Intel Core i5-4670K vs 3570K vs 2500K Gaming-Performance
Category : 2013
Published by Marc Büchel on 15.11.13
When scrolling through the comments regarding our CPU gaming performance articles, quite a few of you guys were asking if for once, we could compare not only two but three generations. Today we're giving this a shot but it turned out that especially the conclusion was quite a bit tougher than when comparing two CPUs. Nevertheless we're hoping this article is also going to be an interesting read. We believe that quite a few gamer out there might be interested in seeing Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge and Haswell quad core parts without hyper threading in a gaming performance article.
[pagebreak]
Test Setup
Hardware
|
Mainboard |
- ASUS Maximus V Gene
- ASUS Maximus VI Gene
|
| CPUs |
- Intel Core i5-4670K @ Stock (Turbo On)
- Intel Core i5-4670K @ 4.5 GHz (Turbo Off)
- Intel Core i5-3570K @ Stock (Turbo On)
- Intel Core i5-3570K @ 4.5 GHz (Turbo Off)
- Intel Core i5-2500K @ Stock (Turbo On)
- Intel Core i5-2500K @ 4.5 GHz (Turbo Off)
|
|
Memory |
- 2x4GB RipjawZ 2400C11 @ CL9-9-9-24-1T-Auto DDR3-1600 MHz
|
|
Graphic Cards (Driver) |
- ASUS Radeon HD 7970 Matrix @ 1'100
MHz / 1'650 MHz
|
| Drivers |
|
| Games and OS |
- Windows 7 x64 (Up to date
on the 25/07/2013
- All
games were up to date on the 25/07/2013)
|
|
HDD |
- OCZ Technology Octane 512 GB SSD
|
PSU
|
- Seasonic Platinum SS-1000XP / 1000 Watts
|
[pagebreak]
3DMark - Fire Strike
| Overall Score |
Points |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
7173 |
103.97 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
7095 |
102.84 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
7094 |
102.83 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
6974 |
101.09 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
7011 |
101.62 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
6899 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| GPU Score |
Points |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
8267 |
100.71 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
8271 |
100.76 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
8227 |
100.22 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
8261 |
100.63 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
8270 |
100.74 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
8209 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Unigine Heaven 4.0 Extreme Preset
| Basic Preset |
Points |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
4284 |
104.26 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
4280 |
104.16 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
4236 |
103.09 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
4230 |
102.94 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
4235 |
103.07 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
4109 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| Extreme Preset |
Points |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
1204 |
101.60 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
1204 |
101.60 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
1197 |
101.01 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
1192 |
100.59 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
1198 |
101.10 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
1185 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
BattleField 3
| 1280 x 1024, low
details |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
197.4 |
106.93 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
200.0 |
108.34 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
199.6 |
108.13 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
194.2 |
105.20 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
189.4 |
102.60 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
184.6 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| 1920 x 1080, max
details, max AA, max AF |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
81.6 |
99.51 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
80.8 |
98.54 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
81.0 |
98.78 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
81.2 |
99.02 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
81.6 |
99.51 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
82.0 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Bioshock Infinite - Benchmark
| 1280 x 720, low details |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
260.16 |
122.84 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
253.02 |
119.47 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
237.78 |
112.28 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
240.16 |
113.40 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
229.91 |
108.56 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
211.78 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| 1920 x 1080, max
details, max AA, max AF |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
166.37 |
102.88 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
166.26 |
102.81 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
163.37 |
101.02 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
165.79 |
102.52 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
165.91 |
102.59 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
161.72 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Crysis 3
| 1280 x 1024, low
details |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
88.6 |
127.67 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
82.4 |
118.73 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
78.4 |
112.97 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
77.2 |
111.24 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
71.8 |
103.46 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
69.4 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| 1920 x 1080, max
details, max AA, max AF |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
21.4 |
102.88 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
22.0 |
105.77 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
21.8 |
104.81 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
21.6 |
103.85 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
22.0 |
105.77 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
20.8 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Call of Duty Black Ops 2
| 1280 x 1024, low
details |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
336.4 |
118.89 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
378.8 |
119.65 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
356.8 |
112.70 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
334.4 |
105.62 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
360.4 |
113.83 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
316.6 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| 1920 x 1080, max
details, max AA, max AF |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
93.4 |
101.30 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
92.6 |
100.43 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
92.4 |
100.22 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
92.8 |
100.65 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
93.4 |
101.30 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
92.2 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Far Cry 3
| 1280 x 1024, low
details |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
216.2 |
128.54 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
214.8 |
127.71 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
194.8 |
115.81 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
190.8 |
113.44 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
192.8 |
114.63 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
168.2 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| 1920 x 1080, max
details, max AA, max AF |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
32.8 |
103.80 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
32.6 |
103.16 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
31.6 |
100.00 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
32.2 |
101.90 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
31.8 |
100.63 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
31.6 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Sleeping Dogs - Benchmark
| 1280 x 1024, low
details |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
220.3 |
125.60 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
221.1 |
126.05 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
198.3 |
113.06 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
196.5 |
112.03 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
190.9 |
108.84 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
175.4 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| 1920 x 1080, max
details, max AA, max AF |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
54.3 |
100.93 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
54.2 |
100.74 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
53.7 |
99.81 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
54.3 |
100.93 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
54.3 |
100.93 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
53.8 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
| 1280 x 720, low details |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
265.0 |
125.35 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
291.8 |
138.03 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
253.6 |
119.96 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
222.6 |
105.30 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
256.6 |
121.35 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
211.4 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| 1920 x 1080, max
details, max AA, max AF |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
114.8 |
112.55 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
114.8 |
112.55 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
114.4 |
112.16 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
108.4 |
106.27 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
114.6 |
112.35 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
102.0 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Metro: Last Light - Benchmark
| 1280 x 1024, low
details |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
117.70 |
118.07 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
118.87 |
119.24 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
113.23 |
113.58 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
111.44 |
111.79 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
108.99 |
109.33 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
99.69 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| 1920 x 1080, max
details, max AA, max AF |
fps |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
40.26 |
100.78 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
40.18 |
100.58 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
40.17 |
100.55 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
40.34 |
100.98 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
40.64 |
101.73 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
39.95 |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Power Consumption
| load (wPrime 1024M,
peak during first minute) |
Watt |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
156 |
130.00 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
133 |
110.83 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
130 |
108.33 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
106 |
88.33 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
107 |
89.17 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
120 |
100.00 % |
| |
less is better |
| peak (LinX, peak during
first run) |
Watt |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
176 |
130.37 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
151 |
111.85 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
154 |
114.07 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
128 |
94.81 % |
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
116 |
85.93 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
135 |
100.00 % |
| |
less is better |
[pagebreak]
Performance Index Games and
Price
| Low |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
121.74 % |
|
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
122.15 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
113.56 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
109.75 % |
|
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
110.33 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| High |
Index |
| Intel Core i5-4670K 4.5G |
103.08 % |
|
| Intel Core i5-3570K 4.5G |
103.07 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K 4.5G |
102.17 % |
| Intel Core i5-4670K Stock |
102.01 % |
|
| Intel Core i5-3570K Stock |
103.10 % |
| Intel Core i5-2500K Stock |
100.00 % |
| |
More is better |
| CPU |
Geizhals |
Toppreise |
| Intel Core i5-4670K |
 |
 |
| Intel Core i5-3570K |
 |
 |
| Intel Core i5-2500K |
 |
 |
[pagebreak]
Conclusion
In the past few months we have
published a lot of these CPU gaming performance articles. So far we've always
compared two models with one another to give direct advice if an upgrade would
be worth your money or not. Since quite a few readers have been asking to
compare Haswell, Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge in one article, well here it is.
This following conclusion will shed even more light on the fact, that the CPU
really isn't the most important component in your system regarding gaming
performance, especially when you already own a decent quad core part like the
2500K.
Especially when the graphics card is the bottleneck in your setup,
performance differences are virtually inexistent and when even overclocking all
CPUs to a whopping 4.5 GHz doesn't change anything on these results, then it can
be considered as proven, that the CPU is really not crucial in a gaming setup.
As long as a graphics card, when dealing with high resolutions, can account
quickly for a 20 to 50 percent performance bump at high-resolutions, then the
single digit change you get by swapping CPUs doesn't matter at all. If you only
use your computer for gaming, then buying always the latest CPU is a waste of
money. Apparently when reducing resolutions drastically, or in other words
opening the bottleneck of the VGA, then you clearly see that there have actually
been improvements made. Never the less it was rather interesting to see, that it
isn't the 4670K, which, at stock clocks and even overclocked, isn't the quickest
out of the three CPUs we tested. It's actually the 3570K which is able to
outperform the 2500K by almost 10.5 percent and the 4670K by a mere 0.6 percent.
The entire story, or recommending an upgrade, gets even tougher and weirder
when considering the power consumption. At stock clocks the Core i5-4670K is the
most efficient CPU. Equipped with this CPU our test system pulls 106 Watt out of
the wall, followed by the Core i5-3570K with 107 Watt and then there comes the
Core i5-2500K with 120 Watt. This is the case, when we run wPrime, but when we
put maximum load on the CPU using LinX the ranking looks like the following:
the Core i5-3570K is in the lead with 116 Watt, then there is the Core i5-4760K
with 128 Watt and at last there comes the i5-2500K with 135 Watt. And it's like
that hasn't been confusing enough, when considering power consumption when the
CPUs are overclocked, then the Core i5-2500K is becoming more efficient. So
overall if we consider power consumption of all CPUs at stock frequencies as
well as overclocked to 4.5 GHz, the Core i5-3570K seems like the overall
smartest choice, since it's a bit faster than the 2500K and it draws quite a bit
less power than the 4670K.
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