Helpful ReplyHow much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7?

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LJB
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2016/06/22 13:58:31 (permalink)

How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7?

Hi guys, I have been using my trusty Intel i7 2600 for about 6 years. It's a real steamroller with 24GB DDR3 RAM and I have made many many albums with it  - it it the core of my business and it pays my bills.
 
I had it in for a new power supply a few days ago and was surprised when the PC shop quoted me a lot less than I would have thought to do an i7 of the latest flavour with 16GB Corsair/Kingston DDR4 on the board.

It's seriously tempting from a fun point of view but my only justifiable reason to upgrade would be to save production time somewhere.
 
So, can anyone shed any light on what I could expect from an upgrade like that?
Bounce Time
Stability
Any other performance benefits?

Ludwig Bouwer, One Big Room Studios.
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with all the trimmings / Win 10Pro 64 / Intel i7-7700 / Asus Prime Z270k / 16GB DDR4 / RME HDSP9652 / RME UFX / Black Lion Audio ADA8000 / ART MPA & ART Pro Channel / Focusrite Voicemaster Pro / Aphex 107

Check out my work at www.onebigroom.co.za

#1
RSMCGUITAR
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Re: How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7? 2016/06/22 16:15:52 (permalink)
Pretty sure you're going to need a new motherboard (which you would want, to take advantage of the new chipset)

This seems like an alright primer:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2951810/components-processors/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-intels-new-6th-gen-skylake-cpu.html 
#2
LJB
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Re: How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7? 2016/06/23 04:17:31 (permalink)
Thanks, I am aware of that. I was just wondering about the potential performance gain :O)

Ludwig Bouwer, One Big Room Studios.
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Cakewalk
with all the trimmings / Win 10Pro 64 / Intel i7-7700 / Asus Prime Z270k / 16GB DDR4 / RME HDSP9652 / RME UFX / Black Lion Audio ADA8000 / ART MPA & ART Pro Channel / Focusrite Voicemaster Pro / Aphex 107

Check out my work at www.onebigroom.co.za

#3
Dave76
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Re: How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7? 2016/06/23 09:31:48 (permalink)
Assuming we are comparing an i7-2600 (no special code) to an i7-6700 (no special code), the 6700 is a little faster but not by any life changing amount:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/426/Intel_Core_i7_i7-2600_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-6700.html
 
DDR4 RAM is likewise a little faster than DDR3 but also not by a life changing amount.  
 
Let's say you have a task that is pure CPU/memory processing that takes 10 minutes on your 2600.  On the 6700, it might take 7-8 minutes.  Probably not going to make a huge difference in your day to day life.  
 
Throw in the fact that you'd be losing 8 GB of RAM on this and I'd probably skip it.
#4
Starise
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Re: How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7? 2016/06/23 09:53:41 (permalink)
If this is your only computer and if it were me I would look at a replacement. Not for the reason to gain performance,more to have a back up machine if your main business computer fails. Being 6 years old is starting to get to the place where bad things can happen. Of course bad things can happen anytime, but the potential is greater.
 
You would get a slightly faster computer as a side benefit. If your old computer is working ok, then performance isn't a good reason to upgrade. 

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#5
Jim Roseberry
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Re: How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7? 2016/06/23 10:09:58 (permalink)
FWIW, There would be lots of small benefits to having a current generation machine.  
The sum of which adds up to a significant upgrade... 
  • It will be able to run more DSP.  Not by a major factor but still beneficial
  • If you want to run Win10, it runs best with current generation hardware.
  • If you plan on running the latest software, it works best with current generation hardware.
  • Intel USB-3, USB-3.1, Thunderbolt-3, etc. (depending on the motherboard).
  • Faster Boot-up
  • More Intel SATA-III ports (depending on the motherboard).  This helps when running SSDs.

Best Regards,

Jim Roseberry
jim@studiocat.com
www.studiocat.com
#6
AllanH
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Re: How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7? 2016/06/24 16:52:25 (permalink)
I always check the raw performance numbers of the CPUs. Here's a very good site:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
Other relevant factors are sizes of caches, types of memory, speed of memory, etc. Newer chips are also much better at sleeping, turning on turbo, keeping the pipelines full etc.
 
I would not put any more money into a second generation i7, and instead go for a current 6th gen
 
EDIT: I meant to also say that the chipsets improved as well, so your SATA interface, USB 3 vs USB 2, makes it easy to move on.

Sonar Platinum, EWHO/D, Spitfire, Miroslav, Pianoteq, ....,  Kurzweil.
#7
LJB
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Re: How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7? 2016/06/26 08:59:44 (permalink)
Thanks guys, valuable input indeed. L
 

Ludwig Bouwer, One Big Room Studios.
--------------------
Cakewalk
with all the trimmings / Win 10Pro 64 / Intel i7-7700 / Asus Prime Z270k / 16GB DDR4 / RME HDSP9652 / RME UFX / Black Lion Audio ADA8000 / ART MPA & ART Pro Channel / Focusrite Voicemaster Pro / Aphex 107

Check out my work at www.onebigroom.co.za

#8
tomixornot
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Re: How much faster is a Gen 6 i7 compared to a Gen 2 i7? 2016/06/27 05:04:06 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby Starise 2016/06/28 08:56:08

Albert


i7 2600K @ 3.40GHz / MB Intel DP67BG / 16GB Ram
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i7 6700K @ 4.00GHz / MB Asrock Z170 / 16GB Ram
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Audio interface : Roland Quad Capture
 
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