new cpu help

[PsychoRealm]

His desktop doesn't sound like it's outdated, he has a 6970

GPU has nothing to do with how outdated OP's PC is. You can stick 6970 in 5yo motherboard with the same success as in brand new motherboard - as long as it has PCIe slot.
However, if OP currently has, for instance, DDR SDRAM and new motherboard (which he will buy as a part of CPU upgrade) will support DDR2 only - that's when he will have to upgrade his RAM.

And for hyperthreading ability refer to OP quote.

It's not only about hyperthreading, it's also about overclocking. Besides, why not to buy CPU with hyperthreading if prices and performance are in the same range?

 

[idaeanat]

It's not only about hyperthreading, it's also about overclocking. Besides, why not to buy CPU with hyperthreading if prices and performance are in the same range?

The 4670k draws less power and produces less heat than the 2600k, not to mention it's 2 years newer. (speaking of outdated)

 

[mohawkg2]

GPU has nothing to do with how outdated OP's PC is. You can stick 6970 in 5yo motherboard with the same success as in brand new motherboard - as long as it has PCIe slot.
However, if OP currently has, for instance, DDR SDRAM and new motherboard (which he will buy as a part of CPU upgrade) will support DDR2 only - that's when he will have to upgrade his RAM.

It's not only about hyperthreading, it's also about overclocking. Besides, why not to buy CPU with hyperthreading if prices and performance are in the same range?

Does the i7 have some kind of built in application to help overclock or is it that the i5 can't be overclocked?

 

[idaeanat]

Does the i7 have some kind of built in application to help overclock or is it that the i5 can't be overclocked?

Any intel cpu with a K at the end can be overclocked through a motherboard's bios

 

[PsychoRealm]

The 4670k draws less power and produces less heat than the 2600k, not to mention it's 2 years newer. (speaking of outdated)

Savings on Haswell's power consumption are greatly overrated. Also, it can only benefit PC owner if it's used on laptop (helps to increase battery life insignificantly) - there is no value of power savings on desktops. In regards to it being newer: I have two GPU cards: GTX460 (bought in 2010) and GTX 650i (bought in 2013). GTX460 still beats the shit out of GTX650i. Newer does not necessarily means better. I'm not saying that Haswell is not good - I'm just saying that there is no simple "it's newer, so it's better" statement.

Does the i7 have some kind of built in application to help overclock or is it that the i5 can't be overclocked?

It's not about software that is used for overclocking, it's about capacity CPU has for overclocking. i7-2600k has much more room for overclocking than i5-3570K.

8gb of ram

OP, type dxdiag in your "Run" command and post a screenshot over here. It should look something like that:

 

[PsychoRealm]

Summing it up for OP: there is no definitive answer as to what CPU you should upgrade to. The major criterias here are your needs, purposes you're gonna use this CPU for and your budget. Consider all points that were expressed by me and Angad and make your own decision.

One more important thing to consider though in addition to what has been said above: Purchasing CPU is not usually a short-time investment considering expensiveness of CPU itself (not like GPU, RAM, or mouse) and expensiveness of the process of upgrading your CPU (usually, along with CPU you have to upgrade MB at the minimum). Think about how you're gonna use your new CPU in a long term... What I mean is, now, for instance, you are using it for gaming only (which means, single-threading should be enough as Augud frankly pointed out); however, if in one year you fall, for instance, into graphic design hyper-threading will be a must. You're gonna what, buy new CPU (and along with it MB and other stuff ending up in $300-$400)? I have been having old ass i7-950 for 3 years now and I'm pretty happy with it and not planning on changing it. It was more than enough for gaming only. I could've bought i5, but I considered the possibility that I'll be working from home often and bought this CPU...

So, in two words - think long term.