Broadwell is late. Go with Haswell, Devil's Canyon or something else?

[Biggiesized]

Hi, guys. I'm looking for some advice.

I've been following the Broadwell debacle for months with the news of its release changing all the time.

I'm sitting on an old computer. Really old! I built my computer in January 2007. I have a Conroe/Allendale E6400 and GeForce 450 GTS (lifetime warranty replacement for my GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB).

Suffice it to say, this computer isn't cutting it anymore. I wanted to grab Haswell last year, but Broadwell was supposed to be around the corner and then didn't materialize. When I heard earlier this year that Broadwell might make a year end release, I had hope. Now, with the Chinese leak of the slides, it looks like it Q2 2015 for sure.

Here's my dilemma. Should I grab a Devil's Canyon when it hits the streets or grab a Haswell Xeon (e. g. E3-1231v3) since I want a discrete GPU? Also, other things to consider are the EOL cycle for DDR3 (I jumped on DDR2 right when it went out of style) with the DDR4 Haswell-E later this year.

I heard Maxwell might land in July. I hope it is true because a new GPU would likely be necessary.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Are you buying high end, midrange, or low end?

Getting an i5/i7 with iGPU would allow you to use Quick Sync and give you a backup for testing purposes if your GPU dies. No disadvantage to having it and not using it.

If you need a computer now, buy it now. Don't wait another 9 months to get something that's 2% better in a few benchmarks. That's just silly.

 

[Biggiesized]

Are you buying high end, midrange, or low end?

Are you referring to GPUs? If so, it depends on what's available or soon to be available (in the case of Maxwell). I usually like to go for value, in which case a mid-to-high end (but not top end) GPU will be suitable (<$400).

Getting an i5/i7 with iGPU would allow you to use Quick Sync and give you a backup for testing purposes if your GPU dies. No disadvantage to having it and not using it.

Typically, how do iGPUs and discrete GPUs interact with each other if both are present? Will both sets of drivers conflict with one another? Could I have Intel's QuickSync tech while using a discrete card?

If you need a computer now, buy it now. Don't wait another 9 months to get something that's 2% better in a few benchmarks. That's just silly.

Yeah, I think I'm going to pull the trigger. The tough thing is deciding on whether Devil's Canyon will be a appreciable upgrade over something like a Xeon E3-1231 v3, which has a lower clockspeed and no iGPU, but is about $100 cheaper.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Are you referring to GPUs? If so, it depends on what's available or soon to be available (in the case of Maxwell). I usually like to go for value, in which case a mid-to-high end (but not top end) GPU will be suitable (<$400).

I was referring to CPUs. The E6400 was a $128 midrange CPU at release, but the Xeon you mentioned is pretty high-end. (I typically buy in the sub-$200 range myself.)

Typically, how do iGPUs and discrete GPUs interact with each other if both are present?

That's up to you. Most people would probably just disable the iGPU and forget about it, but that's not necessary.

Will both sets of drivers conflict with one another?

No.

Could I have Intel's QuickSync tech while using a discrete card?

Yes. Not that quick sync is the end-all and be-all of video encoding, mind you. But it has its uses. There's a few different ways to accomplish this; you can google for them and decide which one suits you.

But as I mentioned, the main benefit I see from having the iGPU is, effectively, having a spare GPU for "free." (If you're comparing, say, an i7-4770 from MicroCenter to the average selling price of that Xeon E3.)

When you build your own system, you're tech support. Which often means isolating failed components the "old fashioned way" (replace it and see if it works now.)

You don't want to spend a bajillion dollars overdoing it, but building a machine with an eye to serviceability is never a dumb idea, either.

Yeah, I think I'm going to pull the trigger. The tough thing is deciding on whether Devil's Canyon will be a appreciable upgrade over something like a Xeon E3-1231 v3, which has a lower clockspeed and no iGPU, but is about $100 cheaper.

$100 buys a 512GB SSD instead of a 256GB one. For instance.

If you're gaming, you're probably better off with a higher-clocked i5 and MOAR GPU POWAR instead. Assuming you're on some kind of a budget, don't overspend on the CPU to the detriment of other parts.

 

[Biggiesized]

I was referring to CPUs. The E6400 was a $128 midrange CPU at release, but the Xeon you mentioned is pretty high-end. (I typically buy in the sub-$200 range myself.)

My Newegg invoice from January 2007 says the CPU was $223. The only reason I didn't opt for the E6600 with 4 MB L2 cache was because it was around $350 IIRC.

I have a full-time job, and enough savings to be able to afford to splurge a little bit. I would never spend more than $400 on a CPU since the value proposition quickly nosedives.

That's up to you. Most people would probably just disable the iGPU and forget about it, but that's not necessary.

I'm just worried about them interfering with each other in different applications (gaming, Photoshop, etc.)

Yes. Not that quick sync is the end-all and be-all of video encoding, mind you. But it has its uses. There's a few different ways to accomplish this; you can google for them and decide which one suits you.

I think I'd definitely be interested in dabbling with the technology, but I'm mainly a command-line x264 type of guy.

But as I mentioned, the main benefit I see from having the iGPU is, effectively, having a spare GPU for "free." (If you're comparing, say, an i7-4770 from MicroCenter to the average selling price of that Xeon E3.)

Well my GeForce 450 GTS should still be under lifetime warranty from eVGA. And like I said, I want to upgrade.

When you build your own system, you're tech support. Which often means isolating failed components the "old fashioned way" (replace it and see if it works now.)

No doubt about that. 😉 In many ways I loved the journey and at the same time, I'm always coming back to people more knowledgeable than I am when I have a hiccup every once in a while. In any case, I'm okay with this. I've built four other computers (for others) since I built my first.

You don't want to spend a bajillion dollars overdoing it, but building a machine with an eye to serviceability is never a dumb idea, either.

Are you specifically talking about having the iGPU as a backup or something else?

$100 buys a 512GB SSD instead of a 256GB one. For instance.

Fortunately, I have most of my other departments covered including reusing my PSU. I'm currently using a Samsung 830 Pro 256 GB SSD and I have an extra just hanging around. Unfortunately, my old Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 doesn't support SSD RAID (it wasn't even an idea at the time!).

Most of my budget will be towards the CPU, RAM, mobo and GPU.

If you're gaming, you're probably better off with a higher-clocked i5 and MOAR GPU POWAR instead. Assuming you're on some kind of a budget, don't overspend on the CPU to the detriment of other parts.

I'll definitely be gaming, but also video encoding and other multimedia tasks.

Thanks for keeping up with me on this thread.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

My Newegg invoice from January 2007 says the CPU was $223. The only reason I didn't opt for the E6600 with 4 MB L2 cache was because it was around $350 IIRC.

I have a full-time job, and enough savings to be able to afford to splurge a little bit. I would never spend more than $400 on a CPU since the value proposition quickly nosedives.

Oh, okay then. 🙂

I paid around $200 for a Q6600 in 2008, and ark lists the E6400 at $128. I guess there was a price drop. (!)

I'm just worried about them interfering with each other in different applications (gaming, Photoshop, etc.)

Not an issue.

I think I'd definitely be interested in dabbling with the technology, but I'm mainly a command-line x264 type of guy.

Well my GeForce 450 GTS should still be under lifetime warranty from eVGA. And like I said, I want to upgrade.

Warranties are nice, but RMAs take time. Who knows, you might want to check the tracking number online while you're waiting for the new card to show up.

I'd also assume they'd want you to do basic troubleshooting before they approve a replacement card.

No doubt about that. 😉 In many ways I loved the journey and at the same time, I'm always coming back to people more knowledgeable than I am when I have a hiccup every once in a while. In any case, I'm okay with this. I've built four other computers (for others) since I built my first.



Are you specifically talking about having the iGPU as a backup or something else?

Both. Yes, I'm talking about having the iGPU as a backup, but I'm also talking about things like buying a well-designed case instead of the cheapest thing you can find, or buying a baggie of thumbscrews to keep in the desk drawer. Or a nice set of screwdrivers. Or a backup hard drive. Whatever kinds of things strike you as potentially handy.

Fortunately, I have most of my other departments covered including reusing my PSU. I'm currently using a Samsung 830 Pro 256 GB SSD and I have an extra just hanging around. Unfortunately, my old Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 doesn't support SSD RAID (it wasn't even an idea at the time!).

Most of my budget will be towards the CPU, RAM, mobo and GPU.

Ah.

I'll definitely be gaming, but also video encoding and other multimedia tasks.

Well, given that, and given your budget, then an i7 or Xeon E3 wouldn't be out of line at all.

 

[mistersprinkles]

discrete and integrated gpus do not interfere with eachother in modern os. The same way you can have 3 audio sources (GPU, integrated and soundcard) you can have multiple video sources as well, and assign them to handle different tasks. It's the same as running an extra (crappy) GPU for Phys-X. You assign the part a job and that job is isolated from the job of the main GPU.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I have a full-time job, and enough savings to be able to afford to splurge a little bit. I would never spend more than $400 on a CPU since the value proposition quickly nosedives.

In that case I don't see anything wrong with a 4790K, or just a regular non-K 4790. Just for a bit of future proofing.

I think I'd definitely be interested in dabbling with the technology, but I'm mainly a command-line x264 type of guy.

Intel actually made Quicksync available on Haswell Pentium/Celerons recently. That said x86-based encoding is still the gold standard for quality.

You'll properly be amazed just how much faster a 4790(K) can do x264 encoding compared to your E6400. We're talking perhaps an order of magnitude...

Well my GeForce 450 GTS should still be under lifetime warranty from eVGA. And like I said, I want to upgrade.

I think a GTX750TI would be a good fit for you. It is extremely efficient, low power and as a bonus has partial x265 (no, that's not a typo) hardware decoding. Its currently the only card on the market with that capability.

Fortunately, I have most of my other departments covered including reusing my PSU. I'm currently using a Samsung 830 Pro 256 GB SSD and I have an extra just hanging around. Unfortunately, my old Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 doesn't support SSD RAID (it wasn't even an idea at the time!).

Don't RAID SSDs. Just don't. You'll never notice the additional performance, and you have twice the risk of drive failure. Besides, for the same price you can get a single large drive with the same capacity. Larger capacity drives also perform better then smaller drives. (larger capacity=more dies, more dies=higher performance)

RAID is also not a substitute for proper backup.

 

[Torn Mind]

Even a Haswell i3 would bring you performance that is more than double of what you currently have. The time to upgrade is now.

The Xeons have an IGP, but Intel disabled them by blowing the fuses present on the chip.

What is your peripheral configuration. Maybe you could upgrade those things if you have the budget.

 

[Biggiesized]

Oh, okay then. 🙂

I paid around $200 for a Q6600 in 2008, and ark lists the E6400 at $128. I guess there was a price drop. (!)

Yes. I believe the E6300 was a little cheaper at the time (~$180) but there was enough performance delta to warrant the marginal cost increase.

Over the years I had considered doing a small upgrade to something like a Q6600, but I could never find it for the right price.

Not an issue.

I know Photoshop is OpenGL accelerated. Can Intel's HD Graphics P4600 handle this?

Warranties are nice, but RMAs take time. Who knows, you might want to check the tracking number online while you're waiting for the new card to show up.

I'd also assume they'd want you to do basic troubleshooting before they approve a replacement card.

That's actually a good point. The last time I had to go through RMA, the turnaround was a little more than two weeks. My computer was pretty useless. :S

Both. Yes, I'm talking about having the iGPU as a backup, but I'm also talking about things like buying a well-designed case instead of the cheapest thing you can find, or buying a baggie of thumbscrews to keep in the desk drawer. Or a nice set of screwdrivers. Or a backup hard drive. Whatever kinds of things strike you as potentially handy.

I thought about re-using my Lian-Li case, but it isn't tool-less. It actually has a mounting bracket for floppy disks! Do you have any modern case recommendations?

Sadly I do keep all my tools/paste/etc. in a baggie of sorts, with the thumb screws and other minute accessories.

I have several 7200 RPM internal hard drives which I use for general file backup including a 1 TB and a couple of 320 GB.

Well, given that, and given your budget, then an i7 or Xeon E3 wouldn't be out of line at all.

Do you think the improved TIM and other benefits that Intel has touted is worth the premium over the Xeon E3 I linked, iGPU notwithstanding?

discrete and integrated gpus do not interfere with eachother in modern os. The same way you can have 3 audio sources (GPU, integrated and soundcard) you can have multiple video sources as well, and assign them to handle different tasks. It's the same as running an extra (crappy) GPU for Phys-X. You assign the part a job and that job is isolated from the job of the main GPU.

I do have a Creative X-Fi Elite sound card which I got really cheaply at the time. I've used since shortly after I built my computer in 2007. I've never tried to mix audio sources because I've always disabled on-board sound in my BIOS and never installed the GPU audio when I got my GeForce 450 GTS replacement. 😉

I knew you could safely use multiple GPUs if they are the same brand (high-end GeForce with a low-end GeForce), but not mix brands because of driver issues between AMD and Nvidia.

In that case I don't see anything wrong with a 4790K, or just a regular non-K 4790. Just for a bit of future proofing.

I'm only considering Devil's Canyon because of the performance I'm likely to get out of it. Otherwise, I would lean towards a cheaper Xeon unless I really want the iGPU.

Intel actually made Quicksync available on Haswell Pentium/Celerons recently. That said x86-based encoding is still the gold standard for quality.

I'm a firm believer that software algorithms do a better job than hardware algorithms. You trade off speed for quality, but I'll do that every time.

You'll properly be amazed just how much faster a 4790(K) can do x264 encoding compared to your E6400. We're talking perhaps an order of magnitude...

You have no idea how excited I will be to test it out myself. When you factor in the clock speeds (2.133 GHz vs 3.4-4.4 GHz) and then the microarchitectures, I could easily see my encoding speed increase tenfold.

I think a GTX750TI would be a good fit for you. It is extremely efficient, low power and as a bonus has partial x265 (no, that's not a typo) hardware decoding. Its currently the only card on the market with that capability.

I generally like to buy a GPU and then ride it out. Do you think it would be a safe purchase now if Maxwell is on the horizon. What about Mantle support for AMD cards? DX12 seems like it's a long time away.

I'm still using my same monitor, a Samsung 204B, which has a 1600x1200 resolution, if you can believe it. That's about the same number of pixels to be pushed as 1080p gaming. If I go to something like a 2560x1440/1600 monitor, how future proofed will I be with the 750Ti?

I have no intentions to upgrade to an Eyefinity/triple monitor/4K resolution monitor any time in the next few years.

Don't RAID SSDs. Just don't. You'll never notice the additional performance, and you have twice the risk of drive failure. Besides, for the same price you can get a single large drive with the same capacity. Larger capacity drives also perform better then smaller drives. (larger capacity=more dies, more dies=higher performance)

RAID is also not a substitute for proper backup.

What should I do with my extra SSD? I don't keep any valuable files on my SSD, just games and other program installation files.

I believe the 830 Pro 256 GB has the same performance as the 512 GB model.

 

[Biggiesized]

The Xeons have an IGP, but Intel disabled them by blowing the fuses present on the chip.

I didn't know that. I thought they were omitted entirely.

What is your peripheral configuration. Maybe you could upgrade those things if you have the budget.

I'm sticking with my mouse and keyboard (Logitech G5/G15). My PSU is a Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650W (overkill at the time, but I wanted to be safe and have future proofing).

I'll probably need a new CPU cooler to replace my Zalman CNPS9700.

As mentioned above, I'll keep my monitor for the time being.

I mainly have to overhaul the guts: CPU, mobo, RAM, GPU.

I'll re-use my DVD burners until I upgrade to a suitable Blu-ray drive.

 

[Torn Mind]

I didn't know that. I thought they were omitted entirely.



I'm sticking with my mouse and keyboard (Logitech G5/G15). My PSU is a Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650W (overkill at the time, but I wanted to be safe and have future proofing).

I'll probably need a new CPU cooler to replace my Zalman CNPS9700.

As mentioned above, I'll keep my monitor for the time being.

I mainly have to overhaul the guts: CPU, mobo, RAM, GPU.

I'll re-use my DVD burners until I upgrade to a suitable Blu-ray drive.

Omitting the IGP entirely would require "building" the silicon die a different way. Better to build them the same way and disable the unnecessary or non-functioning parts afterwards. I think Intel has 3 chip designs for all of their lines, but I need to do some info digging to find out the exact details.

Color accuracy and a bigger screen would still be features you would gain from another monitor. There are 23" IPS monitors coming down into the $150-$200 range. You can have a multi-monitor setup with the new monitor along with the old.

Changing the cooler is unnecessary unless you aim to overclock. Even so, you can first test the limits of the Zalman first to see if a new cooler is really even necessary. The Zalman cooler is better than the crappy stock cooler.

 

[Biggiesized]

Color accuracy and a bigger screen would still be features you would gain from another monitor. There are 23" IPS monitors coming down into the $150-$200 range. You can have a multi-monitor setup with the new monitor along with the old.

Unfortunately I have yet to find a monitor with the trifecta:

1) 24"+ with 1080p/1200p
2) 8-/10-bit IPS or VA for viewing angles/good color
3) Little or no input lag

If you know of a monitor with those qualifications AND don't have significant manufacturing defects, please let me know.

Changing the cooler is unnecessary unless you aim to overclock. Even so, you can first test the limits of the Zalman first to see if a new cooler is really even necessary. The Zalman cooler is better than the crappy stock cooler.

I don't think there is a compatible mounting bracket for LGA 1151. I'm still using LGA 775.

If I do go Devil's Canyon I will want to explore coolers. I'm curious as to what Intel packages with it by default.

 

[Torn Mind]

I don't think there is a compatible mounting bracket for LGA 1151. I'm still using LGA 775.

If I do go Devil's Canyon I will want to explore coolers. I'm curious as to what Intel packages with it by default.

They(Zalman) make one, but it seems you have to pay for it. With that said, you can try contacting support and ask if they can send one over for free because many stores that sell the bracket are out of stock and you don't trust Ebay or Amazon third-party sellers.

 

[Torn Mind]

Unfortunately I have yet to find a monitor with the trifecta:

1) 24"+ with 1080p/1200p
2) 8-/10-bit IPS or VA for viewing angles/good color
3) Little or no input lag

If you know of a monitor with those qualifications AND don't have significant manufacturing defects, please let me know.

In that case, you'll probably have to wait a while longer until prices come down to a level that fits your budget and more options come into the market.

http://pcgamerhome.com/best-monitor-for-gaming/

Based on the opinon of the writer of that article, the monitor that comes closest to your criteria is the Eizo Foris 2421.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/eizo_fg2421.htm

Hopefully at some point, the admin a Blur Busters will put up his review.

 

[Biggiesized]

In that case, you'll probably have to wait a while longer until prices come down to a level that fits your budget and more options come into the market.

http://pcgamerhome.com/best-monitor-for-gaming/

Based on the opinon of the writer of that article, the monitor that comes closest to your criteria is the Eizo Foris 2421.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/eizo_fg2421.htm

Hopefully at some point, the admin a Blur Busters will put up his review.

I knew you would highlight this monitor in particular. In sounds great except that it's plagued by a lot of defects, according to reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824136126

Hence my little disclaimer.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I know Photoshop is OpenGL accelerated. Can Intel's HD Graphics P4600 handle this?

No problem. The P4600 is just the "professional" workstation version of the standard HD4600. The only difference is that the P4600 has drivers certified for professional 3D work.

I'm only considering Devil's Canyon because of the performance I'm likely to get out of it. Otherwise, I would lean towards a cheaper Xeon unless I really want the iGPU.

Since you're using a discrete card, the IGP doesn't really matter anyway. The 1231v3 is an excellent CPU. The non-K 4790 "only" gives you +200MHz in both baseclock and turbo, and the IGP. The 4790K on other hand gives a not insignificant 600MHz boost in both base and turbo.

As to weather that is "worth" the additional cost is something only you can be the judge of. Personally I'd take the plunge if you plan to keep this system for as long as your old system. Its "only" $75 more over a potential 10 year span.

I generally like to buy a GPU and then ride it out. Do you think it would be a safe purchase now if Maxwell is on the horizon. What about Mantle support for AMD cards? DX12 seems like it's a long time away.

The GTX750(TI) is Maxwell-based. First generation Maxwell to be precise. For some marketing reason Nvidia decided to include them with the other Kepler-based 700-series, instead of releasing them as 800-series cards. The "Maxwell" everyone is talking about is the GTX780(TI) replacement (GM204 or 210). Nvidia is keeping very quiet about this, so nobody knows much about these. I also doubt we'll see more midrange Maxwells this year.

What should I do with my extra SSD? I don't keep any valuable files on my SSD, just games and other program installation files.

I believe the 830 Pro 256 GB has the same performance as the 512 GB model.

You could use it as a "scratch" drive for encoding. Read/write from one SSD to the other will be faster then having one drive do both.

F.x. have the file to encode on one drive, then have the output sent to the other.

 

[mfenn]

I knew you would highlight this monitor in particular. In sounds great except that it's plagued by a lot of defects, according to reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824136126

Hence my little disclaimer.

You could get a defective sample of any product. It's a pro-grade Eizo, so you just get it replaced under their 5-year warranty (or by Newegg in the first 30 days).

So in short, if you plan to only buy products that can never be DOA, then I'd suggest you put away your credit card for good. 🙂

 

[VirtualLarry]

What about buying a Q8400/Q9400 Core2Quad, and a 750ti, instead of a complete upgrade, and then wait for Haswell-E?

 

[RaistlinZ]

I'd just go 4790K and forget about it.

 

[Biggiesized]

No problem. The P4600 is just the "professional" workstation version of the standard HD4600. The only difference is that the P4600 has drivers certified for professional 3D work.

That's reassuring.

Since you're using a discrete card, the IGP doesn't really matter anyway. The 1231v3 is an excellent CPU. The non-K 4790 "only" gives you +200MHz in both baseclock and turbo, and the IGP. The 4790K on other hand gives a not insignificant 600MHz boost in both base and turbo.

As to weather that is "worth" the additional cost is something only you can be the judge of. Personally I'd take the plunge if you plan to keep this system for as long as your old system. Its "only" $75 more over a potential 10 year span.

I think I'd like to OC the Devil's Canyon chip, in which case it would definitely be worth it, but there are varied reports out there. Some reviewers are struggling to hit 4.8 GHz stable on air after Intel claimed you could hit 5 GHz easy. Others, over at XS, have hit 5 GHz pretty easily on air using pretty old coolers.

The GTX750(TI) is Maxwell-based. First generation Maxwell to be precise. For some marketing reason Nvidia decided to include them with the other Kepler-based 700-series, instead of releasing them as 800-series cards. The "Maxwell" everyone is talking about is the GTX780(TI) replacement (GM204 or 210). Nvidia is keeping very quiet about this, so nobody knows much about these. I also doubt we'll see more midrange Maxwells this year.

Yep, I'm looking for the "real" Maxwells if there is even such a thing. There has been news over the past few days of people reading shipping "manifests" as it were that state Maxwell GPUs are en route (among Broadwell and Skylake parts).

http://wccftech.com/export-data-nvidia-maxwell-gm204-256bit-bus-width-where-gtx-880/

You could use it as a "scratch" drive for encoding. Read/write from one SSD to the other will be faster then having one drive do both.

F.x. have the file to encode on one drive, then have the output sent to the other.

Yeah, a scratch disk sounds reasonable. Usually I use my 1 TB drive for that because some of the files I'm working with are in the tens if not hundreds of gigabytes in size.

You could get a defective sample of any product. It's a pro-grade Eizo, so you just get it replaced under their 5-year warranty (or by Newegg in the first 30 days).

So in short, if you plan to only buy products that can never be DOA, then I'd suggest you put away your credit card for good. 🙂

http://www.amazon.com/FORIS-FG2421-B...dp/B00GBG5SPO/

Amazon reviewers also state the same thing. The problem, how would I know what Eizo considers defective or would replace under warranty? There seem to be many problems with this particular monitor, which, if fixed, would make it the most desirable one on the market.

I'll keep my eye out for it, but there are no signs that it has been fixed in the 8 months it has been on the market.

From what I've gathered, these are B grade parts that Eizo uses in their high end monitors that end up being passed along to this "cheaper" model.

What about buying a Q8400/Q9400 Core2Quad, and a 750ti, instead of a complete upgrade, and then wait for Haswell-E?

I think I'm past that in my mind.

Besides, my mobo doesn't support the 45nm processors except for some Wolfdales.

CPU Support List for GA-965P-DS3 Rev. 2.0

I'd just go 4790K and forget about it.

I'm starting to lean this way.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I think I'm past that in my mind.

Besides, my mobo doesn't support the 45nm processors except for some Wolfdales.

CPU Support List for GA-965P-DS3 Rev. 2.0

Yep, looks like that's not even an option. (No E5200 support either, which is a shame. Some of them would do 4Ghz.)

 

[coolpurplefan]

What about buying a Q8400/Q9400 Core2Quad, and a 750ti, instead of a complete upgrade, and then wait for Haswell-E?

That's sounds tempting on paper, but if you want to laugh, several months ago, I bought an Intel E8500 (and used it with an Asus P5Q and 2GB 1066MHz RAM, Kingston I believe) and GT 640. It plays UT99, Unreal Tournament 2004, UT3 and BF2 at maximum details (in WinXP). (I even tried the same games with Win7 32-bit and AMD 5400+, 2GB 800MHz RAM, GeForce 8800GS and all those games worked.)

Here's the thing that surprised me though. Even though the E8500 is shown in benchmarks as being like 50% faster than the AMD X2 5400+, I still took like 6 and a half hours to convert a 2 and a half hour recording (of the Olympic closing ceremonies) to a video (using Camtasia 7).

This performance was unacceptable to me. I saw benchmarks showing i5-4670 is twice as fast as the E8500. As a passing comment, when looking at the movements of the Camtasia video, I noticed it's smoother on the E8500 (could record at 30 fps instead of 15 fps) than the 5400+. (There was still a very slight jerkiness though.) So a faster quad core may produce truly fluid movements which I'd prefer.

Now I have an AsRock Fatal1ty H87 Performance motherboard, Kingston 8GB 1866MHz RAM (to be used at 1600MHz at 1.5V) and a CoolerMaster GeminII M4 heatsink sitting in boxes while I'm waiting to buy the CPU. I'm probably going to buy the i5-4690. (I read the new non-K Haswell processors may not require a BIOS flash. So I may take a chance and try one anyway. If it doesn't work, I might buy an AsRock H97 motherboard. Then I'll have to figure out what to do with the H87 motherboard if I bork the BIOS trying to flash it with a new CPU.)

EDIT: I'm doing it the cheap way. Next year I want to install an 800 Series GeForce video card (maybe 850Ti with heatpipes). That might be when Windows 9 and Unreal Tournament 2015 comes out. I'm hoping the integrated HD4600 will let me play UT2004 and BF2 etc.

 

[NewYorksFinest]

I think this thread will be better in the cesspool (OT).

Or maybe CPU + Ocing.

 

[mfenn]

I think this thread will be better in the cesspool (OT).

Or maybe CPU + Ocing.

Why? It's a build thread.