Need a new workstation asap, how screwed am I on timing?

[supaidaaman]

My i7 970@ 4ghz is shutting down by itself. I can't even stay in the bios for more than a minute with stock settings. The cooling is rock solid and temps have always been low with this noctua beast I have in there. There is noticeable coil whine coming from the back of the mobo by the CPU socket...so that doesn't bode well. I'm still hoping its the PSU...but haven't had the opportunity to test it.

I was hoping to upgrade in 2017 or later. It seems like my only choice is the new broadwell-E 6-8 core chips...but I imagine those aren't coming out for a couple months.

I really don't want to get trapped with end of life 2011-E mobos, but I need at least 6 cores for what I do. (3D modeling + high-end video production)

I could probably last a month without a working home PC, but I really don't want to do that.

Do you guys have any recommendations for a new workstation build? Mobo + CPU + RAM only. I'd like to keep it hovering around $1200.

 

[MrTeal]

Do you live near a Microcenter? You could always pick up a 5820k now and an X99 board now, and swap it out for a 8-10 core BW-E when they become available. You'd probably won't be that much out of pocket when you got to sell the 5820k.

 

[maddogchen]

maybe just replace the part that is broken for now.

 

[jimbob200521]

You could always sell me your i7 and put that money towards a build!

 

[supaidaaman]

I'd love to sell the parts if I knew which one was bad. I don't have the knowledge or an extra x58 mobo sitting around to test if the CPU has met its end. This 970 was hitting 4.2 ghz easy, but I tuned it down to 4ghz for every day rock solid.

I'm hoping a 5820k @ 4ghz would be a noticeable performance difference.

 

[MrTeal]

maybe just replace the part that is broken for now.

If it is the MB, it's not worth it. Quad core LGA1366 chips are dirt cheap right now, it's the X58 motherboards that are expensive.

Not sure what you render with, but my 5930k @ 4.5GHz scores 14.47 in Cinebench R11.5 while BTRY B 529th FA BN's i7-970 at 4.61 scored 11.7 in the R11.5 thread, so you might see a decent bump.
A 5820k + inexpensive X99 MB + 32GB DDR4-2800 would set you back $730 online (or $670 if you live near a MC), and if you lose out on the silicon lottery you can always sell the 5820k when BW-E comes out. I'm hopeful the new 10-core slots in at the usual top end $1000 price, but who knows.

 

[supaidaaman]

So, the other night I was about to run to frys to grab a 5820k on sale...when I thought of one final test. I removed the case power/reset/audio pin connector from the motherboard and now everything is working again.

I guess the case or motherboard power connectors were bad and causing it to randomly power down.

Now I have to reach into my case and power the machine on with the on-board power button...

 

[Ken g6]

Yep, I've had that happen. You can buy a replacement power switch really cheap.