Help me find a new CPU/MoBo/RAM combo after old C2Q Q9550 died

[ntagger]

Hi all,

First post to this board (even though I could swear I was a member earlier but seem to have forgot the log-in name). Anyway, this is going to be my first build in a few years (as you can tell by the old C2Q Q9559 that died on my Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R w 8GB of RAM) so I thought I'd ask you guys for some expert advice before I build a "new" PC.

The build will mostly be used as a workstation (I don't game):
1. python/pandas (CSV files up to 1GB)
2. excel (has to be able to preform calculations on large datasets)
3. Photo editing (lightroom/photoshop)
4. Video editing (premere pro)

I will most likely not overclock, but if I do, it will be a one-time "set-it-and-forget-it".

Here are my first thoughts in terms of CPU:
Option 1 (budget build: ADM FX-8350 or i5-4460;
Option 2 (if there's more bang for the buck performance vice, I'd consider this):i5-4690K or E3-1230 v3

MoBo:
I know very little about AMD, but for the Intel I was thinking like:
- Asus B85-M GAMER (if i go with 4690K)
- ASRock H97-PRO4

RAM:
16GB value ram (if no overclocking)


I'm also interested in how big performance boost i'd see over my old rig with option 1 and 2.... I was looking around and it looked like my Q9550 was on par with the AMD 8320 (just a step below 8350)...can that be?! sounds strange considering Q9550 is almost 6 years old.

I was planning on keeping the following hardware from my old build:

1 x OCZ Vertex 3 SSD (120GB)
1 x PSU Corsair TX650M
2 x WD Red (3TB)
1 x Gigabyte 730GT

One more caveat, this is my first build in Hong Kong after moving here from the US about a year ago, so for your ref here are some prices:

CPU:
AMD FX 8320 HK$1,100 $141.39
AMD FX 8350 HK$1,330 $170.95
Intel Core i5-4460 HK$1,348 $173.26
Intel Core i5-4590 HK$1,459 $187.53
AMD FX 8370 HK$1,590 $204.37
Intel Core i5-4690 HK$1,629 $209.38
Intel Core i5-4690K HK$1,759 $226.09
Intel XEON E3-1225v3 HK$1,789 $229.95
Intel XEON E3-1230v3 HK$1,980 $254.50


I'm grateful for any help you guys (and girls) can offer...

Cheers!

 

[LTC8K6]

I would think with Skylake chips and boards out, you should go with that.

i5-6600K and an LGA1151 board.

 

[ntagger]

I would think with Skylake chips and boards out, you should go with that.

i5-6600K and an LGA1151 board.

Thanks for your answer.

I'm assuming this would be a higher performing option that the xeon e-1230, but is the price to performance worth the jump to Skylake? I read that the new chipset is out, but don't know much about it. I'm assuming RAM would be quite a bit more expensive as well?

 

[LTC8K6]

That Xeon probably has a slight edge with the hyperthreading.

Skylake is going to be more future proof, I would think, with the newer socket and the newer board features. Later you could drop in an i7 Skylake for a boost.

A current Haswell i5 is already far faster than the C2Q.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1368?vs=50

Skylake just stretches the lead.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1544?vs=50

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1544?vs=1369

i5 Skylake vs a chip very similar to that Xeon.

 

[ntagger]

That's food for thought. I guess it really comes down to future proofing and how much to pay for that. Is that an accurate assessment?

So the 1150 socket is on its way out, and with that DDR3? How long before the RAM will be hard to upgrade on a 1050 you think?

Thanks again for the help!

 

[redzo]

That's food for thought. I guess it really comes down to future proofing and how much to pay for that. Is that an accurate assessment?

So the 1150 socket is on its way out, and with that DDR3? How long before the RAM will be hard to upgrade on a 1050 you think?

Thanks again for the help!

Buy as much DDR3 as possible when it's cheap!
I think that right now it should be the right time to purchase more ddr3. I've payed almost twice the current price on my 4x8GB ddr3 2.5 years ago. 32GB it's the maximum that you can go on 1150 anyways(4 x 8 GB modules).

Excel loves real or fake cores. The "moar" cores, the better. http://us.hardware.info/reviews/446...d-tested-benchmarks-igpu-microsoft-excel-2013
A hyper threaded intel quad ivy bridge or haswell would have been ideal. This is actually one of those few benchmarks where the amd fx 8350 shines.

EDIT:
Adobe Premiere Pro video encode:
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-charts-2015/-31-Adobe-Premiere-Pro-CC,3722.html

 

[LTC8K6]

Well, you can still buy DDR and DDR2, so I don't think finding ram will be an issue.

If I already had an 1150 system, or a high end 1155 system, and needed more speed, I probably would not upgrade to Skylake. I would probably get the fastest CPU for the system and await developments.

If I were building new, I would go ahead and build a Skylake system.

AMD's socket AM3 has been dead for a while now, so I really can't recommend building a new AM3 system.

If you can wait, AMD should have a new line coming out, but it may not be until well into 2016 before we can see how it stacks up.

I already have a 4790K system, but I have the system building bug, and some spare money, and will probably build a Skylake system. :biggrin:

 

[ntagger]

The reason I brought up the RAM was because I realized I needed a upgrade to my old system, and when I looked at the cost it just wasn't worth the cost of adding more.

Good info on the AM3 though. Maybe better to stay away then even though I've seen some good benchmark scores for the fx8350.

 

[ntagger]

Saw another thread here on the topic of Excel speed that basically put the last nail in the coffin for fx-8530.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2297052

I guess that leave me with skylake or not. Right now om not convinced the premium is worth it for me.

 

[Yuriman]

In the US, Skylake isn't really at a premium over Haswell.

4670K : $230
6600K: $250

DDR4 is still a little more expensive, but it's also faster. Can't speak for Hong Kong prices though.

Before Skylake came out, the best value option was to go with the cheapest motherboard that had all of the features you needed (maybe B85 or H97-based) and a cheap Xeon. The E3-1230 v3 is around the same price as an i5-K, but is considerably faster in multithreaded loads due to overclocking, and often ends up being cheaper overall due to being able to use a cheaper motherboard with it. The next best thing was a low-end i5 (such as the 4590) paired with a cheap board. Z-series motherboards and aftermarket heatsinks can really drive up the prices.

If you hold on to systems for a long time, you'd probably be best served with a Skylake i7 or cheaper Xeon equivalent. If that stretches your budget too much right now, I'd probably recommend something like a E3-1230 v3.

 

[JeffMD]

The FX-8350 will give you your biggest bang for the buck, you will get all 8 cores for video encoding and since you don't game, there isn't much else to worry about performance wise.

However there is no future in the mobo/ddr3 you would need to purchase. The next time you want to upgrade the cpu you will undoubtedly need to jump to a new cpu socket with ddr4. So stepping into skylake now even with a slower 4 core cpu would mean you would likely only need to drop a cpu the next time you want to update.

 

[ntagger]

In the US, Skylake isn't really at a premium over Haswell.

4670K : $230
6600K: $250

DDR4 is still a little more expensive, but it's also faster. Can't speak for Hong Kong prices though.

Before Skylake came out, the best value option was to go with the cheapest motherboard that had all of the features you needed (maybe B85 or H97-based) and a cheap Xeon. The E3-1230 v3 is around the same price as an i5-K, but is considerably faster in multithreaded loads due to overclocking, and often ends up being cheaper overall due to being able to use a cheaper motherboard with it. The next best thing was a low-end i5 (such as the 4590) paired with a cheap board. Z-series motherboards and aftermarket heatsinks can really drive up the prices.

If you hold on to systems for a long time, you'd probably be best served with a Skylake i7 or cheaper Xeon equivalent. If that stretches your budget too much right now, I'd probably recommend something like a E3-1230 v3.

I agree the cpu in itself isn't that much more expensive it's more the motherboard and ram that will make it a pricier option. I'd like to go for at least 16gb of ram, and that would push the price up on ddr4.

So you think the 1230v3 is superior to the i5? I didn't think the xeon was overclockable. Or were you saying an overstocked i5 was better?

Thanks for your input.

 

[Yuriman]

Depending on what you're doing, even a stock Xeon may be faster than an overclocked i5, and you won't have to buy all of the things that allow you to overclock an i5.

 

[Cerb]

So you think the 1230v3 is superior to the i5? I didn't think the xeon was overclockable. Or were you saying an overstocked i5 was better?

Might as well get the 1231V3.

No, it is not overclockable.