# Is it worth upgrading i7 4790 now?



## Ibotibo01 (Jan 30, 2020)

I have i7 4790 with H81M-P33 and 16GB 1600MHZ Hyperx DDR3 RAM. GPU is RTX 2060. I think I should wait DDR5's arrival but in my country, R5 3500X is $150. I would buy R5 3500X, Asrock A320M-HDRV4(it is support Ryzen 3000 series) and 16GB 3200MHZ Dual Channel DDR4 RAM.
I want to sell i7 4790 for best price and best upgrading. What should i do?


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## Fry178 (Jan 30, 2020)

wait if you can. not so much for ddr5, but new amd cpu.chips coming, so prices will drop and you could get a 3600X/3700 and a x570 board.

to run 3xxx series cpu on 3/400 chip, you need to flash bios BEFORE installing the cpu,
so unless you have a 1xxx/2xxx series cpu, only the "big" boards allow for flashing without cpu.

edit: why upgrade anyway? if its about gaming, crank up game/driver settings towards quality, this will put more load on the gpu (less cpu).


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## R0H1T (Jan 30, 2020)

If you can get the 3600(non X) at a decent price, that would be a massive upgrade. Also DDR5 is a long way away, no point waiting for it. The earliest (consumer) designs using DDR5 are at least 1.5 yrs from now, you can wait for Zen3 though if you want more bang for buck or more performance.


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## Melvis (Jan 30, 2020)

Are you happy with what your current systems performance?


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## Calmmo (Jan 30, 2020)

an oc'ed 4790k should be good for little bit more. I would describe the 3500x as a poor choice however. I doubt that 6 thread CPU will last you 7 years.
Anyway your budget seems very limited but i would say wait for 4000 ryzen, then pick up on the cheap a 3600 or 3700x. Stay away from that mobo chipset, get at least a semi-decent b450, they are already cheap but with b550 probably out by the time 4000 series is out b450 should be even cheaper than it is currently (all this should still be in 2020).
Or.. dunno as long youre running that 2060 well enough on that cpu... maybe just wait till you want to upgrade that?


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## cucker tarlson (Jan 30, 2020)

Ibotibo01 said:


> I would buy R5 3500X, Asrock A320M-HDRV4(it is support Ryzen 3000 series) and 16GB 3200MHZ Dual Channel DDR4 RAM.


not worth it.
the cpu is barely an upgrade over 4790
the board will barely handle any cpu upgrade in the future

either get a 3600 and b450 or nothing


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## Countryside (Jan 30, 2020)

Ram isn't something you should base your waiting time on, if you do want to wait then maybe for B550.
Ryzen 3600 would be a better pick, you can get them under 200$ these days


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## cucker tarlson (Jan 30, 2020)

best advice given by Fry178
wait for ryzen 3000 price drops,ryzens usually tend to lose a lot of value over time,been that way with 1000/2000.when ryzen 4000 launches and intel puts their core/thread count on par with ryzen,3600 should cost half what it costs now.you may even find 3700x cost less than 3600 now. pair it with a b450 at least to have an upgrade option.


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## WatEagle (Jan 30, 2020)

As @Melvis said it depends (for me) if you are happy atm with the performance you get. If they're still good you can surely wait new launches by amd or intel and then upgrade to a previous generation than the new one, or if you can afford or want to have it at day one you can go with new launches.
If you are not happy now and you need it, you can go with a b450 board (a decent one, 100+$/Euros to have the possibility to upgrade in the future, especially MSI or AsRock) and put in here a Ryzen 5 3600 or even a 1600AF (mostly same performance of the 2600) and you're good to go.


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## Bill_Bright (Jan 30, 2020)

If there is not an immediate need to buy now, there is, and always will be something around the corner worth waiting for. 

Going with a DDR5 platform will be much more than a simple upgrade. It will basically be a totally new computer as DDR5 will require a new motherboard, and almost certainly a new CPU to support it. And, of course, a new motherboard constitutes a new computer (in terms of software licensing) so you will likely need a new OS license too. So that's a major investment from the start. 

Will your current power supply support the new CPU? Will your current graphics card bottleneck that DDR5 and new CPU, or will you need a new graphics solution too? And then will your current PSU support all that?

I say, if you don't "need" a new computer now, wait and see what becomes available "around the corner" and what then appears just around the next corner. And in the meantime, look at what you can do to increase performance of your current system - perhaps migrate to SSDs?


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## dgianstefani (Jan 30, 2020)

Waiting for DDR5 is like waiting for electric cars that make sense. 
You'll be waiting for a while.


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## dirtyferret (Jan 30, 2020)

OC i7-4790 to Ryzen 3500x is close to a lateral move.  I would hold off if your desktop is still giving you the performance you want.


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## windwhirl (Jan 30, 2020)

If you're not in a hurry and can wait around two years, wait for DDR5. When the time comes, you will be able to choose between diving into DDR5 systems (like Zen 4 or whatever Intel has available at the time) or maybe buy DDR4 systems at somewhat lower prices. 

Otherwise, either buy whatever is available today (lots of advice already thrown around here) or wait just for this year's launches (like Zen 3, for example).


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## S4BRE (Jan 30, 2020)

The Ryzen chips are great for sure, but that Asrock A320M-HDRV4 board is just not worth it at all. I would just wait and save up for a more substantial upgrade, perhaps when Zen 3 or whatever Intel has down the line is in the market that will last you for a long time.


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## Ibotibo01 (Feb 3, 2020)

I OC'ed to 4.5GHZ but temperature reached 80C for 100% usage(normally 60C). Now, i am using it with 4 GHZ all cores.  it is 4% more powerful than normal without warming(60C).


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## cucker tarlson (Feb 3, 2020)

Ibotibo01 said:


> I OC'ed to 4.5GHZ but temperature reached 80C for 100% usage(normally 60C). Now, i am using it with 4 GHZ all cores.  it is 4% more powerful than normal without warming(60C).


Try 4.4 with lower voltage
What are you using for testing temps and stability?


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## ratirt (Feb 3, 2020)

I'd wait. I got 2700X and I'm waiting for the new AMD CPUs.


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## Liquid Cool (Feb 3, 2020)

I can't speak for anyone else...but if I owned your system I wouldn't even consider an upgrade.  That is...if your storage drive is of adequate size?  You didn't mention this.  IF it was smaller than 500GB's...I'd probably upgrade only that part if it was my system.

Other than this...I'd just be happy with what I have and passively put aside some cash for a future build.  I usually wait until I see something that comes along that just feels right as an upgrade and that is what I did with my build.  I waited three years....with patience.

I could not be happier with my system.... It's not the fastest...but for me, it is absolutely perfect AND my Ryzen 5 2600/RX 580 combo is probably no faster than yours...it's probably slower.

R5 2600 Vs. i7-4790K

Are you giving that 4790 enough credit?  Familiarity breeds...well, you know.

Best Regards,

Liquid Cool


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## Super XP (Feb 3, 2020)

In all honesty,  ZEN2 is a superior CPU tech and would offer a strong upgrade,  that said if you are willing to wait for 2020, ZEN3 is just around the corner,  and will provide a considerable boost in efficiency and performance. That's what I'm doing,  waiting for ZEN3.  

Also you would want a R7 3700X and/or R7 3800X as an upgrade path for your setup.



			UserBenchmark: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i7-4790K


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## EarthDog (Feb 3, 2020)

If you are ready to buy now.. buy. THere is nothing coming up that quickly (a few months) worth waiting for, really.


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## Zach_01 (Feb 3, 2020)

Ibotibo01 said:


> I have i7 4790 with H81M-P33 and 16GB 1600MHZ Hyperx DDR3 RAM. GPU is RTX 2060. I think I should wait DDR5's arrival but in my country, R5 3500X is $150. I would buy R5 3500X, Asrock A320M-HDRV4(it is support Ryzen 3000 series) and 16GB 3200MHZ Dual Channel DDR4 RAM.
> I want to sell i7 4790 for best price and best upgrading. What should i do?


From i7 4790 to R5 3500X is a not an upgrade but just a side replace (from single core to all core threads) to a new platform. I would wait, not for DDR5 imperatively (that could be at least 2years more), but for anything new that would actually make sense. Even R5 3600/X wont give you all that much of a noticable performance, in gaming or any other low/middle work load. Only if you use full/max threaded apps.

If you are on to 1080/1440p gaming the i7 4790+RTX2060 should not have any significant issue running current games. I would wait another year.


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## ppn (Feb 3, 2020)

My plan is to keep the DDR3 16GB and upgrade to haswell Xeon 1650V3 6C/12T $99 and $59 socket 2011 CN Mobo. Probably a bad idea but wth.
Oh well on second inspection 2011-3 needs DDR4.
$150 for 6core seems expensive, and DDR4 is inflating at the moment $75, not sure how high it can go.
Before DDR5 we have to go through socket 1200, then refresh/shrink on the same socket. 2,5+ years and be subjected to the stutter here and there.


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## Ibotibo01 (Feb 3, 2020)

cucker tarlson said:


> Try 4.4 with lower voltage
> What are you using for testing temps and stability?


Motherboard is using auto voltage because it is entry level motherboard. It OC'ed to itself to auto GHZ but if i use 4GHZ for processor base frequency, it is getting boost to 4.44GHz. I can't change coltage.
For 3.9 GHz base frequency, boost is 4.21GHz.
For 3.8 GHz base frequency, boost is 3.99GHz.
For 3.6 GHz base frequency, boost is 3.99GHz but all cores averages are 3.8GHZ.

For 4.44GHz(Boost), i don't think it is stable due to the fact that in games, audio is not responding sometimes.
For 4.21GHz(Boost), i didn't use enough for reflecting but it reaches 78C.
For 3.99GHz(base is 3.8Ghz), it is working well and it only reaches 60C
For base is 3.6GHZ, it have worked well already.

I tested with Far Cry 5(1080p Ultra), results are:
4.44GHz is getting 93 FPS(NOT ALL CORES).
3.99 GHz all cores is getting 90 FPS.
Normal profile is getting 88FPS.

For me, I am thinking 3.99GHz all cores for stability and temperature.

What should i do?



Liquid Cool said:


> I can't speak for anyone else...but if I owned your system I wouldn't even consider an upgrade.  That is...if your storage drive is of adequate size?  You didn't mention this.  IF it was smaller than 500GB's...I'd probably upgrade only that part if it was my system.
> 
> Other than this...I'd just be happy with what I have and passively put aside some cash for a future build.  I usually wait until I see something that comes along that just feels right as an upgrade and that is what I did with my build.  I waited three years....with patience.
> 
> ...



Firstly, thanks for all replies in this thread. I think you are right.

I don't know my how i am thinking actually. Occasionally, i am thinking DDR3 systems are getting ages and change the sell price. Sometimes, i7 4790 is nice for me but BF5's FPS are really bad. I'm getting 75-80FPS in ultra with drops. If i choose play with Ray Tracing, CPU usage is 100% and it is dropping in 30FPS. Even, GTX 1660S is getting 50-60FPS.
Nevertheless, I think that i will sell CPU when DDR5 releases. Well, my thought is changing with prices.


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## XL-R8R (Feb 3, 2020)

ppn said:


> My plan is to keep the DDR3 16GB and upgrade to haswell Xeon *1650V3 6C/12T *$99
> 
> and $59 *socket 2011 CN Mobo*. Probably a _bad idea_ but wth.
> 
> ...


Depending on what CPU you currently have, you'll see less gaming performance overall.

A cheap S2011 Chinese eBay special will be based on the H61 chipset (B75 at best!) and offer limited functionality (search Google for info) versus the real S2011 boards you can buy for 2-3x as much - this is indeed a bad idea.

No, not really.

Where? (click)


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## Fry178 (Feb 3, 2020)

a water cooled gpu will probably be a good idea, at least on the long run
i ran a 2080 hybrid but had to swap it out (hw issues) and the air cooled 2080S (almost same pcb/power setup),
drops below the 2080, even when heavily tweaked, not even talking about ~100 more cores and +800 MHz more on vram (out of the box).


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## Ibotibo01 (Feb 4, 2020)

I downloaded new BIOS and i set to stock 4.0GHZ. Temperature is really good now, like 58C with no issues and i got %7.5 better performance.


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## Super XP (Feb 4, 2020)

Ibotibo01 said:


> I downloaded new BIOS and i set to stock 4.0GHZ. Temperature is really good now, like 58C with no issues and i got %7.5 better performance.


Run some benchmarks and test out some demanding games to ensure your setup is stable.


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## 27MaD (Feb 4, 2020)

it's pretty much up to you imo.


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## Zach_01 (Feb 4, 2020)

Ibotibo01 said:


> For 4.44GHz(Boost), i don't think it is stable due to the fact that in games, audio is not responding sometimes.
> For 4.21GHz(Boost), i didn't use enough for reflecting but it reaches 78C.
> For 3.99GHz(base is 3.8Ghz), it is working well and it only reaches 60C
> For base is 3.6GHZ, it have worked well already.
> ...


Based on your temps and gains in performance I would say, to not push it too much. It does not worth it.



Ibotibo01 said:


> I don't know my how i am thinking actually. Occasionally, i am thinking DDR3 systems are getting ages and change the sell price. Sometimes, i7 4790 is nice for me but BF5's FPS are really bad. I'm getting 75-80FPS in ultra with drops. If i choose play with Ray Tracing, CPU usage is 100% and it is dropping in 30FPS. Even, GTX 1660S is getting 50-60FPS.
> Nevertheless, I think that i will sell CPU when DDR5 releases. Well, my thought is changing with prices.


I cant consider 75~80FPS with ultra settings in BF5 is bad... and RayTracing is very demanding right now and only 2080/Ti can sustain high frames with it ON.
Relatively (in all games), the 2060(non S) is ~20% faster than a 1660S (in 1080p), so thats about right...


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## Kissamies (Feb 4, 2020)

dirtyferret said:


> OC i7-4790 to Ryzen 3500x is close to a lateral move.  I would hold off if your desktop is still giving you the performance you want.


i7-4790 non-K and OC isn't gonna happen. Also if that board supports OC, the VRM isn't going to be enough.

I'd grab a 3500X or a 3600 with a decent B450 board.


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## EarthDog (Feb 4, 2020)

Chloe Price said:


> i7-4790 non-K and OC isn't gonna happen. Also if that board supports OC, the VRM isn't going to be enough.


It will be plenty to 'OC' to all cores running boost clock.


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## lexluthermiester (Feb 4, 2020)

Ibotibo01 said:


> I have i7 4790 with H81M-P33 and 16GB 1600MHZ Hyperx DDR3 RAM. GPU is RTX 2060. I think I should wait DDR5's arrival but in my country, R5 3500X is $150. I would buy R5 3500X, Asrock A320M-HDRV4(it is support Ryzen 3000 series) and 16GB 3200MHZ Dual Channel DDR4 RAM.
> I want to sell i7 4790 for best price and best upgrading. What should i do?


Since I didn't see anyone ask this, what are you using it for? Gaming, other tasks?


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## Bill_Bright (Feb 4, 2020)

It was asked in the very first reply by Fry178.


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## Kissamies (Feb 4, 2020)

EarthDog said:


> It will be plenty to 'OC' to all cores running boost clock.


I wouldnt do even that with a board looking like this


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## Ibotibo01 (Feb 4, 2020)

Super XP said:


> Run some benchmarks and test out some demanding games to ensure your setup is stable.


In BF5 and Far Cry 5, it is stable. CPU-Z's one core score is between 425-430 and multi is between 2100-2170.


lexluthermiester said:


> Since I didn't see anyone ask this, what are you using it for? Gaming, other tasks?


Maybe, i can use CAD but i am using it generally for games.


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## EarthDog (Feb 4, 2020)

Chloe Price said:


> I wouldnt do even that with a board looking like this
> 
> View attachment 144017


lol, I would.


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## oxrufiioxo (Feb 4, 2020)

With your budget probably not. The 3500X will likely not have enough legs to justify a whole platform upgrade. Also save up for a better motherboard and hopefully by the time Ryzen 4000s drops you can afford a much more substantial upgrade.


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## Zach_01 (Feb 4, 2020)

oxrufiioxo said:


> With your budget probably not. The 3500X will likely not have enough legs to justify a whole platform upgrade. Also save up for a better motherboard and hopefully by the time Ryzen 4000s drops you can afford a much more substantial upgrade.


This^^ ...and its not that your current system is a crippled one. Its doing just fine for the years on its back and you dont have any issue running any game... Just wait for the end of 2020 and you will make an upgrade that make way more sense and that would be more of all, with the same budget. Plus you can save for more.


Ibotibo01 said:


> In BF5 and Far Cry 5, it is stable. CPU-Z's one core score is between 425-430 and multi is between 2100-2170.
> 
> Maybe, i can use CAD but i am using it generally for games.


To give you perspective the R5 3600 (6Core/12T) in CPU-Z scores 500+ for single and around 4000 for multi. R5 3500 (6Core/6T) is a little lower for single and a lot lower for multi. For gaming going from 430 to 490~500 it will not make any significant difference.


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## lexluthermiester (Feb 4, 2020)

Bill_Bright said:


> It was asked in the very first reply by Fry178.


I missed that edit..



Ibotibo01 said:


> Maybe, i can use CAD but i am using it generally for games.


If Gaming is your primary use, that CPU will be fine a for a year or two more, especially with that GPU. If you want more performance in gaming, upgrading to a 2080 would be of much more use to you.


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## ShrimpBrime (Feb 4, 2020)

Chloe Price said:


> I wouldnt do even that with a board looking like this



I would for sure. In fact I'd be running LN2 voltages on stock air and break the crap out of it to have an excuse to upgrade. 
"Oh Wifey!!! I just blew up the PC, I need 2500 dollars babe.....*evil laugh in back of head as clicks purchase on a New build"

Oh additional comment/opinion

I'm gonna wait on the DDR5 thing and let it mature for probably a good year. Let everyone else be guinea piggies


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## Super XP (Feb 4, 2020)

You can always stick to what you have, save a little more money, then do an upgrade when AMD releases its ZEN3 processors and RDNA2 graphics cards. Then you can make an informed decision on what to get, which would reflect a true upgrade from what you are using right now.


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## Kissamies (Feb 5, 2020)

Super XP said:


> You can always stick to what you have, save a little more money, then do an upgrade when AMD releases its ZEN3 processors and RDNA2 graphics cards. Then you can make an informed decision on what to get, which would reflect a true upgrade from what you are using right now.


Waiting isn't a bad thing IMO for once, personally I'm going to skip the 3000 series myself since the 4000 series should come this year.


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## Super XP (Feb 5, 2020)

Chloe Price said:


> Waiting isn't a bad thing IMO for once, personally I'm going to skip the 3000 series myself since the 4000 series should come this year.


That's what I am planning too. Seems to make sense as my 1700X is more than enough for now. Though the upgrade itch is getting stronger after AMD's said ZEN3 is launching in 2020 lol


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## dgianstefani (Feb 5, 2020)

Remember the first DDR4 sticks didn't go much above 2933mhz, unless you were willing to pay ridiculous prices. 

Nowadays you get 3600 kits cheap.

The first DDR5 will have looser timings and a lower mhz cap than the DDR5 on the market after 6 months or so. 

Plus, with super fast storage like Optane or PCIe Gen. 4 980 pro etc. Superfast ram is nice, but less of a bottleneck than raw GPU or CPU speed.


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## Kissamies (Feb 5, 2020)

dgianstefani said:


> Remember the first DDR4 sticks didn't go much above 2933mhz, unless you were willing to pay ridiculous prices.
> 
> Nowadays you get 3600 kits cheap.
> 
> ...


My 2400 sticks won't go even 2666 on AMD, with X99 that was the absolute maximum. AFAIK these are the first DDR4s released since it's a quad channel kit which I got free from an interwebz buddy.


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