Processor architecture

[namarino]

Hey guys, I have a couple of quick question for you. First, how do you determine what the architecture codename is for intel processors? I'm a little confused because originally I thought that the architecture was updated every generation. So the 3rd gen was devils canyon, 4th was haswell, not sure about 5th, and 6th was Skylake. But I've come to realize that that is not the case at all. Secondly, I'm thinking of building a new machine in a couple of years here and I was thinking about what processor I'm going to be using. How much better is the 6700k than the 4790k? Is the 4790k starting to show its age or is it still among the best for gaming? And are those extra threads useful for games that are coded on more than 4 threads? Sorry for the loaded questions...thanks!!!

[The Cool n00B]

Hey guys, I have a couple of quick question for you. First, how do you determine what the architecture codename is for intel processors? I'm a little confused because originally I thought that the architecture was updated every generation. So the 3rd gen was devils canyon, 4th was haswell, not sure about 5th, and 6th was Skylake. But I've come to realize that that is not the case at all. Secondly, I'm thinking of building a new machine in a couple of years here and I was thinking about what processor I'm going to be using. How much better is the 6700k than the 4790k? Is the 4790k starting to show its age or is it still among the best for gaming? And are those extra threads useful for games that are coded on more than 4 threads? Sorry for the loaded questions...thanks!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_CPU_microarchitectures

 

EDIT: Broadwell was 5th, 4th was haswell and the devil's canyon refresh, 3rd was Haswell

[PlayStation 2]

1st gen - before sandy

2nd gen - sandy

3rd gen - ivy

4th gen - haswell/haswell refresh/devil's canyon

5th gen - broadwell

6th gen - skylake

[Glenwing]

You can see ark.intel.com to check a specific CPU's architecture, but it does change with every generation. There is only one thing that's off, which is socket LGA 2011 CPUs; the numbers are 1 off, so CPUs like the 3930K and 3960X are based on the same architecture family as 2000-series CPUs on the mainstream platform, 4930K and 4960X are related to 3000 series mainstream chips, etc.

 

xxx = Nehalem / Westmere

2xxx = Sandy Bridge

3xxx = Ivy Bridge / Sandy Bridge-E

4xxx = Haswell / Ivy Bridge-E

5xxx = Broadwell / Haswell-E

6xxx = Skylake