Future Proofing

[moonbogg]

The only core components worth "future proofing" are PSUs, Cases, and theses days, CPU seems to last a long time if you buy a good one.

They last a decade. I could easily not upgrade my CPU for another 5 years and simply get less FPS, but still be able to play whatever comes out. It makes me want to cry. If you buy a 10 core broadwell, you won't have to upgrade until we got people living on Mars.

 

[Piroko]

The only core components worth "future proofing" are PSUs, Cases, and theses days, CPU seems to last a long time if you buy a good one.

Usually it's not the CPU that makes me upgrade, but the platform. For me, the next upgrade will need to have enough PCIe bandwith to support a proper PCIe SSD.

 

[tential]

If it doesn't do 4K 120 FPS, then it's not going to last in the "future". So no, nothing is "future proof". We're not even at a point gaming wise where ANY gpu should last a long time. Virtual Reality, More immersive textures, etc. there are so many strides we need to make on the GPU side, that to attempt to future proof the GPU portion of a build is a hilarious notion.

 

[moonbogg]

If it doesn't do 4K 120 FPS, then it's not going to last in the "future". So no, nothing is "future proof". We're not even at a point gaming wise where ANY gpu should last a long time. Virtual Reality, More immersive textures, etc. there are so many strides we need to make on the GPU side, that to attempt to future proof the GPU portion of a build is a hilarious notion.

Hmm, this is interesting. I wonder if, at some point in the future, the technology will have matured enough to where it gives us an ideal experience to the point where more power and speed isn't what we are really looking for. We might focus much more on the content of the experience or on other details. Then again, until we can simulate an entire universe, then I suppose there will always be a drive for more power.
"Where's Johnny?"
"He finished his dinner and ran off to his room. I think he's playing that virtual universe game again"
"OMG. Last time he played that game he didn't come out for 15 billion years!"
"Quit your bitchin. You're simulated too, you know"
"Shut that trap women. I'll show you simulated"

 

[RussianSensation]

They last a decade. I could easily not upgrade my CPU for another 5 years and simply get less FPS, but still be able to play whatever comes out. It makes me want to cry. If you buy a 10 core broadwell, you won't have to upgrade until we got people living on Mars.

Isn't that good though? I remember the old days where I had to get a new CPU/platform every 2-2.5 years max. Now, I only have to worry about monitor+SSD/PCIe SSD+GPU. Less $ wasted on new mobo+CPU+memory is more $ I can use towards components that actually matter. Alternatively, it means more $ that can be used towards other hobbies, travel, gf/wife/kids, alcohol, sports, etc.

Would you really want to go to the old days where we had to drop $500-700 on a new CPU platform and 24 months later there is something 50-100% faster, but instead of 50-100% bonus performance, it was basically required to play next gen modern games.

Today, we have the option of buying faster CPUs to match with 120-165Hz 1440P monitors but at the same time, it's not a requirement for many AAA games when targeting 60Hz. I find it refreshing that now I can go out and buy a new Intel i7 and not worry about upgrading it for 5 years, unless I am doing it for fun/features.

I would accept requiring CPU upgrades every 2-2.5 years IF we got next gen physics and AI in games. If next gen games requires 8-16 core CPUs to increase realism this way, I'd be pumped and not care about the cost of upgrading since there would be a real, tangible benefit. But since that's not happening and physics/AI in games is a state of stagnation, it's very hard to justify wanting to drop $600-700+ on a new CPU platform for "fun".

 

[jackstar7]

The only future-proofing I've done is to make sure I have a solid set of tools available. Hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, etc. Computer components? I believe the only way to future-proof them is to decide that you're never going to want a new piece of software.

Like if you're someone who only plays CS or Minecraft, then you can basically build a rig that could handle that task indefinitely. If you pursue new software experiences, then you'll need new hardware.

With the Radeon announcement about DP 1.3, I'd be very cautious about over-spending on hardware right now unless you have something that simply requires the amount of hardware to get the job done.

The horizon right at this moment shows a lot of feature-rich products coming that will hopefully put some real distance from the current gen.

So it depends if you are an optimist or just play Valve games... or what works for you.

 

[RussianSensation]

With the Radeon announcement about DP 1.3, I'd be very cautious about over-spending on hardware right now unless you have something that simply requires the amount of hardware to get the job done.

Good post. Long-term, it's more or less impossible to future-proof because software will keep evolving. Rumours have it that next gen consoles will have at least 5X the perf/watt of PS4. That means no GPUs bought in 2015 or 2016 will be 'future-proof' for next gen consoles in 2019/2020 and games of that era.

Next gen is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ones - new or heavily revised architectures from AMD/NV, HDMI 2.0/DP 1.3, GDDR5X/HBM2, full DX12 support/Asynchronous Compute, most likely 8GB+ as minimum on flagship $700 cards. Seems overkill to buy 4xFury Xs to future-proof. 2x980Ti/Fury X is more than enough and just upgrade in 2016 to something much faster is a way better bet than buying 4xFury Xs/980Tis - my 2 cents.

 

[tential]

The only future-proofing I've done is to make sure I have a solid set of tools available. Hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, etc. Computer components? I believe the only way to future-proof them is to decide that you're never going to want a new piece of software.

Like if you're someone who only plays CS or Minecraft, then you can basically build a rig that could handle that task indefinitely. If you pursue new software experiences, then you'll need new hardware.

With the Radeon announcement about DP 1.3, I'd be very cautious about over-spending on hardware right now unless you have something that simply requires the amount of hardware to get the job done.

The horizon right at this moment shows a lot of feature-rich products coming that will hopefully put some real distance from the current gen.

So it depends if you are an optimist or just play Valve games... or what works for you.

I wonder how close we are to a native 4k 144hz screens? That's what I want badly. Now that I realize that high refresh will fix my issue with motion blur I'm desperately wanting 4k screens above 60 hz

 

[RussianSensation]

I wonder how close we are to a native 4k 144hz screens? That's what I want badly. Now that I realize that high refresh will fix my issue with motion blur I'm desperately wanting 4k screens above 60 hz

Considering that in many AAA games not even 980Ti SLI/Fury X CF can hit 60 fps, I am going to estimate that it'll take a flagship 2020+ GPU to get there. But then we'll get even more demanding games with PS5/XB2 so I am going to say 4K @ 60-144Hz will continue to require 2 flagship cards. Developers will also always find a way to cripple performance with crappy optimizations or flat out lack of proper SLI/CF support. Even if we had 4K 120-144Hz monitors, that doesn't solve the lack of GPU horsepower.

I am going to stick with my opinion and say that we still have not entered the era of next gen PC games. When Crysis 1, Metro 2033, BF4, you could tell OK those are next gen PC games. Then when Crysis 3, Metro Last Light came out, you could tell graphics took a leap again. Despite how good SW:BF, TW3 and GTA V look, I would never consider them a generation leap over Crysis 3/Metro Last Light. Therefore, in my eyes, everything we still have is current gen. I feel like we are going to need developers to max out UE4, Frostbite and CryEngine to get that WOW this is finally next gen experience from Crysis 3/Metro LL.