The Ultimate PC for 2022

[gold333]

I've been out of it for a while and need some advice.

Basically I am looking for the top spec PC money can buy today.


I am still using the top spec PC of 2008 and it still runs modern releases like Assassin's Creed Unity at 40-50 fps (with a modern video card). The Q9650 was really a beast. I've literally had no need for Nehalem, Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, whatever they are. The DDR3 also helped a lot.

This is a 7 year old PC:

Q9650@4.2 ghz @ 1.28v
Asus Striker II Extreme nForce 790i
Asus Silent Knight II
8GB Corsair DHX DDR3 @ 1800
Nvidia GTX 670 CuII Top @ 1200/7400
1TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Coolermaster 600W Silent Pro
Sunbeam UV reactive Acrylic transparent Case: so I see the dust status.

Win 7x64

The Hard disk alone has 32556 hours on it (3.71 years uptime) and has booted up 2368 times according to crystal disk info. SMART status still shows it's ok.

I fried the Striker II once with a shortcircuit (burn marks on motherboard and burning smell) but Asus soldered it and it still runs at ~1900FSB (475) @ 4.2 ghz after all these years. The case interior gets blown out with a 6 bar air compressor machine every few months.


I have skipped all the architectures from 2008 until today and I have no idea what to get that will still give top tier performance in 2022.


Can someone give advice? Preferably also brand/model names?

I'm an Intel/Asus/Nvidia/WD type of person though because of my personal experience. I've been holding out waiting for Nvidia and Asus to release the nforce Striker III Extreme but that doesn't look like that's ever going to happen. I'm also heavily into OC'ing.

My desire for this decade is to duplicate a Holodeck type of gaming environment. I.e. Nvidia 3D Vision using large projectors.

Thanks if you can offer any advice.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Basically I am looking for the top spec PC money can buy today.

That's easy for consumer-level gear. 5960X+X99 mainboard+64GB RAM+Quad-SLI Titan X's.

The real question is how much you're willing to spend on it...

 

[tweakboy]

2022 Ill be on my same box, I will burry it ..... I get a new video card once a 3 or 4 years.. you guy are salavating.

If your rich go for it....



Do we really need Quad SLI ......... unless you plan on playing in 4k and demand 60fps at all times. Dual socket consumer boards in 2022 for sure. Sometimes drops to 59fps and shot back up.

I had a Q6600 and its a POS compared to todays standards . Drop a Sandy and your good to go now.

 

[crashtech]

X99, 5930K, and a very good CPU cooler would form the basis of a sane yet forward looking system.

 

[gold333]

Thanks all.

There is a reason I do not run an older multiplier unlocked Extreme processor like the QX9650 as the watt per performance is not comparable.

Do the modern CPUs still have such a distinction? Like a behemoth XE chip that just isn't worth it in terms of voltage and heat output?

I.e. To hit 4.2 needs far less voltage and heat output on a newer Q9650 than on the older "Extreme" QX9650. At 4.2ghz the Q hits 64c and 1.28v on air and the QX I believe hits 80c and needs 1.45v. And I'm not into water cooling.


@Insert_Nickname: The budget doesn't really matter as I don't plan to upgrade it for something close to 10 years, same as I did on the Q9650 & Asus Striker II Extreme combo. Really the only reason I'm upgrading is that there is no faster processor money can buy on this socket today. I had an E8500@4.2 in there for a while before upgrading to the Q9650.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Top spec PC money can buy: check with the NSA!!

Seriously, cost no object, nickname's suggestion is correct. At a more reasonable level, overclocked 5820K hex core or quad 4790k, both with plenty of ram (at least 16gb) and a GTX 980, or maybe 2,would be top of the line for a mainstream gaming machine.

However, if you have waited this long, I think I would wait a few more months. Skylake is supposed to be out late summer and should give a decent improvement unless you decide to go hex core. GTX980Ti is also supposed to be available soon, and then there is the supposedly uber powerful R9390x with HBM from AMD which should have already been available, but has seen delays.(Pretty sure it should be launched in that time frame, but availability may be scarce.) Also about this time Win 10 should be available as well.

Edit: Crashtech, you are right. For a very high end system, 5930k is a better choice than 5820k because of more PCIe lanes. I dont ever think of that because personally, I would never spring for more than a single card. Also, if the OP wanted to go hex core, he could get everything but the gpu now, use an old card for a while, and buy the latest and greatest gpu after the R9390x and GTX980Ti shake out in the market.

 

[scannall]

You've waited this long. Just hang in there a few more months for Skylake. Buying now puts you at the end of the cycle for this socket. Start fresh at the beginning of the next one.

 

[el etro]

Core I7 6700k with 12-16GB RAM and no more.

Forget about graphics cards for 2022, their firepower double at each three years so whatever you buy will get obsolete pretty fast...

 

[aaksheytalwar]

5930k
64GB RAM
2 x Titan X SLI

 

[crashtech]

You guys think the mainstream Skylake platform is going to be have more staying power than X99? Hmm, maybe.

 

[scannall]

You guys think the mainstream Skylake platform is going to be have more staying power than X99? Hmm, maybe.

It's not just the CPU, it's the chipset as well. Lots of changes there.

 

[frozentundra123456]

You guys think the mainstream Skylake platform is going to be have more staying power than X99? Hmm, maybe.

Depends on the use case most likely, if skylake overclocks at all, and how lucky you get on overclocking the 5930k.

 

[Hulk]

I am still using the top spec PC of 2008 and it still runs modern releases like Assassin's Creed Unity at 40-50 fps (with a modern video card). The Q9650 was really a beast. I've literally had no need for Nehalem, Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, whatever they are. The DDR3 also helped a lot.

Seems like your current rig is handling everything you do so why upgrade?

 

[SPBHM]

if you can expend the money, 5960X is an easy choice, unlike the $1K CPUs from 2008 (QX9650) it actually offers a clear advantage over $500 CPUs like your Q9650 was (2 extra cores compared to the 5930K), this is the way to go if you absolutely cannot upgrade the CPU until 2022... but I would recommend buying just the 5820K or 4790K now and upgrading sooner, or just wait until the Haswell-e replacement;

 

[ultimatebob]

I'd imagine that the average desktop gaming PC in 2022 will have a 16 core CPU running around 4.5 GHz, have 128 GB of DDR5 RAM, a 4 TB SSD, and an NVidia or AMD card that's about 4 times faster than anything available now.

Oh, and it will cost about $1,200 and probably use half as much power as a typical gaming PC now.

In order words, buy the PC that you need NOW and don't worry about what you'll need in the distant future.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

@Insert_Nickname: The budget doesn't really matter as I don't plan to upgrade it for something close to 10 years, same as I did on the Q9650 & Asus Striker II Extreme combo. Really the only reason I'm upgrading is that there is no faster processor money can buy on this socket today. I had an E8500@4.2 in there for a while before upgrading to the Q9650.

Just a suggestion, but I'd think one does get more out of upgrading every 5 or so years. I went from a 920 (2009, D0 stepping) to a 3770non-K (more for platform rather then performance) in '12 which I'm planning on will last until Skylake-E hits sometime in late '16/early '17.

I know a few people still rocking on Nehalem (750, 920/930), who'll properly upgrade when Skylake hits.

Personally I'm waiting for Skylake-E. That should prove a very worthwhile and long-lived upgrade.

Seriously, cost no object, nickname's suggestion is correct. At a more reasonable level, overclocked 5820K hex core or quad 4790k, both with plenty of ram (at least 16gb) and a GTX 980, or maybe 2,would be top of the line for a mainstream gaming machine.

Agree with Crashtest. For any sort of multi-GPU set-up, the 5930K is a better deal. On a budget there is also the E5-1620, but that's more of a... speciality... CPU.

It's not just the CPU, it's the chipset as well. Lots of changes there.

It's not particularly revolutionary. Only worthwhile change is a faster DMI link (PCIe 2.0 x4>3.0 x4). The real fun comes with Skylake-E, which will have PCIe 4.0 if rumours are to be believed.

 

[lord_emperor]

Why not two Xeon E5-2699 and Four TitanX? Who doesn't want to drop $20k on their PC?

 

[Arachnotronic]

Why not two Xeon E5-2699 and Four TitanX? Who doesn't want to drop $20k on their PC?

Do you know where an E5-2699 v3 can even be bought? They ain't on Newegg!

 

[jji7skyline]

I think you can buy them on Amazon.

A basic i7+X99 system with 16GB of RAM will be great because:

- DDR4 memory support will last a long time
- 6-core i7 will be top of the line for at least 2 years and after that you can snap up the cheap second hand lga2011-v3 Xeons with 8+ cores.
- Go for a well balanced graphics card like a GTX980 or R9 290X and upgrade periodically.

 

[Justinbaileyman]

I say wait it out for skylake-K in a couple months and screw x99 there are we to many problems with that platform. Just look at all the reviews for the motherboards not working or crapping out. No thank you!!Besides skylake will be a totally new tech with all new pipe lines and instruction sets you are going to want to have that x99 wont provide. And can you say cheaper DDR4 at skylake launch??Thats just my 2 cents worth.

 

[jji7skyline]

I say wait it out for skylake-K in a couple months and screw x99 there are we to many problems with that platform. Just look at all the reviews for the motherboards not working or crapping out. No thank you!!Besides skylake will be a totally new tech with all new pipe lines and instruction sets you are going to want to have that x99 wont provide. And can you say cheaper DDR4 at skylake launch??Thats just my 2 cents worth.

If anything DDR4 prices will go up for a bit until supply and demand equalise.

X99 chipset gives you the option to upgrade to server-grade Xeons in future, so I would still totally go for it over Skylake.

 

[RussianSensation]

5820K with X99 for now and overclock to 4.3Ghz+. Then in about 4-5 years, find a used top-of-the-line Broadwell-E drop in upgrade into the same system.

Alternatively, I would do as others suggested - upgrade more often. i7 6700K and in 3-4 years another new system and another in 3-4 years. But if you prefer to not upgrade for 7-8 years at a time, then go X99 as it has the most long-term potential as far as 6-8 core CPU upgrade path, and later upgrade drops for Xeons much like X58 users are enjoying their $100 6-core Xeons today.

 

[cbn]

5820K with X99 for now and overclock to 4.3Ghz+. Then in about 4-5 years, find a used top-of-the-line Broadwell-E drop in upgrade into the same system.

+1

 

[escrow4]

5820K with X99 for now and overclock to 4.3Ghz+. Then in about 4-5 years, find a used top-of-the-line Broadwell-E drop in upgrade into the same system.

Alternatively, I would do as others suggested - upgrade more often. i7 6700K and in 3-4 years another new system and another in 3-4 years. But if you prefer to not upgrade for 7-8 years at a time, then go X99 as it has the most long-term potential as far as 6-8 core CPU upgrade path, and later upgrade drops for Xeons much like X58 users are enjoying their $100 6-core Xeons today.

Assuming you get a good chip. My 5930K is an utter dog overclocking. That or the cheapo Asrock mobo. Still 3.7GHz 6 cores hammering along is OK.

 

[cbn]

Assuming you get a good chip. My 5930K is an utter dog overclocking. That or the cheapo Asrock mobo. Still 3.7GHz 6 cores hammering along is OK.

Both the ASRock Extreme 4:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-x99-haswell-e-overclocking,3934-16.html

And Extreme 3:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asrock-x99-extreme3-lga2011v3-atx-motherboard,4115.html

were capable of overclocking Tom's i7 5960X sample to 4.4 Ghz.