Finally time to upgrade my i7-2600K

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ryanjg11

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Aug 16, 2002
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I had to dig into my email archives to see when I last upgraded my CPU: March of 2011!

I've upgraded other components here and there, but never saw a huge jump in benchmarks that would justify spending another $300 on a CPU. Plus, I'm not a big gamer, though I would like to run Fallout 4 at 2560x1440 - which my current setup can't quite do comfortably.

Here's my current setup:

CPU: i7-2600K
Mobo: ASRock H61MV-ITX
Video Card: eVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Case: Corsair Obsidian 250D (I want to stick with Mini-ITX)
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro

Here's my question:

For about $900, I could upgrade to a new Z170 Mini ITX board, GeForce GTX 970, i7-4790K, and 16GB DDR4-3200.

Or, on the cheap, I could just upgrade the video card to a GTX 970. Here's a comparison of the two cards - seem's like a worthwhile upgrade.

My only concern would be bottlenecks elsewhere... I'd like to avoid spending almost $1K right now, but want your advice on whether a standalone video card upgrade would be worthwhile.
 
Z170 boards have socket 1151, not socket 1150 like the 4790K uses. You'd need a 6700K.
 
With a newer CPU and higher speed RAM, you will see increased minimum FPS and sometimes increased maximums. fallout 4 seems especially sensitive to RAM speed.
 
why did you pair a 2600k with a H61 mobo?

I'd upgrade the video card first. The 9700 is a great choice, but with the recent price cuts I'd go with a 9800 myself for 2560x1440.

On the CPU side, IMO you are better off getting a z97 mobo and OC that 2600k
 
I currently use a Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970 at 1440p and it really does the job well. Fallout 4 runs under 60 fps but im not all that concerned with that as it isnt a fast paced FPS. A GTX 980 will of course perform a little bit better if you can get one at the right price. I've seen used 980s for under 350. The i7 2600K is not going to bottleneck but that motherboard wasn't the best idea for that CPU. I would say, if you want, you can get a skylake i5 and a z170 board and some DDR4, it is going to perform a bit better, but IMO it isn't all that necessary. I really doubt you need an i7 unless you do more than gaming, The i5 core for core is exactly the same as the i7 depending on the model number.
 
Upgrade the video card before you do anything else, as it might simply fix you. 2600k is still a great processor!
 
Stoly said:
why did you pair a 2600k with a H61 mobo?

I'd upgrade the video card first. The 9700 is a great choice, but with the recent price cuts I'd go with a 9800 myself for 2560x1440.

On the CPU side, IMO you are better off getting a z97 mobo and OC that 2600k
Click to expand...

2600k is 1155, Z87/Z97 are 1150. You'd need a Z68/Z77 mobo (and those are getting harder to find in good working condition.
 
kirbyrj said:
2600k is 1155, Z87/Z97 are 1150. You'd need a Z68/Z77 mobo (and those are getting harder to find in good working condition.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the H61 was a little bit of a boneheaded move on my part - I was just trying to find a modern mini-ITX board that would accept 1155 at the time.

Hmm... Wondering if it would be worthwhile to try to find a used Z68/Z77 mini-ITX board to overclock the 2600K, while adding the GTX 970.

I should add I've got a Corsair Hydro H100i on the 2600K now, so I'm guessing I would have some good OC headroom?
 
Last edited:
ryanjg11 said:
Yeah, the H61 was a little bit of a boneheaded move on my part - I was just trying to find a modern mini-ITX board that would accept 1155 at the time.

Hmm... Wondering if it would be worthwhile to try to find a used Z68/Z77 mini-ITX board to overclock the 2600K, while adding the GTX 970.

I should add I've got a Corsair Hydro H100i on the 2600K now, so I'm guessing I would have some good OC headroom?
Click to expand...

Newegg occasionally runs refurb Asus boards cheap. Also look on Ebay. I got a P8Z77-M for about $65 with I/O Shield.
 
That 750 Ti is what is holding you back. Not your CPU. I am rocking an i5 2400 w/ 980. Go with a 970 if you can't afford a 980 and be done. Oh and I game at 4K on that rig. ;)

Also LOL at H61 + 2600K. smh
 
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