Inexpensive build to last till Skylake

[LostGuy28]

I am currently running a Q6600 overclocked to 3.6 that I have had your 7 years now. My GPU is a AMD 5870, both are getting a little long in the tooth. My normal upgrade pattern is to build a machine that is as future proof as I can and make it last by upgrading the GPU. If I were to follow this pattern today I would get a i7-5820K and an X99 mother board with DDR4. However, I don’t believe that this platform is worth the cost and would rather wait for Skylake. The issue is that unlocked Skylake chips are most likely not going to be out until 2016. That is too long for me to wait.
My thought is to go with something very inexpensive right now that will last me 18 months. I am looking at replacing only the CPU, motherboard and RAM. I will most likely pair these with a 290 or 290X depending on what their prices do.
Im looking at an AMD FX-6300. I can get it, a Gigbyte GA-970A-UD3P motherboard and 8 Gigs of RAM for $218 at NewEgg. This chip should allow for a nice overclock http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...=Combo.2144980
Is this the best value right now for what I am looking for, or should I be looking at a different chip?
THANKS!!!

 

[Arachnotronic]

Why not buy a faster, used Core 2 Quad to pop into your system until Skylake hits?

 

[NTMBK]

To be honest, I'd look at getting one of those cheap 32nm 6 core Xeons and overclocking it: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2335636 Seems like the X5650 is quite popular, and a good overclocker.

 

[LostGuy28]

I am a little concerned that my motherboard would limit my GPU? I believe that it is PCI 1.1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131196

 

[Arachnotronic]

Also, OP, I'm curious: what makes Skylake a more attractive option than an X99 + 5820K?

 

[SPBHM]

I am a little concerned that my motherboard would limit my GPU? I believe that it is PCI 1.1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131196

I would be more worried about the CPU performance than PCIE.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GTX_980_PCI-Express_Scaling/21.html

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

OP I am doing the same thing. My 6 year old rig (mobo was only 3 years old but warped from CPU cooler) was giving me stability issues and I needed something stable enough for software development to last me until Skylake. So I went to Micocenter and bought an AMD 8320E + ASUS M5A97 2.0 for $150. I originally was planning to go all out with X99 and Haswell-E but it really just does not seem worth the cost. With the new Skylake architecture, 14nm FET gate length, and official NVMe support, waiting seems like the best option. Hopefully DDR4 will go down in cost by then as well.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Yeah me too, Skylake will be next upgrade from a 2600K which still kicks ass, but the USB ports on my mobo are starting to flake out sometimes. So I'm starting to do research on the new chipset beforehand.

 

[Flapdrol1337]

The 6300 is the most attractive amd chip imo, but some games really don't like FX cpu's. What games do you play?

8GB ram, H81 board and an i5-4460 might be a good option.

 

[Omar F1]

To be honest, I'd look at getting one of those cheap 32nm 6 core Xeons and overclocking it: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2335636 Seems like the X5650 is quite popular, and a good overclocker.

Second this suggestion, in case you can find a cheap X58 board.

 

[escrow4]

OP I am doing the same thing. My 6 year old rig (mobo was only 3 years old but warped from CPU cooler) was giving me stability issues and I needed something stable enough for software development to last me until Skylake. So I went to Micocenter and bought an AMD 8320E + ASUS M5A97 2.0 for $150. I originally was planning to go all out with X99 and Haswell-E but it really just does not seem worth the cost. With the new Skylake architecture, 14nm FET gate length, and official NVMe support, waiting seems like the best option. Hopefully DDR4 will go down in cost by then as well.

?

The 5820K would obliterate any FX CPU.

OP I have a 5930K and I wouldn't trade it for anything - games now are using more than 4 threads and those extra cores will help. Skylake is still 4 boring cores.

 

[Burpo]

To be honest, I'd look at getting one of those cheap 32nm 6 core Xeons and overclocking it

Hex-Core Xeon @ $80 has the best value going.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SLBV3-Intel...137?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f7d84051
BloodRage X58 motherboard.
http://www.ascendtech.us/foxconn-bloodrage-gti-lga1366-intel-x58_i_mb7foxbloodrage.aspx

For $200 you can get 4Ghz Intel Hex-Core goodness.
Need a good power supply, 3 sticks DDR3 RAM & sound/video..

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

?

The 5820K would obliterate any FX CPU.

OP I have a 5930K and I wouldn't trade it for anything - games now are using more than 4 threads and those extra cores will help. Skylake is still 4 boring cores.

Of course it would when I did I say it wouldn't?

I am just using this cheap Microcenter combo until I build a brand new rig with Skylake. Haswell-E just was not worth it for me. Also Windows 10 and hopefully better monitors will be out by then so might as well wait so my entire rig will be cutting edge.

 

[Ramses]

Of course it would when I did I say it wouldn't?

I am just using this cheap Microcenter combo until I build a brand new rig with Skylake. Haswell-E just was not worth it for me. Also Windows 10 and hopefully better monitors will be out by then so might as well wait so my entire rig will be cutting edge.

You could also buy four or five of them for that that 58 or 59 costs.
Enjoy it till the other stuff get's cheaper.

OP, I vote XEON. :thumbsup:

 

[erunion]

The issue is that unlocked Skylake chips are most likely not going to be out until 2016.

I don't think that's accurate.

 

[flexy]

I am currently running a Q6600 overclocked to 3.6 that I have had your 7 years now. My GPU is a AMD 5870, both are getting a little long in the tooth. My normal upgrade pattern is to build a machine that is as future proof as I can and make it last by upgrading the GPU. If I were to follow this pattern today I would get a i7-5820K and an X99 mother board with DDR4. However, I don’t believe that this platform is worth the cost and would rather wait for Skylake. The issue is that unlocked Skylake chips are most likely not going to be out until 2016. That is too long for me to wait.
My thought is to go with something very inexpensive right now that will last me 18 months.

I was in EXACTLY the same boat as you with the same reasoning and pretty much the same specs!

This is why I got a used i7, a Z87 Board and 2 sticks of Corsair Vengeance memory from a forum. No point in spending more in a Z97 system or Devil's Canyon (IMHO), and also relatively pointless to get a X99 system with Skylake coming out soon.

So....I'd say a i7 is really overkill also (I5 would be entirely sufficient), get yourself a Z87 board and you're all set. It really makes a BIG difference, MORE memory than the 4GB I had, i7 at 4.5 etc.. Such a system can tie you over until Skylake K is out and DDR4 is affordable. And you don't spend premium on a Z97 board (it's the same as Z87 really just with some gimmicks thrown in which no-one requires) and Devil's Canyon "in essence" is just a re-hashed Haswell too.

You can ALSO well get an older Ivy Bridge or Sandy bridge system, nothing wrong with that if you get a good deal. Forums are full with people selling their Ivy Bridges, Sandys and Z87 systems.

 

[flexy]

Why not buy a faster, used Core 2 Quad to pop into your system until Skylake hits?

What would be that "faster Core 2 Quad"? I am curious.

 

[therealnickdanger]

What would be that "faster Core 2 Quad"? I am curious.

Anything in the Q9000-family is not only faster, but 45nm better perf/W. Should be good for a 20% increase in frames, assuming both are stock. Overclocking both to higher limits would obviously yield difference results:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/53?vs=49

Do what I do. Go to Craigslist and search for "i7" and enter a price range of $50-200 (to filter out all the $1 scams) and then buy the cheapest i7 system on there. Put in your HD5870. Profit.

 

[Yuriman]

@OP, what is your intended use?

An FX chip has roughly similar performance per clock to your Core2Quad, but will clock higher and give you more cores. Many games don't scale well past 4 cores, but if you're doing non-gaming stuff, you may benefit. The FX chips could be attractive considering you can get 4 more cores with ~25% higher (overclocked) single-threaded performance for less than the price of a Haswell i3.

A Haswell i3 of the same clock would be more of a sidegrade. I did that for my wife's PC, and mostly enjoyed cutting IDLE power consumption by more than 150w while gaining frames in games that are single-thread bound. Guild Wars 2 and Skyrim, for instance, saw close to a 50% performance increase going from a 3.4GHz C2Q, while Civ5 stayed about the same. A stock i3 will still have at least a 20% lead in single-threaded stuff over an overclocked FX chip, but is, of course, a dual core with hyperthreading and will get slaughtered in things like encoding.

An i5 will be a solid all-around upgrade. With a moderate overclock you're looking at close to doubling your per-thread performance and overall performance, but an unlocked i5 is around $100 more expensive than an i3 or cheap FX-8, and Z97 motherboards cost a premium. You might also consider something like a 4790K in a cheap B85 motherboard to cut costs, as it'll probably be close to it's max overclock with reasonable voltage already.

 

[Arachnotronic]

@OP

I think you would be better served buying the 5820K + X99 outright rather than buying a stopgap system. Let's do the math.

If you were to buy the proposed AMD FX setup, you would pay $218 for DDR3 + AM3+ board + FX 6300 CPU.

Then, when Skylake comes along, you would pay ~$330 for the i7 Skylake CPU, ~$130ish for the motherboard, then you'd probably want 16GB of DDR4 (2x8GB) which today goes for $175ish, but let's say prices drop 20% by the time you want to buy, so call it $140.

So your total cost is $218 (stopgap) + $600 (Skylake) = $818.

Now, what if you just bit the bullet and bought an X99 system now?

$389 for the CPU, $215 for the board, and $175 for the RAM. Total cost? $779. And you get 50% more cores, and you get the system you actually want sooner. I'd also bet a 6 core Haswell will last longer than a 4 core Skylake.

IMO, it's a no brainer, especially since you seem to use systems for a long time -- get the X99 and be done with it.

 

[clayton006]

If you REALLY can't wait (and you really want to wait on Skylake), I would get something used from a z87 chipset and haswell if you can. Otherwise, if you buy now and aren't waiting then go x99 and be done with it.

Is there a certain feature set you are looking forward to with Skylake?

I'm on a pretty stout x79 system and I'm going to hopefully hold out for Skylake-E. I'm hoping by then that 8-core CPUs will mature in the desktop space enough for some crazy clock speeds and still have some decent overclocking headroom. I'm also looking for more PCI-E lanes and USB 3.1 native. Time will tell.
I know what it is like to play the waiting game, but I really think this system will hold me for another 3 years well.

 

[NTMBK]

Anything in the Q9000-family is not only faster, but 45nm better perf/W. Should be good for a 20% increase in frames, assuming both are stock. Overclocking both to higher limits would obviously yield difference results:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/53?vs=49

His Q6600 is already heavily overclocked. Doubt he would see much difference.

 

[sammykhalifa]

Sorry (and sorry for the slight derail here), but I'm much in the same boat in that I'm looking to upgrade an old system. However, I'm just looking at going to a Haswell processor. Yes, I'm constantly behind the times. But is it worth it to wait? Will the current chips take a tumble in price when Skylake comes out?

 

[clayton006]

Sorry (and sorry for the slight derail here), but I'm much in the same boat in that I'm looking to upgrade an old system. However, I'm just looking at going to a Haswell processor. Yes, I'm constantly behind the times. But is it worth it to wait? Will the current chips take a tumble in price when Skylake comes out?

In the used market you will see a tumble of prices. I doubt you will see much dip in new CPU prices (and if you do, they will go quickly).

 

[III-V]

Sorry (and sorry for the slight derail here), but I'm much in the same boat in that I'm looking to upgrade an old system. However, I'm just looking at going to a Haswell processor. Yes, I'm constantly behind the times. But is it worth it to wait? Will the current chips take a tumble in price when Skylake comes out?

Prices definitely won't come down. They stay pretty flat, the vast majority of the time, for Intel, even for old inventory. For AMD, they launch high, and taper off over time.