Looking to upgrade from my 2011 rig for gaming purposes

[NukaCola]

I would like some opinions on the build I'm looking to do in anticipation for the releases of Grand Theft Auto V and The Witcher 3 next month on PC. I also do some video-editing on the side.

My current build:

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.30Ghz
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-
Graphics Card: XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB
Storage: 3 WD Hard Drives @ 7200RPM + 1 120GB Intel Solid State Drive

Looking to upgrade the CPU and Graphics Card to:
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80637I73770K
Graphics Card: EVGA GTX980 Superclocked 4GB GDDR5 256bit, DVI-I, DP x 3, HDMI, SLI Ready Graphics Card 04G-P4-1982-KR

I'm looking to keep this under $800-900 USD (buying from North America). I'm aware that I would need to update my mobo's BIOS to support Ivy Bridge processors, and as far as I know there aren't any compatibility issues between my current mobo and this CPU & GFX card.

I've always been largely an intel CPU and AMD graphics card guy...but I've been hearing all of these stories of how the 980 GTX is really where it's at. That price is so daunting, though! I had my eyes on the R9 290X but I hear the 980 GTX outperforms it by at least 20%...

 

[mfenn]

Since you're looking to upgrade for a specific (intensive) game (TW3) I would advise holding out until we have solid benchmarks on that game.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I would like some opinions on the build I'm looking to do in anticipation for the releases of Grand Theft Auto V and The Witcher 3 next month on PC. I also do some video-editing on the side.

My current build:

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.30Ghz
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-
Graphics Card: XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB
Storage: 3 WD Hard Drives @ 7200RPM + 1 120GB Intel Solid State Drive

Looking to upgrade the CPU and Graphics Card to:
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80637I73770K
Graphics Card: EVGA GTX980 Superclocked 4GB GDDR5 256bit, DVI-I, DP x 3, HDMI, SLI Ready Graphics Card 04G-P4-1982-KR

I'm looking to keep this under $800-900 USD (buying from North America). I'm aware that I would need to update my mobo's BIOS to support Ivy Bridge processors, and as far as I know there aren't any compatibility issues between my current mobo and this CPU & GFX card.

I've always been largely an intel CPU and AMD graphics card guy...but I've been hearing all of these stories of how the 980 GTX is really where it's at. That price is so daunting, though! I had my eyes on the R9 290X but I hear the 980 GTX outperforms it by at least 20%...

You should update the BIOS anyway, to take advantage of your processor swap and other matters. But if the AsRock board's model name says "Gen3," it should already be IB-capable. Am I wrong?!

 

[Yuriman]

290 is much better bang for your buck, but the 980 is faster.

You might not need a CPU upgrade, but a 3770K sounds like a fair and reasonable upgrade if it comes to that.

You might consider a larger SSD, 240GB-480GB, so you can load some of your games onto it.

 

[Charlie98]

You might not need a CPU upgrade, but a 3770K sounds like a fair and reasonable upgrade if it comes to that.

You might consider a larger SSD, 240GB-480GB, so you can load some of your games onto it.

I was kind of thinking the same thing... OP, is your 2500K OC'ed? I'm still running my gaming rig with a 2500K (OC'd to 4.3GHz) and recently updated it with a GTX970 and a 512GB SSD... and it works very well.

 

[Cerb]

Since you're looking to upgrade for a specific (intensive) game (TW3) I would advise holding out until we have solid benchmarks on that game.

This, first. Unless you must upgrade this second, it's better to wait and see.

That said, IMO, an OC on your existing CPU, and upgrade to a bigger OS SSD (fit the whole game on there, too) are likely better ways to spend the cost of an i7 upgrade.

 

[NukaCola]

You should update the BIOS anyway, to take advantage of your processor swap and other matters. But if the AsRock board's model name says "Gen3," it should already be IB-capable. Am I wrong?!

It actually needs a BIOS update to make Ivy Bridge work. ASrock advises updating BIOS and then swapping the CPU. See Q&A-92 in this FAQ.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z68 Extreme3 Gen3/?cat=FAQ

I've read that updating to ivy bridge renders Sandy bridge CPUs unusable on the newest BIOS though.

http://forums.tweaktown.com/asrock/54789-asrock-z68-extreme3-gen3-bios-update-questions.html

I'm not really overclock savvy. I have a 620w PSU, would that be enough? Also, wouldn't the i7 be better for my video editing purposes?

As for waiting for benchmark, they did release the recommended specs. I was hoping to match those:

CPU: Intel CPU Core i7 3770 3.4 GHz / AMD CPU AMD FX-8350 4 GHz
CPU Speed: Info
RAM: 8 GB
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit Windows 8 (8.1)
Video Card: Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 770 / AMD GPU Radeon R9 290
Free Disk Space: 40 GB

 

[Cerb]

What's your heatsink? You have a board and CPU that can OC, so you've been halfway there since 2011. With a decent heatsink, >4GHz should be no problem. As you approach 4.5GHz, motherboard, PSU, and CPU sample will start making more of a difference, but 2500Ks that can't get to 4GHz base speed are pretty rare, and a sizable minrity can get there with just multiplier changes, and maybe LLC stiffening.

Don't get an FX.

An i7 will help quite a bit when rendering/encoding, but for editing, the fastest 1-2 cores, sufficient RAM capacity, and then storage speed, matter, generally in that order.

 

[NukaCola]

What's your heatsink? You have a board and CPU that can OC, so you've been halfway there since 2011. With a decent heatsink, >4GHz should be no problem. As you approach 4.5GHz, motherboard, PSU, and CPU sample will start making more of a difference, but 2500Ks that can't get to 4GHz base speed are pretty rare, and a sizable minrity can get there with just multiplier changes, and maybe LLC stiffening.

Don't get an FX.

An i7 will help quite a bit when rendering/encoding, but for editing, the fastest 1-2 cores, sufficient RAM capacity, and then storage speed, matter, generally in that order.

I'm just using a stock heatsink. I'm not very knowledgeable about overclocking but I'm willing to try it.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'm just using a stock heatsink. I'm not very knowledgeable about overclocking but I'm willing to try it.

In consideration -- as well - to earlier posts you made.

I just finished "slapping together" a replacement for my brother's old E8600 LGA-775 system. I had acquired a 1-year-old, never-abused i5-3570K Ivy Bridge; I had a perfect pair of 2x4GB Ripjaws "-GBRL" RAM; and I'd acquired an ASUS Z77-A motherboard last year with anticipation of upgrading a machine for my 90-year-old Moms. But Moms isn't eager for change.

The Z77-A has something like a limpo 6-phase-power-design. I had been able to push an i7-2700K in that board -- just as a test -- to about 4.7Ghz, but with the VRM components on that $135 mobo, I really didn't want to go that route. the 2700K went into a Z68-Gen3 board with 12-phase-power-design and better VRM components.

The i5-3570K is set up with all stock, "auto" settings -- the clock speed in "turbo" I'd seen climb to maybe 3.7. It still seems "quick." Bro is very happy.
With all that, I'm optimistic about your AsRock board -- touted to have "V8+4" phase-power. Look at this forum thread I turned up:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1182597/power-phases

Think in terms of probability -- my own basis for thinking about everything. The odds are very, very good you should be able to clock the 2500K to 4.5Ghz. But I would give attention to cooling, together with a regimen of stress-tests, and a goal of keeping the peak load VCORE monitored voltage below . . . mmmm . . . . about 1.32V.

If only air-cooling, you might get by just fine with a CM 212 EVO heatpipe tower and about $20 of minor parts (like a thermalRight accordion duct -- about $3).

Folks will recommend all sorts of coolers. I compare "comparisons," and I'm always trying to find "best" heatpipe towers. Last fall, I stumbled onto an unlikely winner by an unlikely manufacturer: the EVGA ACX cooler, previously named the EVGA SuperClock heatpipe-tower:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5288004&cm_re=EVGA_ACX-_-35-288-004-_-Product

Not the cheapest, it outperforms the Noctua NH-D14 by about 6C degrees in the same test-bed. But the D14 -- lemme see -- Ha! -- still selling for $80.

With the ACX, I'd ditch the red-LED fan and replace it -- or just duct it to exhaust. For either the exhaust or both fan-deployments, I could recommend anything from a Cougar Vortex to an Akasa Viper or Noctua iPPC fan. The iPPC's are pricey.

After building my Bro's system, I've come to appreciate that you really get some decent performance out of these "old" SB and IB processors.

My i7 sig and i7-2700K systems are clocked to 4.6 and 4.7 -- probably could go higher with some more tweaks to "current capability" and so forth, but . . . I, too . . . am very happy.

Anyway, even if for only "air-cooling," with a good cooler you could push that VCORE to 1.35V -- maybe even 1.37V -- and see if 4.6, 4.7 were possible for an i5-2500K. Those voltages are still "safe," and the heat is the only enemy to be defeated.

Please no cursing in the technical forums. Replacing letters with asterisks doesn't hide your intent.

mfenn
General Hardware Moderator

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

I would suggest switching to a board that over clocks(No offense) but the low end AsRocks do not rock at over clocking. Then again if you can auto clock that CPU to 5000Ghz, I eat my statement............
The Asus mid range board will clock the snot out of that CPU.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I would suggest switching to a board that over clocks(No offense) but the low end AsRocks do not rock at over clocking. Then again if you can auto clock that CPU to 5000Ghz, I eat my statement............
The Asus mid range board will clock the snot out of that CPU.

Well, like I said, some of the pudding to prove is in the phase-power-design, and his Z68-Gen3 has "8+4." [[Heh-heh] . . . the P8Z68-V LE had 8, if I recall. My brother's Z77-A -- only 6. [No problem! the former board is a "back-up" to cover any problem among four systems, so . . . no regrets.] ]

He'll find out about the AsRock, and the only judgment I have about it so far is the factor I mentioned. Of course -- I've generally stuck with ASUS. But I heard that AsRock was an ASUS spin-off, and some of those boards have exceeded expectations.

If we didn't have an over-clocking addiction, we'd probably all spend less on motherboards. What was that . . . ? About the RIVE? I would've picked that board for an "E" system, myself . . . .

 

[Cerb]

I would suggest switching to a board that over clocks(No offense) but the low end AsRocks do not rock at over clocking. Then again if you can auto clock that CPU to 5000Ghz, I eat my statement............
The Asus mid range board will clock the snot out of that CPU.

For a high overclock, yes. A few hundred MHz should be feasible with no changes but multiplier, though, and another few with some light voltage tweaking (ideally, just LLC tweaking, but the mobo should be good for 1.3V or so). I would not expect 4.5GHz+ on it without a good sample. But, 4.0 or above would pretty much negate any CPU upgrade need for quite awhile, allowing upgrade money to go a new GPU and/or SSD (after an aftermarket CPU HSF, that is).

 

[Essence_of_War]

Since you're looking to upgrade for a specific (intensive) game (TW3) I would advise holding out until we have solid benchmarks on that game.

100x this. If you're planning on a particular set of games you really should wait for not only benches, but benches after a driver update since the most gains from driver updates comes within short times after new high-profile games drop.

As far as CPU goes, I think you'll get more game improvement from overclocking the i5 than and spending 30-50 on a decent CPU cooler than whatever the cost of an ivy bridge i7 is. This has the added advantage of not being wasted money in case you find you don't get enough performance and you still want the i7, the CPU cooler will allow you to OC that as well. My typical recommendations right now are the Scythe Mugen Max at about $50, the ACFZ i30, and the Scythe Kotetsu both at about $40, and maybe be Quiet's Pure Rock at ~$35. . The i30 is fairly tall, so do check your case clearances!

Also, what software do you use for video editing? I think adobe can use both openCL and CUDA for rendering, but I'm not sure what others use. That might be worth knowing before you pick up a GPU.