>>13917818
>have old pc hardware that still works
>playing new games is good enough
I don't see what's the problem?
PCSX2 and Dolphin work best with intels. Most emulators don't use multicore, with the exception being RPCS3. Why are you asking here? Nothing's stopping you from testing out MGS3 and Metroid Prime. If you have no problems with your build, why do you need to ask the question? Do you just feel the need to waste money?
And, as Moore's Law has proven time and time again, if you wait a few years, you can get something even better for cheaper.
>>13918551
>I don't agree with someone therefore he's wrong
Single core performance has plateaued in the past few years, and most i5s will perform better than an E8600. I'm going to assume you're lying to yourself unless you show us some proof.
And single core performance doesn't mean much in game engine development, and I say that as a developer. All the new engines use multicore, and more games are making use of multicore since both ps4 and xbone have 8 core CPUs. If you insist on playing new games, you should get something better than 2 cores.
On a general basis (not games specifically), an algorithm with a long execution time is going to finish only slightly faster when using a faster processor. It's basic math; having the algorithm execute on two threads will divide the execution time in half, and more threads even further. A 2-core CPU with good single-threading will perform worse than a 4-core CPU with worse single-threading, as long as the program uses multithreading. While old games don't use multithreading, they do now, and if that's what you care about, then forget about single-core.
I also find it funny how you say in >>13918336 that you'll upgrade to Ryzen, despite the fact that every Ryzen CPU has shit single-core in comparison to the i5 7600k you specifically mentioned, pic related. AMD is shit for single-core and is most useful for adults who do real work with their computers.
>>13918705
Too expensive to justify the diminishing returns. Input lag is the real bottleneck, anyways, so you're better off getting one of those CRT monitors