Intel Core i5 4670K Quad Core Retail CPU

The best high end gaming CPU for the money

Posted by Liam Foot on June 07, 2014 Reviews

This review is for people considering this CPU for their gaming PC.

The i5-4670k is an amazing piece of hardware. I've been trying to build a gaming PC to handle my favourite games, but it's taken me three attempts to get it right.

I decided to purchase this, along with the Gigabyte Z97X-SLI motherboard, and it's a great combo. My previous CPU was an AMD FX-8320, which was incapable of keeping BF4 running stable, and would constantly fluctuate between 22 and 45FPS - a very annoying experience. With this i5, I have managed to not only maintain a minimum frame rate above 60FPS, but I have also increased some of the settings, to the point where I am almost on full ultra.

I have achieved this with a Gigabyte HD7870 OC graphics card, which is the same GPU I used with the FX-8320.
My performance on PlanetSide 2 also increased significantly, and Watch Dogs, which would turn into a slideshow when driving, became completely playable.

Then I decided to overclock. I didn't change any voltages, and I am using a Noctua NH-D14 to keep my CPU temperatures under control. I went up to 4GHz before I started to have throttling problems due to high temperatures - but an i5-4670k at 4GHz is an absolute beast.

I can post benchmarks all day, but here's the bottom line: If you want to play high end games, like Battlefield 4, PlanetSide 2, Watch Dogs and Arma, and you want them to run well, consistently, you REQUIRE an Intel CPU.

I've had a couple of AMD CPUs now, and for the price, they aren't bad, but - none of them can compete with an i5 in gaming performance. If you want the smoothest gaming experience possible, get a good i5, such as this.

NOTES on i5 vs i7: Comparing this to the i7-4770k, if you are looking for gaming performance, the i7 will give you no advantage. Hyperthreading sometimes gives an extra 1FPS, and sometimes it gives you 1 less. Hyperthreading doesn't really work in games, and I can't recommend an i7 for gaming when this i5 will give you equal performance. If you are looking for more than gaming performance, then hyperthreading can help you out. In gaming, hyperthreading does nothing - and that is the only real difference between i5 and i7.

NOTES ON OVERCLOCKING: The 'k' at the end of the model number means that the CPU is 'unlocked'. This means it can be overclocked. So the i5-4670 cannot be overclocked, but the i5-4670k can. Considering the minimal price difference, go for this unlocked version in case you decide to overclock.

In summary - The best high end gaming CPU for the money = i5-4670k. No CPU will give you better gaming performance. You can buy an i7, but you will see no benefit in GAMING.

This review is also available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RWUCGBRQZ02RL/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

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