i3 6100 to replace i7 920 @ 3.5GHz

[happy medium]

It's my cpu that is problematic

No your gpu is slower than your cpu. Your gpu is holding you back.

You should be able to play the games you want now with what you have, without upgrading.

 

[krypto1300]

No your gpu is slower than your cpu. Your gpu is holding you back.

You should be able to play the games you want now with what you have, without upgrading.

No, my cpu is dying. I explain earlier in the thread.

 

[happy medium]

I don't think the i3-6100 will do as well as you might imagine, especially not in games.

A 6100 plays games just fine.

 

[happy medium]

No, my cpu is dying

Well use it till it dies and then buy a Xeon. Its not gonna die tomorrow.

Why not a xeon and a gtx970? You will be good for quite a while on that setup.

 

[Ketchup]

krypto1300, 6 years on an overclocked system isn't bad. A new CPU will be faster (depending on what you get) and will run much cooler (no matter what you get).

Like others have said, I don't know how happy you will be with an i3, considering you may keep this just as long. I would go ahead and save a bit more for an i5 IMO. If you don't nuke it with voltage, it should last just as long, so I think the investment would be worth it.

What others are trying to tell you is sound though. Please don't buy a new CPU and expect a huge improvement in all games. You need a new CPU, and there is nothing wrong with buying the latest. We just want to make sure you aren't disappointed

 

[krypto1300]

I'd like to replace the cpu or upgrade the platform proactively. I can't wait til it dies as I also use it as my home office PC.

I'm not expecting a miracle or anything, but just looking for opinions on if I should stay with x58 platform or go for a less expensive z170, i3 setup now with the option to upgrade that cpu later. Main thing is would a Xeon x5650 @ 4.0GHz drive a gtx 970 if did make that upgrade. Or, would a z170, i5 platform make more sense with the 970.

I do want a faster gpu, but it's not critical as it's operating just fine.

 

[happy medium]

Main thing is would a Xeon x5650 @ 4.0GHz drive a gtx 970 if did make that upgrade. Or, would a z170, i5 platform make more sense with the 970.

A Xeon @ 3.8 will drive the gtx970 just fine.

 

[Arachnotronic]

I'd like to replace the cpu or upgrade the platform proactively. I can't wait til it dies as I also use it as my home office PC.

I'm not expecting a miracle or anything, but just looking for opinions on if I should stay with x58 platform or go for a less expensive z170, i3 setup now with the option to upgrade that cpu later. Main thing is would a Xeon x5650 @ 4.0GHz drive a gtx 970 if did make that upgrade. Or, would a z170, i5 platform make more sense with the 970.

I do want a faster gpu, but it's not critical as it's operating just fine.

If this is a home office PC then I would actually change my recommendation. Get a new board/CPU for stability reasons.

However instead of Skylake I would actually recommend a 4690K and a relatively low cost Z97 board. You can reuse your DDR3, and your CPU/motherboard costs would be much lower to boot.

Then as your budget allows, add a new GPU.

 

[krypto1300]

If this is a home office PC then I would actually change my recommendation. Get a new board/CPU for stability reasons.

However instead of Skylake I would actually recommend a 4690K and a relatively low cost Z97 board. You can reuse your DDR3, and your CPU/motherboard costs would be much lower to boot.

Then as your budget allows, add a new GPU.

Priced out that recommendation at about $330. I could do a i5-6500, z170 mb, 16gb ddr4 at $400.

Which would be better in the next 5 years?

 

[Ketchup]

I can't see recommending staying with the x58. What happens with the motherboard goes? Are you going to keep sinking money into a dead platform?

 

[ozzy702]

Ah, but none of those chips fit in his current motherboard! x5650 is the way to go, until he can save up for a better upgrade. Fortunately he has 8 Gb of RAM already.

^ This. I did the same with an extra machine I had laying around and it works great @ 3.8ghz and in all things multithreaded really works well. It's the cheapest and easiest upgrade for him at the moment. Plus, Skylake is WAY overpriced right now. AMD better step up to the plate or we're all screwed.

OP GPU is the real dog in this race. It's most likely bottlenecking the current i7 in many games.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Priced out that recommendation at about $330. I could do a i5-6500, z170 mb, 16gb ddr4 at $400.

Which would be better in the next 5 years?

If $400 is in your price range, bump up the 4690k to a 4790k and you have a clear winner, IMO.

 

[krypto1300]

Thanks everyone.

Lots to mull over.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Thanks everyone.

Lots to mull over.

Let us know what you end up doing!

 

[DrMrLordX]

A 6100 plays games just fine.

Not as well as an overclocked X5650. It would suck up less juice, and it might compete in something like Starcraft 2 . . . depending on how far you push the Xeon.

OP isn't all that platform-restricted right now. He's made no mention of needing new motherboard features, and motherboards can last forever and a day. eBay has X5650s for $80 right now (not as cheap as they were, oh well). So, he can limp along on one of those for a year or two until Kabylake comes down the pike and Intel releases yet another platform. That would be to his advantage.

 

[toyota]

A 6100 plays games just fine.

sure if you have low standards. if you have high end gpu and want 60 fps minimum and no hitching in any games then you need a modern i7. and dont play dumb here as Head1985 can easily pull out some benchmarks and so can I.

 

[Sweepr]

+1 for the Xeon X5650.
I replaced an a Core i7 920 with one of them and didn't regret. Push it above 4GHz and you're looking at (better than stock) Sandy Bridge-E level of performance, still very solid for 2015.
I would either go this route or save some money and buy one of the current Core i7s.

 

[Arachnotronic]

+1 for the Xeon X5650.
I replaced an a Core i7 920 with one of them and didn't regret. Push it above 4GHz and you're looking at (better than stock) Sandy Bridge-E level of performance, still very solid for 2015.
I would either go this route or save some money and buy one of the current Core i7s.

In this case do you mean Skylake or Haswell for "current Core i7"?

I think 4790K is a really nice bang-for-the-buck at $299; 6700K at $420ish just is too much

 

[dark zero]

In this case do you mean Skylake or Haswell for "current Core i7"?

I think 4790K is a really nice bang-for-the-buck at $299; 6700K at $420ish just is too much

Consequences of being a monopoly.... expecting Kabylake hitting 500 dollars if this continues D:

 

[happy medium]

sure if you have low standards. if you have high end gpu and want 60 fps minimum and no hitching in any games then you need a modern i7. and dont play dumb here as Head1985 can easily pull out some benchmarks and so can I.

hey the games I play black ops 3 and project cars are running at a smooth 60fps or more. I know what hitching is and I don't see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HJYp34aGhs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du4U1QZIG3g

i3 6100 vs 2500k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwB1KRMpFdw

 

[happy medium]

Head1985 can easily pull out some benchmarks and so can I.

you both had a i3 6100 with high speed ram?

 

[krypto1300]

I did find a msi z97s & 4790k for $404. This is so temping.

I also found and bid on a x5650 for $75.

If I don't get the xeon I think I'll pull the trigger on the above. But, I think the xeon would be just fine.

 

[Sweepr]

In this case do you mean Skylake or Haswell for "current Core i7"?

I think 4790K is a really nice bang-for-the-buck at $299; 6700K at $420ish just is too much

Yup, if he doesn't plan to upgrade again in the near future a cheap Core i7-4790K combo would be a great option. Best upgrade for LGA1366 users would be LGA2011 v3 + DDR4, but then the cost goes up quickly.

I did find a msi z97s & 4790k for $404. This is so temping.

I also found and bid on a x5650 for $75.

If I don't get the xeon I think I'll pull the trigger on the above. But, I think the xeon would be just fine.

As much as I love the newer platforms, you can't argue with the bang for the buck that this Xeon provides if you're still on LGA1366.

 

[tynopik]

No, my cpu is dying. I explain earlier in the thread.

well . . .

It's been stable at 3.5GHz, 1.2v for a year now.

as long as it's stable, it's not dying

 

[toyota]

you both had a i3 6100 with high speed ram?

my ram is at 2133 and other than Fallout 4 it would make little difference anyway. 3000 mhz ram is not going to let you play games like Crysis 3 or Watch Dogs any better. there are some games that will peg even the 6600k so saying a 6100 can play all games at 60 fps and with no hitching is false. all you have is a 960 though so you are gpu limited anyway...