Destroy my build - $3,000 gaming setup

[PCJake]

Fair enough, if you have a microcenter near by (not sure if mentioned earlier or not) you can pick up an i7-4770k for $279.99 and if you buy a motherboard with it, they knock $40 off the M/B price.

I wish. None in Iowa.

 

[mfenn]

There's been lots of good comments since I posted last - rather than multi-quote everything, I'll just sum up where I'm at:

I'm coming around to the idea of getting a Haswell, even though its depressing to think about how much Intel could have done to better serve enthusiasts. They're a business, though, and I'm sure they're doing the right thing for the business. I am still considering waiting until September, though, just in case they go back to soldering on the IB-E. Most of you will probably tell me not to bother - but I have hope, given that IB-E is obviously going to be more of a desktop/workstation-oriented CPU, and logic should lead Intel to put more effort into making it a more heat-efficient design because of that. I also expect that games will become more optimized for six cores over the next two years, which is roughly how often I upgrade.

If the IB-E doesn't excite me any more than Haswell has, then I'll just get a 4770K in September. Done deal.

You're a cool dude, you know that? One of the best question-askers around.

Anyway, I do believe that IB-E is soldered, but like mnewsham pointed out you will pay for the privilege.

 

[crashtech]

The prospect of a soldered Ivy is exciting, but not as much for a single GPU gaming rig. IB-E may end up being the best platform for multiple GPU setups until the end of 2014.

mfenn, where did you hear that IB-E is to be soldered?

Edit: I should say "best overclocking platform for multiple GPUs." 4770 seems able to keep the stock speed crown moving forward...

 

[Essence_of_War]

mfenn, where did you hear that IB-E is to be soldered?

I'd be curious to know too, I didn't think that much, if anything, was confirmed about them.

 

[PCJake]

You're a cool dude, you know that? One of the best question-askers around.

Anyway, I do believe that IB-E is soldered, but like mnewsham pointed out you will pay for the privilege.

Thanks! I appreciate that.

 

[PCJake]

Update: since I'm considering IB-E, I'm researching X79 boards. Please note that I'm currently using an Asus X58 board that I'm quite happy with, and that has influenced my research. Anyway, I'm looking at this board at the moment: ASUS P9X79 LE. I downloaded the manual and went through the main parts (best way to get familiar with a motherboard, as far as I'm concerned), and it has both of the things I want; 2x native Sata 6.0Gb/s ports and PCI 3.0 slots. And, as a nice little bonus compared to Z77 boards, it has a PCI slot I can put my current sound card in (saving me a little over $100). Additionally, it'll have the VRM on-board, which should—in theory—make the heat a little more manageable on the IB-E (hopefully they use solder as well, as some here have mentioned). Anyone have any comments about this particular board, or about X79 boards in general?

Next, I want to try to address the obvious objection to me getting a hexa-core processor; that it's excessive for gaming: yeah, for most games it is. But, here's a great example of when that is not the case. Note the final chart on the page, which demonstrates a 47 minimum fps increase (using four cores of a 3930K produced 55 minimum fps, and using six cores produced 102 fps) in Battlefield 3, at a resolution of 1920x1200. Yes, he was running SLI, which should benefit more from the power of a 3930K compared to a single GPU setup, but that's totally irrelevant; it shows that Frostbite 2 is able to use all six cores with linear scaling, and that's what counts. Battlefield 3 was released almost two years ago and it utilizes six cores. Given that the next generation of consoles is right around the corner, I fully expect to see more of this type of scaling in PC games.

Not to mention that I record DayZ gameplay with FRAPS, and both of those programs tend to get bottle-necked by the CPU (I've done a lot of experimentation and I know this is true). I also want to get back into 3d modeling with C4D (not because I'm looking at a hexa-core processor, but the other way around--I've had this desire for a while now).

So there we go--I've put a lot of effort into this post, please share your thoughts!

 

[mfenn]

I imagine that there will be a wave of X79 refreshes when IB-E hits, so I wouldn't get too attached to any particular board at this juncture. The P9X79 LE is a solid, not outrageous board though.

As for a 6-core, I don't think that anybody doubts the benefits. I think the issue is that it sure does cost a lot to reap those benefits. You're looking at double the platform cost. That's really hard to swallow for a gaming machine unless you already have two $400+ cards in SLI/CFX.

 

[mfenn]

The prospect of a soldered Ivy is exciting, but not as much for a single GPU gaming rig. IB-E may end up being the best platform for multiple GPU setups until the end of 2014.

mfenn, where did you hear that IB-E is to be soldered?

Edit: I should say "best overclocking platform for multiple GPUs." 4770 seems able to keep the stock speed crown moving forward...

ES CPUs are floating around at this point. Can't really say more than that.

 

[TxWOlf]

PCJake-

I am a current owner of an OC'd i7-950 and EVGA 580 in a Corsair 550D. I am looking at picking up an EVGA 780 Ti SC AGX and wanted to find out what your experience has been with your build. How are the noise levels, temps, and overall satisfaction with your PC.

 

[Automaticman]

TxWolf,

Just FYI, this thread hasn't been active in a year, and it doesn't look like PCJake has visited the board since last October...

 

[mfenn]

Locking due to necromancy. PCJake, if you see this message and want the thread to be revived, shoot me a PM.

mfenn
General Hardware Moderator