Skylake setup or GTX 1070?

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marbz

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Hi

Before I ask, this is my current setup:

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CPU: Intel Core i7 950 @ stock speed
MOBO: ASUS Sabertooth X58
RAM: G.Skill 12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 1600 CL9
GPU: MSI GTX 970 TIGER OC

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As you can see, my setup is still pretty much 1st gen, except for the GPU. Though some people would say that I could still get a decent performance by OCing my CPU, but apart from practically not having any idea about OCing, the ambient temperatures in my country aren't exactly what I would call "ideal" for OCing without, at least, a closed-loop LCS. I do a lot of gaming, btw. GTAV and Witcher3 in particular, and there's the occasional stuttering which kinda bugs me, though I'm not sure if it's because of the games, or my current setup. Anyway, would now be a good time to upgrade, considering i7 is already in its 7th gen? or not yet?

With that in mind, which upgrade do you think would benefit me more?

a.) a skylake setup (i7 6700k + Z170mobo + 16GB DDR4 ram perhaps)? or
b.) a GTX 1070 (or 1080)?

I want to get both, but I couldn't stretch my budget limit.

Thanks for the replies.
 
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If you're staying at 1080P for a while then I'd go for the cpu/mobo combo. That 970 should do just fine while you save up for a 1080 Ti. :D

That new rig should boost your 970 a little as well....
 
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I would think that if you are feeling the cpu pinch you have a ton of oc headroom on the i7 950, maybe 4.0ghz easy and more like 4.5ish with a good cooler. Here might be a good place to start if you want info on that: http://www.overclock.net/t/851067/official-i7-950-overclockers-club-read-first-post . While the Skylake is a lot better than the i7 950, maybe a 1.6 multiplier on single core that is still a beast mode chip. Also of note in that platform you can get the 6 core Xeon chips (xeon x5660) and overclock them like wild too for pretty inexpensively on ebay.

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/459/Intel_Core_i7_i7-6700K_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-950.html

Also of note clock for clock (minus heat and electricity) you are really only looking at maybe 30%-45 improvements core for core. https://us.hardware.info/reviews/62...l-ivy-bridge-sandy-bridge-and-nehalem-results


But if you are wanting to upgrade by all means please do and I am pretty sure your old board is still pretty sought after on the resell market ;)
 
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Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to just upgrade my MOBO/CPU/RAM entirely. Though it's tempting to upgrade my GPU as well to a 1070, I'm pretty confident that with the new system, it could still hold out for the next year or so if I don't plan on playing beyond 1080p resolutions (thanks for the boost of confidence there, Bowman15).

I have questions regarding motherboards though. Currently, I'm torn choosing between the ASUS Pro-Gaming Aura and ASUS Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1. The former would be a lot cheaper than the latter and offers practically the same functionalities/features that I need, but I don't think it's as durable or reliable as the latter (I could be wrong).

Is the entire TUF line really just a marketing ploy? Or does it really deliver? Considering that my current Sabertooth lasted for almost 7 years now and still going, I'm inclined to believe that it does, but then again, my budget is getting really tight. Would it be a worthy investment considering that I might OC the CPU in the near future after its 3-year warranty period? Or would I be able to count on the Pro-Gaming Aura for the same thing?

Sorry if the question seems dumb. But responses would be greatly appreciated. :)
 
The Sabertooth is overpriced.

You don't think it's as "durable" - what exactly does that mean to you? It's a piece of electronics, not leather seating for your living room.

Motherboards don't have moving parts (for the most part); in the absence of outside factors (PSU malfunction, power anomalies, extreme temperature fluctuations, etc) most computer components that lack moving parts don't die very often; thats the reason there are still a million first gen i5/i7 and even older systems kicking about.

Unless you plan on doing something "extreme" like high voltage overclocking or exotic cooling for super high overclocking, most of the difference between the various Z170 boards is the add-on features (like USB 3.1, fancy onboard audio, additional M.2 slots, etc) and marketing. Mostly marketing. Also, some of them are prettier than others. But that's it. Save your cash, get an inexpensive motherboard.
 
Basically what sinsterDel says :)

Of note the z270 chipsets were just released, not that they offer a ton over z170 buts since you are buying new ... and the 7700k (fyi same ipc as the 6700k) but if they are the same price then why not :)
 
Thanks again for the response.

Now that you mentioned it, some Z270 motherboards cost less than the Sabertooth Z170. Maybe I'll go with Kaby Lake instead with those fairly-prized mobos. The new features would certainly add up to my desire of 'future-proofing'. However, I'm worried that since Kaby Lake is new, should "birthing pains" be expected? How was the Skylake release, by the way? I haven't been paying attention to 'new' tech for the last 5 years.
 
I don't honestly think there is much of a feature add between z170 to z270 so maybe the potential for weeding out bugs is smaller. The only issue I recall is the prime 95 bug in skylake 6700k which required a cpu microcode update for motherboards and maybe some ddr4 xmp profile stuff since it was pretty new. Probably more like the z87 to z97 move a couple of years ago.
 
Maybe I'll just wait a little more and scan the Internet for more discussions regarding the matter before I finally decide.

I guess there's no way I could lose, since either way, it would be a big jump from the 1st gen. I just want to make the most out of this upgrade since I don't think I'll be able to do so for the next 5 years after this, other than the GPU.

Thanks for taking the time to give info and advice, guys. :)
 
What's your actual budget for the upgrade?

For the MOBO/CPU/MEM, this would be viable and relatively inexpensive:
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Extreme3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $452.85

Though waiting for more Kaby Lake availability may work out if you want to heavily overlcock!
 
In $$$, I'm not so sure. I'm not in the US. But in addition to all those components, I'm planning on getting a full tower chassis (Phantom 530 - not a fan of it, though) for better airflow and cable management, and some 200mm fans for it. So I guess my budget is at around $600.

I was hoping to get a Corsair Carbide 500R because it's cheaper and better in functionality, but the seller can no longer place an order for it from his supplier.
 
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Er, why spend money on a case if you're not a fan of it? Especially a gigantic one.

You can get great cable management and airflow out of a smaller case if you like. I'm personally a fan of both the Antec 302 and the Fractal Design R4; they're both mid towers that offer good cable management and plenty of airflow, expecially on the 302.
 
I would go 1070 and a find an used xeon (x5680) to upgrade your cpu.

I wouldnt go new cpu with ZEN coming out we might see the market shake things up by way of lower prices or better features next gen.
 
sinisterDei said:
Er, why spend money on a case if you're not a fan of it? Especially a gigantic one.

You can get great cable management and airflow out of a smaller case if you like. I'm personally a fan of both the Antec 302 and the Fractal Design R4; they're both mid towers that offer good cable management and plenty of airflow, expecially on the 302.
Click to expand...

Well, not every case is accessible here, where I live. If I try to order it online, it would cost me a lot more. That's why I'll just opt for whatever is available that has everything I need/want. What I meant so say is that I'm not a fan of the looks (print hog), but I like the functionality. And that's good enough for me. Plus, I'll be getting a discount for it.

Shadohh said:
I would go 1070 and a find an used xeon (x5680) to upgrade your cpu.

I wouldnt go new cpu with ZEN coming out we might see the market shake things up by way of lower prices or better features next gen.
Click to expand...

I'll look that up as well. Thanks.
 
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