top of the OS like games, apps, background updaters, etc.. Modern programs/games are doing a better and better job of multi-threading themselves (meaning they don't just run a single thread and keep switching it up, they will make use of multiple cores if they are available). So your game performance will be largely improved by having more cores with less impact from hyper-threading. Generally speaking, I would take more cores before I would take hyper-threading, but I would definitely add hyper-threading if possible. The security concerns a really minor since they mostly theoretical and are very hard to exploit.

Don't worry too much about the turbo speeds vs. slower. The base speed is for power consumption and wear purposes. You will get the full speed if you have load that demands it. Modern CPU's will even moderate themselves by turning off/on cores as needed for the number of threads it needs to support.