Intel i7 (Skylake) & Motherboard or VR Headset?

[marmiteonpizza]

I have a decision to make and need to hear what other people think; I've currently got an FX8350 and want to upgrade to an Intel i7 running on the Skylake architecture.

Now, I'm really anticipating the release of the HTC Vive VR headset due to be released at the end of this year or the beginning of the next, but do I save up for that first, or save up for the new CPU and motherboard?
Take into account that I'm about to start university in a month's time, so after this I won't have much money to save at all for the option I leave for later. So whichever one I leave to get second, I probably won't get for another year or so.

Which one should I invest in first? My mind is heavily weighed towards one at the moment, and I'm on the brink of making a decision, but I want to hear your thoughts first.

Cheers guys

 

[5DVX0130]

If you have to buy one then go with the Skylake system.
VR is still too gimmicky and not of much use at the moment.

 

[EarthDog]

Oh......... but the demos at E3 were AWESOME!! I wouldn't call it gimmicky personally.

Give it time though... go Skylake and look to buy later in 2016 when things mature.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Id go with the Skylake option. I dont know you but I can see you shelving the VR unit or even selling it because there wont be much to do with it first and youll get bored of it quick.

 

[jboydgolfer]

I agree with what @5DVletternumberblahblah name i dont remember said above, Go with the System, forego the gimmicky headset.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

I agree with what @5DVletternumberblahblah name i dont remember said above, Go with the System, forego the gimmicky headset.

his name wasnt that hard to remember. the @ sign remembers it for you

 

[Mindweaver]

I have to disagree with everyone and say nothing is wrong with your current system. I would get the HTC Vive hands down. People that say it's gimmicky have not tried it. Valve is releasing a new game with it they already confirmed it.

 

[5DVX0130]

Oh......... but the demos at E3 were AWESOME!! I wouldn't call it gimmicky personally.

Give it time though... go Skylake and look to buy later in 2016 when things mature.

Main word is "demos". Beside that there really isn't much going on (outside the porn industry). A few games have sort-of support for it, but then again you also need a strong enough system for that.
So at the moment it's most practical use would be to watch movies. But if it's anything liked watching 3D movies I'd prefer a visit to the dentists over it,

I agree with what @5DVletternumberblahblah name i dont remember said above, Go with the System, forego the gimmicky headset.

Please no need to be formal. Friends call me 5D.

 

[EarthDog]

There are games coming out for it as MindW said. I tried some of the demos/games/educational at E3 (Occulus Rift) and was amazed at how realistic some of these titles were.

If you think watching a movie is practical with these, I am not sure you tried them either. I wouldn't see a point watching a movie in VR. That said, I have not tried watching a movie in them, but unless the movie is 360 degrees around you like these games/demos, its not practical and I would rather watch it in the comfort of my couch, with surround, on my 65" screen.

 

[Mindweaver]

Yes, Valve has confirm that they will have a game ready for HTC Vive and they confirmed it won't be a new Portal game.. hint hint It'll be something completely new or I'm betting on HL3 or L4D3. I have a Oculus Rift DK1 and both Google cardboard and Google cardboard v2.0 using my Samsung Galaxy S5. I've watched movies in all of them and I'm more amazed at the theater... lol You can already buy VR games to use with Oculus DK1 and DK2 on Steam. Just this past week the games I own just updated support for the Vive. The Vive will have plenty of content when they release it.

If the sales are anything like the DK1 and DK2 then the first batch will go quick. So, I'd jump in as soon as possible. I know I will. Come and join the Virtual Reality Club.. I've not updated it in awhile but I will soon.

 

[Freezer]

If it were me I'd go with a 5820K.

Why VR? If you're just looking for head tracking ... http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/ , or you could build your own.

 

[Ebo]

I would say, hold your money in your pocket.

1. you allready have a good system

2. Nobody knows how VR is going to be from the start, the trailers only show best case senario and no faults. I have to be skeptic and keep my cool because it sounds wonderfull. but the trees dosent grow into heaven yet.

 

[RejZoR]

Go with Skylake. You'll benefit from it EVERYWHERE. VR has a very limited functionality. You'll be able to get it later...

 

[RCoon]

want to upgrade to an Intel i7 running on the Skylake architecture

If it were me I'd go with a 5820K.

This. Skylake i7's make no sense in terms of their cost and performance. The 5820K has the same performance, and is cheaper by a large margin, particularly here in the UK. Motherboards are slightly more expensive, but W/E. A hyperthreaded hexa-core system is going to last you longer than the quad. That and you get a few more PCI lanes.

 

[Ebo]

OP you are living in England right ?.

So the prices is very similar to me, since Im from Denmark. I would consider a X99 platform instead since prices is almost the same as x170 and Skylake.

First you get 2 more cores, higher bandwith and a mature platform which works. First of all, you get a hell of a lot more bandwith on your ram, and yes I know you have to invest in 4 memory modules insted of 2, but the prices is almost the same as DDR3, so why think about it, at all ?.

In my book, you get a hell of a lot more flexabillity on X99 than you will ever get on X170/Skylake(I-7).

 

[marmiteonpizza]

The 5820K has the same performance, and is cheaper by a large margin

Just looked this up, and both processors are exactly the same in price (£300). However, the 5820K is 3.3GHz opposed to 4 for the Skylake, plus Skylake's microchip architecture is much more improved and using DDR4 RAM will make a vast improvement over DDR3.

A hyperthreaded hexa-core system is going to last you longer than the quad

The main reason I'm changing to a 4-core over anything with more cores is because I've experienced that some games don't like CPU's with more than 4 cores ; it's true that I can max out graphics and still get around 60fps on most games, but certain games like Dying Light and GTA V (my biggest let down due to my CPU) struggle with the CPU workload.

Why VR? If you're just looking for head tracking...

You mad bro?! VR isn't just about the head tracking, especially not for me! It's about the combination of methods to make the experience as realistic to a real environment as possible, hence the"virtual reality". What I'm mostly looking forward to is seeing through the lens and actually experiencing first-world scenarios through two separate "monitors", one for each eye in conjunction with head tracking.

I decided to go for the Skylake option, have just received the motherboard and will receive the RAM and CPU by next week. Cheers everyone for your thoughts and opinions, you guys make this a great community

 

[RCoon]

Just looked this up, and both processors are exactly the same in price (£300). However, the 5820K is 3.3GHz opposed to 4 for the Skylake, plus Skylake's microchip architecture is much more improved and using DDR4 RAM will make a vast improvement over DDR3.

The main reason I'm changing to a 4-core over anything with more cores is because I've experienced that some games don't like CPU's with more than 4 cores ; it's true that I can max out graphics and still get around 60fps on most games, but certain games like Dying Light and GTA V (my biggest let down due to my CPU) struggle with the CPU workload.

You mad bro?! VR isn't just about the head tracking, especially not for me! It's about the combination of methods to make the experience as realistic to a real environment as possible, hence the"virtual reality". What I'm mostly looking forward to is seeing through the lens and actually experiencing first-world scenarios through two separate "monitors", one for each eye in conjunction with head tracking.

I decided to go for the Skylake option, have just received the motherboard and will receive the RAM and CPU by next week. Cheers everyone for your thoughts and opinions, you guys make this a great community

The 5820K is overclocked extremely easily, and the X99 architecture also uses DDR4, so Skylake hasn't got much over that.

As for the 4 core thing, DX12 is probably around 2 years away, when more cores are going to matter.

Honestly, when given the choice of a 6c12t vs a 4c8t processor when they are exactly the same price and essentially identical in performance, it seems like a total no brainer to me...

Just ask fellas like @the54thvoid and @FreedomEclipse how they feel about their hexacores after years of solid service.

 

[Freezer]

Just looked this up, and both processors are exactly the same in price (£300). However, the 5820K is 3.3GHz opposed to 4 for the Skylake, plus Skylake's microchip architecture is much more improved and using DDR4 RAM will make a vast improvement over DDR3.

The main reason I'm changing to a 4-core over anything with more cores is because I've experienced that some games don't like CPU's with more than 4 cores ; it's true that I can max out graphics and still get around 60fps on most games, but certain games like Dying Light and GTA V (my biggest let down due to my CPU) struggle with the CPU workload.

You mad bro?! VR isn't just about the head tracking, especially not for me! It's about the combination of methods to make the experience as realistic to a real environment as possible, hence the"virtual reality". What I'm mostly looking forward to is seeing through the lens and actually experiencing first-world scenarios through two separate "monitors", one for each eye in conjunction with head tracking.

I decided to go for the Skylake option, have just received the motherboard and will receive the RAM and CPU by next week. Cheers everyone for your thoughts and opinions, you guys make this a great community

Certainly not "mad" about anything. It's a question (I provided a link to the definition to help you along). VR is too new and you'll not see a single game that's fully compatible yet, not to mention it's full of hype. Though, if you're interested in developing and learning API then perhaps getting a VR may be beneficial to you... but if you're looking at it as a 'gaming' option then you're better off saving your money and perhaps invest in PAWCULUS. However, if looking for a current immersive experience for 'gaming' or application usage then head tracking is the best you'll get at the moment and is literally compatible with every game.

Also, skylake has no advantage over 5820K / X99, so whatever review you read is full of crap. The X99 can be easily OC'd, supports DDR4 and the socket should still be seeing another die next summer, which the -E will totally blow away the 6700.

You're also moving from AMD to INTEL. There is a HUGE difference between the two chipsets. On a core by core comparison AMD could never compete with INTEL, it's been that way for over a decade. AMD did hold the crown once upon a time.

 

[RejZoR]

I don't think LGA2001 will be getting v4... Would be nice if it does though. Imagine 16nm 5820K at slightly higher stock clock. Now that would be kick ass.

 

[Mindweaver]

The 5820K is overclocked extremely easily, and the X99 architecture also uses DDR4, so Skylake hasn't got much over that.

As for the 4 core thing, DX12 is probably around 2 years away, when more cores are going to matter.

Honestly, when given the choice of a 6c12t vs a 4c8t processor when they are exactly the same price and essentially identical in performance, it seems like a total no brainer to me...

Just ask fellas like @the54thvoid and @FreedomEclipse how they feel about their hexacores after years of solid service.

You're correct buddy! I have my 5820k in my specs clocked at 4.5ghz with no problems at all. but honestly, I don't think he will notice that big of a jump from his current system... He has a solid CPU, enough ram, and a solid state drive, with a nice gpu.. I paid $260 for my 16gb of DDR4.. It's really to high at this point with not that big of a difference in performance.. If my 5820k, 4770, and 2600k weren't in different rooms I would have to look to see which one I was on when browsing the web or playing games.. lol I don't see anyone with a 4+ core processor having to upgrade for gaming until we get pc games that are not console ports. VR will push what we need to game with in the coming months and years. DX12 will bring new life back to his rig as well when it's being used. The biggest jump that I've seen in games was when I changed out my i3 to a 4770 in gaming on that system. I've already said it and I'll say it again, "I'd get the Vive!".

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I'm an avid gamer and I'm picking Skylake over VR. Why? You can count the number of good VR games on one hand. The ecosystem has to mature before it becomes a worthy investment and that's going to take years.

 

[Mindweaver]

@Joel Charig - I see you made your decision and it's still a good one (even if it wasn't the one I picked.. lol). I'd just like to add that with your two options you can't go wrong either way. I'm sure you'll pick up a VR HMD at some point and your new system will make your experience even better.

 

[peche]

Which one should I invest in first? My mind is heavily weighed towards one at the moment, and I'm on the brink of making a decision, but I want to hear your thoughts first.

Get a custom water cooler and forget to replace your current build, is solid enough!

I have to disagree with everyone and say nothing is wrong with your current system. I would get the HTC Vive hands down. People that say it's gimmicky have not tried it. Valve is releasing a new game with it they already confirmed it.

i agree with you! some times is hard to get the point here...

I would say, hold your money in your pocket.

1. you allready have a good system

2. Nobody knows how VR is going to be from the start, the trailers only show best case senario and no faults. I have to be skeptic and keep my cool because it sounds wonderfull. but the trees dosent grow into heaven yet.

another great advise here!

make no sense in terms of their cost and performance.

well said, i may add the comparison over the change from the solid build OP already have, to a marginally newer one!

 

[EarthDog]

With multiple GPUs and 4K/VR, I would want Intel hands down to make sure the GPUs are pushed properly.

 

[marmiteonpizza]

One more thing guys...

For the upgrade, I want to completely wipe my SSD (with the OS) clean. But I can't see how to uninstall Windows 10. I'm guessing it'll be in the BIOS? Could easily be wrong though. I've already looked on there and other various places but can't find how to simply uninstall the OS without rolling back or anything. How is it done?