Need Advice - Upgrading Computer

[Renzusss]

Hey Guys,

Need advice/input on my planned upgrade.

My current setup is:

CPU: Intel Core i5 760
Motherboard: Asus P7P55D-E Deluxe
Ram: (Forgot exact specifications, other than it is 8gb)
GPU: Zotac Geforce GTX 970 SLI
Sound: Asus Xonar Essence STX
PSU: Cougar GX 1050w
HDD : 1.5 TB (forgot brand)
OS: Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium

I plan to upgrade to an Intel Core i7 4790k CPU. Would it be advisable to upgrade to Haswell-E CPUs/Motherboards instead? Will the higher price of Haswell-E CPU/motherboard be worth it, compared to previous generation CPU/motherboards?

Other than the GPU and sound card (and perhaps the PSU), I could also use some advice regarding what to get for the following parts:

Motherboard,
Ram,
SSD/HDD, and
Other parts I might need.

Here are more information on my planned upgrade:

Purpose: Gaming.

Budget: PhP40000-PhP65000 (roughly $1000-$1500)

Location: Philippines

Brand Preference: Intel for CPU - no preference as to other parts

Current Parts: I will maintain my GPU, soundcard, and perhaps PSU, unless my PSU is already deemed too old or inadequate.

Resolution: 120-144hz, 1080p (might eventually upgrade to 1440p/2180p, depending on the performance of the upcoming AMD cards)

Overclocking: Might overclock speeds slightly

When: Within the month until end of July.

Thanks in advance, and let me know if I need me to provide more information!

 

[Valantar]

I plan to upgrade to an Intel Core i7 4790k CPU. Would it be advisable to upgrade to Haswell-E CPUs/Motherboards instead? Will the higher price of Haswell-E CPU/motherboard be worth it, compared to previous generation CPU/motherboards?

No. Moving to the X99 platform will gain you perhaps ~5% performance with SLI. In other words, not a noticeable upgrade, and it will (easily) double your costs. Not worth it unless you run other CPU-intensive workloads besides gaming.

Other than that: I'd keep the PSU - from skimming a couple of reviews, it seems good enough to keep around, and it has way more power than you need for GTX 970 SLI. I doubt you hit 50% load in most games. It should last you a while - depending on how old it is, of course.

I don't have any direct suggestions for motherboards, but if I were you I'd read some reviews and try to figure out what I want/need from the board.

You could get away with keeping your RAM too (unless it's DDR2?). Is it 2x4GB or 4x2GB? If the former, then you could get a matching kit to double the RAM, but that's not really necessary for most games yet. Upgrading to faster RAM is unnecessary unless you use integrated graphics (or your RAM is below 1600MHz/higher latency than CL9).

If you haven't used an SSD yet, I'd go for capacity over high-end features. The truth is that most users would never notice the difference between a reasonably priced, modern SSD and a high-end one. The Crucial BX100 gets decent reviews, and is relatively cheap at 500GB. The Samsung 850 Evo is good too. The 850 Pro or Sandisk Extreme will give you a bit more performance, but most likely you'll never know the difference. Unless the HDD is failing, keep it for mass storage.

Also, for current gaming, the performance difference between an i5 4690K and an i7 4790K is negligible. The 4 extra threads might be useful in the future, though (DX12 and all). Still, that's a few years ahead.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If July 31 is a firm absolute last day to order parts, that would rule out Skylake processors due in August.

Pretty tough to NOT recommend an SSD if you are spending $1000 plus. Do you have access to Samsung, Intel, or Crucial brands?

If that CPU is 6 or 7 years old, I'd at least consider replacing it. I think it's an HEC product that was well-reviewed at the time. Do you have access to EVGA, XFX, Seasonic, Corsair, or Super Flower brands?

Might be a good idea to post a link to your most likely vendor or two in the Philippines.

 

[Valantar]

If that CPU is 6 or 7 years old, I'd at least consider replacing it. I think it's an HEC product that was well-reviewed at the time. Do you have access to EVGA, XFX, Seasonic, Corsair, or Super Flower brands?

I'm guessing you mean PSU, not CPU?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I'm guessing you mean PSU, not CPU?

Yep, my error entirely.

 

[mfenn]

No. Moving to the X99 platform will gain you perhaps ~5% performance with SLI. In other words, not a noticeable upgrade, and it will (easily) double your costs. Not worth it unless you run other CPU-intensive workloads besides gaming.

Agree. The high clocks of the Socket 1150 platform make it superior to X99 for gaming while costing a lot less.

If you haven't used an SSD yet, I'd go for capacity over high-end features. The truth is that most users would never notice the difference between a reasonably priced, modern SSD and a high-end one. The Crucial BX100 gets decent reviews, and is relatively cheap at 500GB. The Samsung 850 Evo is good too. The 850 Pro or Sandisk Extreme will give you a bit more performance, but most likely you'll never know the difference. Unless the HDD is failing, keep it for mass storage.

Definitely. The money spent on an SSD will be noticed much more in day-to-day usage than the same money spent on a CPU.

You could get away with keeping your RAM too (unless it's DDR2?). Is it 2x4GB or 4x2GB? If the former, then you could get a matching kit to double the RAM, but that's not really necessary for most games yet. Upgrading to faster RAM is unnecessary unless you use integrated graphics (or your RAM is below 1600MHz/higher latency than CL9).

The OP's Lynnfield is definitely DDR3, so he is good there.

 

[Renzusss]

Thank you for all the advice, everyone! Apologies for responding only now.

Other than that: I'd keep the PSU - from skimming a couple of reviews, it seems good enough to keep around, and it has way more power than you need for GTX 970 SLI. I doubt you hit 50% load in most games. It should last you a while - depending on how old it is, of course.

I bought the PSU back in 2011, in order to power 2 superclocked GTX 580s. Somehow, my 850w PSU couldn't handle the GPUs, so I switched to a 1050w PSU. Based on your advice, I shall keep the PSU.

You could get away with keeping your RAM too (unless it's DDR2?). Is it 2x4GB or 4x2GB? If the former, then you could get a matching kit to double the RAM, but that's not really necessary for most games yet. Upgrading to faster RAM is unnecessary unless you use integrated graphics (or your RAM is below 1600MHz/higher latency than CL9).

If I remember correctly, my RAM is a single 8gb one, though it is indeed DDR3. I just have to double check its actual specifications. Is there a noticeable difference from a RAM that is below 1600MHz, compared to one that is 1600MHz+? I think my current RAM is below 1600MHz.

If July 31 is a firm absolute last day to order parts, that would rule out Skylake processors due in August.

Are the new Skylake processors worth the wait? Compared to Devil's Canyon I mean. If so, I think I can wait until August. However, considering that Haswell-E just arrived in the Philippines a few months back, I think it will take some time before Skylake processors arrive in the Philippines

Pretty tough to NOT recommend an SSD if you are spending $1000 plus. Do you have access to Samsung, Intel, or Crucial brands?

If that CPU is 6 or 7 years old, I'd at least consider replacing it. I think it's an HEC product that was well-reviewed at the time. Do you have access to EVGA, XFX, Seasonic, Corsair, or Super Flower brands?

Might be a good idea to post a link to your most likely vendor or two in the Philippines.

The shop I purchase from here in the Philippines is able to import those brands (Samsung, Intel, Crucial, EVGA, XFX, Seasonic, etc.), except Super Flower. Here is a link to their item listing:

http://www.tipidpc.com/useritems.php?username=PCHub

The importation dues can be quite a pain here, since the prices really jack-up. Plus, there are hardly any price cuts here, so... There.

Thank you again for everything, guys!

 

[Renzusss]

Thank you for all the advice, everyone! Apologies for responding only now.

Regarding my PSU, I bought it back in 2011 in order to power my 2 superclocked GTX 580s. For some reason, my previous 850w PSU could not handle the 2 GPUs. Thus, I upgraded to the 1050w PSU. Based from the advice given, I shall keep the PSU.

As to the RAM, I believe my RAM is a single 8gb RAM. Is there any noticeable difference between a RAM that is 1600MHz+, and one that is below 1600MHz? If I remember correctly, my RAM is below 1600MHz.

Concerning the period within which I will upgrade, I could wait until August before purchasing the parts. However, is it worth it to wait for Skylake processors? Are the Skylake processors comparably better than the Devil's Canyon processors? If so, then I might wait until August before upgrading. Then again, considering that the Haswell-E processors just arrived here in the Philippines several months back, I doubt I will be able to purchase a Skylake processor this year.

The shop I purchase from here in the Philippines is able to import the brands mentioned, except for Super Flower. Here is a link of the item listing of the shop:

http://www.tipidpc.com/useritems.php?username=PCHub

The unfortunate thing here in the Philippines is that the importation dues are quite high, thereby jacking-up the prices of computer parts as well. But that is another matter.

Anyway, thank you again for all the advice, guys!

 

[Valantar]

If I remember correctly, my RAM is a single 8gb one, though it is indeed DDR3. I just have to double check its actual specifications. Is there a noticeable difference from a RAM that is below 1600MHz, compared to one that is 1600MHz+? I think my current RAM is below 1600MHz.

In that case, I'd try to find a matching 8GB stick (i.e. with the same or better specs) to move to dual channel. The difference between 1333MHz and 1600+ isn't huge, but it's there. Depends entirely on your workload, though. I'd prioritize moving to 16GB before replacing what you have for more speed.

Are the new Skylake processors worth the wait? Compared to Devil's Canyon I mean. If so, I think I can wait until August. However, considering that Haswell-E just arrived in the Philippines a few months back, I think it will take some time before Skylake processors arrive in the Philippines.

Nobody knows yet, but considering the just-released Broadwell-DT chips show a ~5-10% IPC increase compared to Haswell, I'd expect Skylake to be between 15 and 20% faster than Haswell. It's worth considering that most Skylake motherboards will use DDR4, though, which will add a significant cost to your build. I'd go for Haswell now rather than waiting.

 

[Renzusss]

In that case, I'd try to find a matching 8GB stick (i.e. with the same or better specs) to move to dual channel. The difference between 1333MHz and 1600+ isn't huge, but it's there. Depends entirely on your workload, though. I'd prioritize moving to 16GB before replacing what you have for more speed.

Thanks for this advice! I think it will be cheaper if I just purchase another 8gb 1333MHz stick. Plus, I wouldn't be wasting my old RAM away.

Nobody knows yet, but considering the just-released Broadwell-DT chips show a ~5-10% IPC increase compared to Haswell, I'd expect Skylake to be between 15 and 20% faster than Haswell. It's worth considering that most Skylake motherboards will use DDR4, though, which will add a significant cost to your build. I'd go for Haswell now rather than waiting.

Thank you as well for your input on which CPU/Motherboard to buy! Just one last point of clarification though. Between Skylake, Haswell, and Devil's Canyon, I should go for Haswell? Again, thank you for the patience in guiding me through my planned upgrade! All the information given has really been helpful.

 

[mfenn]

Thank you as well for your input on which CPU/Motherboard to buy! Just one last point of clarification though. Between Skylake, Haswell, and Devil's Canyon, I should go for Haswell? Again, thank you for the patience in guiding me through my planned upgrade! All the information given has really been helpful.

Devil's Canyon is Haswell with a different packaging. If you're looking to overclock, it makes sense to look at the Devil's Canyon chips (i5 4690K and i7 4790K).

Skylake is the next generation which isn't out yet. So really it depends on whether or not you're willing to wait.

Regarding SSDs, the one that I would recommend from your link is the Crucial BX100 250GB for PHP 4500.

 

[Renzusss]

Devil's Canyon is Haswell with a different packaging. If you're looking to overclock, it makes sense to look at the Devil's Canyon chips (i5 4690K and i7 4790K).

Skylake is the next generation which isn't out yet. So really it depends on whether or not you're willing to wait.

Regarding SSDs, the one that I would recommend from your link is the Crucial BX100 250GB for PHP 4500.

Ahhh. Thanks for the clarification! I believe I now have everything I need to know for my upgrade. Thank you again for all the advice!

 

[rcarlos243]

Hold off on upgrading the CPU as Skylake is supposed to be significantly faster than Haswell.

As for the monitor the Acer XB270HU is the best at the moment as it is 2560x1440P 144Hz IPS with G-Sync.