Upgrade options...

[Frag_Maniac]

Current spec is in my chart.

Option 1

Intel i7-5820k - $390
ASRock X99 Extreme3 - $210
Adata XPG 1 2x8GB DDR4 2133 - $270

Total - $870

Option 2

Intel i5-4670k - $235
ASUS Sabertooth X97 Mark2 - $166
G. Skill Ripjaw 2x8GB DDR3 1866 - $167

Total - $568

Option 3

Same as option 2, but using my current 4x2GB HyperX DDR3 1600 (CAS is =)

Total - $401

I've been wanting to upgrade my platform for some time, but this CPU would also support my upcoming GPU upgrade better (possibly high end Maxwell), and the MB has a better audio chip with DTS encoding.

Any opinions pro or con on any of these options would be appreciated. I feel it's too soon to buy into DDR4 with the CAS so high, and it may be some time if ever before we see it available for budget platforms.

Oh, almost forgot. One plus of option 1 might be more future readiness for any possible hex threaded games, but the commonality of that seems far off. Of course it would encode game captures much faster too, but one of the biggest time hurdles of my video posting is slow upload speed.

Currently I can't do anything about my ISP speed limitation unless my apt building upgrades to FO, and even then I'm not sure ISP prices will be affordable for me at those speeds anytime soon. Moving is not an option currently either.

 

[eidairaman1]

I say go nuts, that current i7 you got is 1366 if im not mistaken or is it 1156?

 

[Frag_Maniac]

I say go nuts, that current i7 you got is 1366 if im not mistaken or is it 1156?

It's 1366, but what do you mean by "go nuts", best I can afford? I know a lot of people say that, but I'm a stickler for not going overkill, and I question with the current high latency how much speed improvement there really is with DDR4.

I might be better off doing what I was originally going to do and get it the same time I do the GPU upgrade, which was going to be when the high end Maxwells take a price drop, and that might not be till holiday season 2015.

 

[eidairaman1]

Id say jump to Haswell E and when card prices drop youll have a platform to handle them. I know we are on opposite sides when it comes to hardware but you held onto that 1366 platform for this long, id jump to 2011-3 and forget 1150. 2011-3 should have atleast 2 more cpu series and since ddr 4 is being pushed youll have headroom for that along with video cards. I mean heck later on you could drop a x series cpu in and itll keep up fine 3-4 gens down.

 

[andrewsmc]

^^ This

 

[Frag_Maniac]

OK, thanks for clarifying. To be honest my main issue with 2011-v3 is more the introductory pricing and high latency on the DDR4 RAM, than anything to do with the CPU. When you think about it, $390 is not bad for the 5820k, being as it's only $55 more than the 4770k and has six cores.

I'm just doubting six cores will be all that useful for gaming in the next 3 or even 5 years. What do you guys think on that? I mean just look at how long it took for quad threading to be common in games, and some that are play almost as well on a decent dual core.

That said, another option is waiting for LGA 1150's successor, which may very well support DDR4 too, and by then DDR 4 pricing and latency will likely improve. I see no sense if Intel were to make their enthusiast socket outlast the more volume selling budget socket.

Another scenario, and I never thought I'd say it, is get the GPU now, then the platform upgrade. The price on the 970 is pretty impressive, and I'm actually a bit worried it might go up in price and the binning quality down. I bought my 7970 late in the model cycle and it's only 61.5% ASIC quality. It won't OC on air worth a damn.

I'm not rushed just yet to do all this, as my current sys only has to be slightly compromised on settings in a few games, but I've also been looking at 4k TVs, not for 4k gaming but perhaps 2560x1440. There's some 40 inchers in the $1000 range, but I'm not sure they'll do 2560x1440 even if scaled by the GPU.

 

[eidairaman1]

I say skip 1150 altogether.

OK, thanks for clarifying. To be honest my main issue with 2011-v3 is more the introductory pricing and high latency on the DDR4 RAM, than anything to do with the CPU. When you think about it, $390 is not bad for the 5820k, being as it's only $55 more than the 4770k and has six cores.

I'm just doubting six cores will be all that useful for gaming in the next 3 or even 5 years. What do you guys think on that? I mean just look at how long it took for quad threading to be common in games, and some that are play almost as well on a decent dual core.

That said, another option is waiting for LGA 1150's successor, which may very well support DDR4 too, and by then DDR 4 pricing and latency will likely improve. I see no sense if Intel were to make their enthusiast socket outlast the more volume selling budget socket.

Another scenario, and I never thought I'd say it, is get the GPU now, then the platform upgrade. The price on the 970 is pretty impressive, and I'm actually a bit worried it might go up in price and the binning quality down. I bought my 7970 late in the model cycle and it's only 61.5% ASIC quality. It won't OC on air worth a damn.

I'm not rushed just yet to do all this, as my current sys only has to be slightly compromised on settings in a few games, but I've also been looking at 4k TVs, not for 4k gaming but perhaps 2560x1440. There's some 40 inchers in the $1000 range, but I'm not sure they'll do 2560x1440 even if scaled by the GPU.

 

[Outback Bronze]

I say if you've got the cash go option 1 matey

 

[Jetster]

Go with the 4790K and fastest memory unless you want o run three cards

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Go with the 4790K and fastest memory unless you want o run three cards

Thanks, totally forgot about the 4790k, and it's only $5 more than the 4770k with a much higher stock clock.

What do you think of the Sabertooth Z97 Mark2 MB btw? Only $165 and 336 hours of server grade testing, with a 5 yr warranty and defaults to an 1866 XMP RAM profile with no OC. Has nice chip cooling even without the Mark1 armor option too. Gigabyte's Black edition is also 5 yr warranty, and even has nice features such as gold plated vs plastic speaker jacks, but it costs over $25 more, has only half the testing time, and I don't use speaker jacks anymore anyway.

I found this combo that has the 4790k, Mark2, and HyperX 2x8GB 1600 for $606, which is about $58 off the regular prices, but I was thinking of going 1866 RAM if I get that MB, and the CAS on that HyperX is 10, was gonna go at least 9. Was thinking of maybe the G. Skil Ripjaw X for $167 for a 2x8GB 1866 kit @ CAS 9. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1801937

My goal is speed but also rock solid stability and reliability over 3-5 yrs use. I'm not opposed to OCing, and have done so before, but my current CPU and GPU don't OC well. There's always a few games that cause them problems. If somehow I were to get stuck with that scenario again (and you never know), at least the 4790k has a high stock clock, and the MB and RAM default to 1866 with XMP, which is usually pretty stable, esp with a decent quality RAM & MB.

I can't help but think with option 1 I'd be wasting a lot of money on hardware that isn't as focused on sheer gaming speed performance based on existing quad threaded games. I made that mistake with the triple channel X58 setup I now have, and have often regretted it. The 4790k on an 1150 would be like a compromise of budget and high end gear, allowing octo threading for encoding with HyperThreading on, yet efficient, fast quad use with it off, all in a fairly bang for buck package. Total even with current pricing on a 970 GPU it would come to around the $1000 limit I prefer to set. I could easily go $200 over that needlessly with the 2011-v3 setup.

I'm just going to have to keep an eye on stock levels of chips like the 4790k, so I'll still have that option before risking low bin quality or no stock left. Because I'd still really like to know what the next budget platform will be, when it will come, and what CPUs it will support. The nice thing about trh e4790k thoug his it released June this yr, a yr after the 4670k, so I probably have some time yet to make my decision.

 

[Jetster]

I have the Gigabyte Z97X Gaming G1 non black edition. Its a little cheaper and still rock solid board. Love this board

 

[Frag_Maniac]

I have the Gigabyte Z97X Gaming G1 non black edition. Its a little cheaper and still rock solid board. Love this board

Looks like a nice MB, but at $290, it's overkill for my needs, and about $100 more than even the Giga Black I was referring to. In some ways it also lacks what I prefer though (points 3, 6 & 7).

1. It has 2x16x Pci-Ex slots, the 2nd of which I'd probably never use, and even if I did go dual SLI, it's arguable whether an 8x Pci-Ex 3.0 slot would really bottleneck even a 970. It pretty much has the same bandwidth as a 16x Pci-Ex 2.0 slot.

2. Don't need 10 SATA 3 ports, the 6 the Sabertooth Mark2 has are plenty for me.

3. I prefer the Realtek ALC1150 (for DTS passthrough) the Saber M2 (and Giga Black) have over the Creative onboard sound

4. Don't need dual LAN

5. 4 USB 3 ports are enough for me, don't need 6. My case's front panel has one as well.

6. Saber M2 has 5 vs 3 yr warranty

7. The Saber M2 does 1866 RAM standard with no OC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627 50001314 50001315 600438202 600491547&IsNodeId=1&page=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=280|13-128-701^13-128-701-TS,13-128-722^13-128-722-TS,13-132-132^13-132-132-TS&percm=13-128-701:$$$$$$$;13-128-722:$$$$$$$;13-132-132:$$$$$$$;13-132-124:$$$$$$$

If that bundle I posted above had only the Saber M2 & 4790k, I'd be tempted to get it now.

 

[eidairaman1]

Hey Frag. This board i have in my sig has been known to push the 8350 to 5ghz so the Sabertooths are good. Btw im unsure if Intel will stick with 1150 or jump to 1149 for ddr4 parts or launch a cpu line that has both ddr3 and 4 imc on mainstream...

Thanks, totally forgot about the 4790k, and it's only $5 more than the 4770k with a much higher stock clock.

What do you think of the Sabertooth Z97 Mark2 MB btw? Only $165 and 336 hours of server grade testing, with a 5 yr warranty and defaults to an 1866 XMP RAM profile with no OC. Has nice chip cooling even without the Mark1 armor option too. Gigabyte's Black edition is also 5 yr warranty, and even has nice features such as gold plated vs plastic speaker jacks, but it costs over $25 more, has only half the testing time, and I don't use speaker jacks anymore anyway.

I found this combo that has the 4790k, Mark2, and HyperX 2x8GB 1600 for $606, which is about $58 off the regular prices, but I was thinking of going 1866 RAM if I get that MB, and the CAS on that HyperX is 10, was gonna go at least 9. Was thinking of maybe the G. Skil Ripjaw X for $167 for a 2x8GB 1866 kit @ CAS 9. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1801937

My goal is speed but also rock solid stability and reliability over 3-5 yrs use. I'm not opposed to OCing, and have done so before, but my current CPU and GPU don't OC well. There's always a few games that cause them problems. If somehow I were to get stuck with that scenario again (and you never know), at least the 4790k has a high stock clock, and the MB and RAM default to 1866 with XMP, which is usually pretty stable, esp with a decent quality RAM & MB.

I can't help but think with option 1 I'd be wasting a lot of money on hardware that isn't as focused on sheer gaming speed performance based on existing quad threaded games. I made that mistake with the triple channel X58 setup I now have, and have often regretted it. The 4790k on an 1150 would be like a compromise of budget and high end gear, allowing octo threading for encoding with HyperThreading on, yet efficient, fast quad use with it off, all in a fairly bang for buck package. Total even with current pricing on a 970 GPU it would come to around the $1000 limit I prefer to set. I could easily go $200 over that needlessly with the 2011-v3 setup.

I'm just going to have to keep an eye on stock levels of chips like the 4790k, so I'll still have that option before risking low bin quality or no stock left. Because I'd still really like to know what the next budget platform will be, when it will come, and what CPUs it will support. The nice thing about trh e4790k thoug his it released June this yr, a yr after the 4670k, so I probably have some time yet to make my decision.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

...im unsure if Intel will stick with 1150 or jump to 1149 for ddr4 parts or launch a cpu line that has both ddr3 and 4 imc on mainstream...

I was Googling for a successor to Intel's 1150, and wouldn't you know it the answer was right here in a TPU article.

(This part you may already know)
"Intel's "Broadwell" chips (optical shrink of Haswell) are now expected to debut in Q1-2015, probably along the sidelines of the 2015 International CES. These chips will be supported by existing LGA1150 motherboards, some with BIOS updates."

(Here's the interesting part)
"In mid-2015, probably around the same time as Computex 2015, Intel plans to debut its next-generation Core "Skylake" processors. Notice that "Skylake" launches less than six months apart from "Broadwell." It looks like Intel will launch unlocked "K" series parts of "Broadwell" in Q1, but reserve unlocked "K" series "Skylake" chips for 2016, so overclockers are stuck with "Broadwell." It's also important to note that just as every new micro-architecture heralds a new CPU socket, "Skylake" will bring with it the new LGA1151 socket, which is incompatible with LGA1150."

Soure: http://www.techpowerup.com/201936/intel-desktop-cpu-roadmap-updated.html
(Thanks for the article btarunr)

So this is frustrating to me only if the Skylake k versions are delayed well into Q1 2016 or later (Mar, Apr, etc), as the max I had hoped to put off the upgrade is around holiday season 2015. That said, I also wouldn't be opposed to a high clocked (4Ghz) i5 non k, but Intel doesn't seem to go that way.

End of 2015 also puts me at about 3 yrs use on my 7970. Yeah I know we're talking CPU here, but I'm kinda leaning toward doing it all together. That would also be a good time to have lots of choices to look at, including hopefully more affordable 2011-v3 and DDR4 parts by then.

 

[eidairaman1]

Well you now know that 2011-3 might be the plausible jump.

I was Googling for a successor to Intel's 1150, and wouldn't you know it the answer was right here in a TPU article.

(This part you may already know)
"Intel's "Broadwell" chips (optical shrink of Haswell) are now expected to debut in Q1-2015, probably along the sidelines of the 2015 International CES. These chips will be supported by existing LGA1150 motherboards, some with BIOS updates."

(Here's the interesting part)
"In mid-2015, probably around the same time as Computex 2015, Intel plans to debut its next-generation Core "Skylake" processors. Notice that "Skylake" launches less than six months apart from "Broadwell." It looks like Intel will launch unlocked "K" series parts of "Broadwell" in Q1, but reserve unlocked "K" series "Skylake" chips for 2016, so overclockers are stuck with "Broadwell." It's also important to note that just as every new micro-architecture heralds a new CPU socket, "Skylake" will bring with it the new LGA1151 socket, which is incompatible with LGA1150."

Soure: http://www.techpowerup.com/201936/intel-desktop-cpu-roadmap-updated.html
(Thanks for the article btarunr)

So this is frustrating to me only if the Skylake k versions are delayed well into Q1 2016 or later (Mar, Apr, etc), as the max I had hoped to put off the upgrade is around holiday season 2015. That said, I also wouldn't be opposed to a high clocked (4Ghz) i5 non k, but Intel doesn't seem to go that way.

End of 2015 also puts me at about 3 yrs use on my 7970. Yeah I know we're talking CPU here, but I'm kinda leaning toward doing it all together. That would also be a good time to have lots of choices to look at, including hopefully more affordable 2011-v3 and DDR4 parts by then.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Well you now know that 2011-3 might be the plausible jump.

Not if they keep going by the same formula they have been, having both budget and enthusiast platforms, which makes sense IMO.

Some sites have suggested they might intend to restrict the budget platform to BGA soon, but OMG, I hope not.

I've seen what they're planning for BGA, and none of them are what I'd call appropriate for avid gamers.

If anything Intel has been doing so well they can afford another platform in their lineup. I think btarunr got it right.