Upgrade Opinions

[[L]imey]

Hey guys,

With the holidays coming up, there will be upgrade funds available. Let me explain my 2 trains of thought here and let me know what you think.

Current Setup:

3570k @ 4.2
8gb DDR3
gtx970
Corsair 750w psu
Acer Predator 1440p 144hz gsync

Option 1: Platform Upgrade

6600k or 6700k
AIO cpu cooler
New Mobo//DDR4
Single 980ti

Option 2: Dual GPU!!!
2x 980ti

I love my monitor, so there's no chance of that changing for several years. Given the above options, and the current resolution I'm driving, what would you do if you were me?

Thanks for chiming in!

 

[alex.rizea]

I'd go with the "option 1" train:

Soley for gaming there is no need for 6700k and 16 gigs of ram, so:

6600k
H80i GT or H110i GTX
MSI Gaming M7 / Maximus VIII Hero // 8 gb ddr4 @ >2400mhz
Single 980 Ti

A single 980 ti will be enough for a single monitor

 

[Dangman]

Which Corsair 750W PSU do you have? Not all Corsair 750W PSUs are good.

 

[Meeho]

Neither. The CPU is still good and CF/SLI is more miss than hit.

I would go with 1x 980Ti and more RAM.

 

[[L]imey]

Which Corsair 750W PSU do you have? Not all Corsair 750W PSUs are good.

Cx750m

And with a second baby on the way, this is probably the last upgrade for a while, so I need to make it last.

I am thinking that the platform upgrade won't give me as huge a frame bump as 2 cards, but it's probably the more balanced choice.

 

[ReconSniper]

I love your signature!!! haha

 

[[L]imey]

I love your signature!!! haha

Yeah I really need to update that, it hasn't been true for about a year when I rebuilt a 3570k rig.

I just never seem to be able to find the setting for signature when I'm looking for it

 

[Dangman]

Cx750m

And with a second baby on the way, this is probably the last upgrade for a while, so I need to make it last.

I am thinking that the platform upgrade won't give me as huge a frame bump as 2 cards, but it's probably the more balanced choice.

The platform upgrade doesn't make much sense since it doesn't provide enough of a CPU performance increase to justify the price. However, that doesn't mean that option 2 is a viable option either: Your current PSU is not going to be good enough for 980TI SLI:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/01/21/corsair_cx750_750w_power_supply_review/#.VkX7zr-Pknk

 

[[L]imey]

The platform upgrade doesn't make much sense since it doesn't provide enough of a CPU performance increase to justify the price. However, that doesn't mean that option 2 is a viable option either: Your current PSU is not going to be good enough for 980TI SLI:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/01/21/corsair_cx750_750w_power_supply_review/#.VkX7zr-Pknk

Good to know, this psu ran 2 970's without breaking a sweat, but those are much lower power parts than 980ti's.

Oh well, another 150 bucks for a better PSU on top of a pair of 980ti's is nothing to worry about if I decide to go that route. based on what I've seen, my I5 is already hitting 100% usage in some scenarios, and a pair of monsters like 980ti might be limited by it.

 

[Dangman]

Good to know, this psu ran 2 970's without breaking a sweat, but those are much lower power parts than 980ti's.

Oh well, another 150 bucks for a better PSU on top of a pair of 980ti's is nothing to worry about if I decide to go that route. based on what I've seen, my I5 is already hitting 100% usage in some scenarios, and a pair of monsters like 980ti might be limited by it.

The CPU upgrade path doesn't make sense since the Skylake CPUs are only about 10% on average faster than your current Ivy Bridge CPUs. Under rare best case scenario, you might see 15%. Considering that you're looking at around $400 to $475 minimum for a Skylake upgrade, that 10% average performance increase just isn't worth it.

If you do get a new PSU, yes the 980Ti route becomes viable. You basically only need this eVGA 850W G2 PSU and you'll be set for quite some time:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKDETOC/?tag=extension-kb-20