New high-end build after 3 years: many questions!

[Proggm]

Hi! New member here (used to be in xtremesystems, now offline sadly).

Years ago I adopted a three-year cycle on system upgrading (to the highest-end components available). Last time I did this was 2013, and now I'm planning to replace everything except maybe the power supply and case. I'll need some help, since I've been mostly out of the loop from the hardware community since my last upgrade.

FYI:
Country: I'll be flying to the US soon (staying in Detroit for a few weeks, then NY till September), so I'll buy the components there (online also a possibility if done early). Store recommendations will be appreciated!
What do I use my pc for?: Mostly audio/video editing and gaming (from League/WoW to GPU-intensive FPSs). I'm also very interested in VR, so it needs to be ready for that too.
Budget: Not really limited here.
Overclocking: I used to be huge into OC'ing the hell out of everything, but now I aim for system stability/longevity and don't want any issues. Any OC'ing done will be very minor (a few MHz here and there), if at all.
Resolution: I'll be buying an Acer Predator X34, so that'd be 3440x1440.
Parts I plan to keep: Coolermaster Cosmos II case, Corsair Ax860 power supply.

Q's:
-I've been checking out newegg and there's a huge variety in motherboards. I usually go for the higher end ones even if I don't plan to OC (just because of the higher quality parts), but recommendations will surely make my life easier!
-Ram: Again, huge variety. No idea what to pick (usually go for Corsair/GSkill). DDR4: Dual channel or quad channel?

That's all for now. Thank you guys a lot !

 

[Ken g6]

Hm. How much video editing are you doing? Because aside from that, if you're not overclocking, I think you'd be better off with the higher stock clocks of an i7 6700k. And that affects a lot of your other questions as well.

 

[Proggm]

Not a lot honestly - the video editing I do is very simple and light on resources. My audio projects are a lot more CPU/RAM intensive, and I often reach ~90% CPU loads. Also, the audio software I utilize is multi-thread optimized, so all the VSTs (addons) run evenly across cores. However, since I already have a PC at my workplace and I only work from home occasionally, gaming would be the main focus of this rig.

Btw not sure if relevant but I also spend a lot of time compressing/decompressing files (zip,rar,7z,etc).

Thanks a lot!

 

[Proggm]

Sorry for bumping the thread, but I'm still looking for advice regarding the gpu.

There are many good options when it comes to the 1080, but some issues like noise, temp, fan throttling, etc are starting to show up in many of these cards. In fact, the Founders Edition (which I assumed would be the best) seems to be the one most people are complaining about.

I've been looking at other options like the Gigabyte GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming (the frontal hdmi panel is a huge plus, but those fans look noisy as hell) and the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Seahawk X (not a fan of WC due to the risk of leakage, but the low noise levels under heavy load are extremely attractive). Newegg reviews (which I take with a grain of salt tbh) seem good for these cards, but I'm still looking for more opinions.

Any help will be appreciated!

 

[ItsMeeYourDaddy]

when you're in Detroit, definitely go visit the MicroCenter store in Madison Heights across from Oakland mall.

 

[Yuriman]

Some things have not progressed much in 3 years. In 2013, Ivy Bridge-E was out. Haswell-E and Broadwell-E are out now, and offer a ~10% IPC improvement, but a potential regression in max clockspeed, so it's a wash. If you're going to replace the motherboard and CPU, and not go for one of the 10-core monsters, expect little performance improvement. I would only really consider it if I was looking to get a couple of M.2 slots.

 

[giantpandaman2]

Some things have not progressed much in 3 years. In 2013, Ivy Bridge-E was out. Haswell-E and Broadwell-E are out now, and offer a ~10% IPC improvement, but a potential regression in max clockspeed, so it's a wash. If you're going to replace the motherboard and CPU, and not go for one of the 10-core monsters, expect little performance improvement. I would only really consider it if I was looking to get a couple of M.2 slots.

I agree. The old CPU/MB might be fine unless the OP wants to move up to m.2 SSDs. For the money, it might be better just to get PCI SSD's if necessary. Keep the old CPU/MB, get another stick or two of ram and a PCI SSD and you're set.

There's simply not a lot of people with experience with AIB 1080's because they're at such low availability. At 3440x1440 I'd expect and even a 1080 to struggle at max settings. To really get there you really need next year's GPU's.

I'm also not sure about getting a curved monitor for video editing. The "normal" Predator XB271HU w/144Hz might be better buy overall. I'd rather get 144Hz support over an odd aspect ratio and curved lines. Also, not every game might support 21:9 properly. For example, Overwatch's implementation has literally been puke inducing. (They cropped it so the FOV is less than 16:9...which gave people massive motion sickness.)

 

[Proggm]

Thank you guys for the replies!

Regarding the storage, I'll be getting a Intel 750 400GB PCIe SSD. Coming from an "old" 120GB 320, I'm confident the upgrade will be hugely noticeable.

Btw my current setup is a 3770k + gtx680 + 16gb ddr3 1600 ripjaws x. Even though I built this PC on march 2013, all these are 2012 products, so I don't think there's much to keep here.

I'll surely buy a 6850k, so both single thread and multi thread performance should be considerably higher. I won't be able to use the memory sticks since those are DDR3, and the GPU upgrade is clearly a must, even if max settings 4k gaming isn't quite there yet. 3440x1440 is not as GPU consuming as 4k as you may think (or so I've seen on most ultrawide monitor reviews), but worst case scenario, I'll upgrade to the 1080ti (or next gen) if I have the chance to come back to the USA relatively soon.

Regarding the monitor, don't worry - I also have a 4:3 NEC which I've been using for ages for video and image editing. Gaming (and most browsing/productivity) will be done on the Predator (I've been using a 40' Sony TV, which looks great and all but the input lag/ghosting is pretty noticeable), but I'll follow your advice and try both the X34 and the 34' XB1 just in case.

(EDIT: I forgot to add that I've checked beforehand that the games I want to play are 21:9 compatible. OW is an anomaly rather than a norm, since they intentionally "broke" 21:9 because they thought it gave a "competitive edge")

 

[RussianSensation]

Hi! New member here (used to be in xtremesystems, now offline sadly).

Years ago I adopted a three-year cycle on system upgrading (to the highest-end components available). Last time I did this was 2013, and now I'm planning to replace everything except maybe the power supply and case. I'll need some help, since I've been mostly out of the loop from the hardware community since my last upgrade.

FYI:
Country: I'll be flying to the US soon (staying in Detroit for a few weeks, then NY till September), so I'll buy the components there (online also a possibility if done early). Store recommendations will be appreciated!
What do I use my pc for?: Mostly audio/video editing and gaming (from League/WoW to GPU-intensive FPSs). I'm also very interested in VR, so it needs to be ready for that too.
Budget: Not really limited here, but I rather not spend a fortune, so no extreme versions or dual-gpu setups (unless it's REALLY worth it).
Overclocking: I used to be huge into OC'ing the hell out of everything, but now I aim for system stability/longevity and don't want any issues. Any OC'ing done will be very minor (a few MHz here and there), if at all.
Resolution: I'll be buying an Acer Predator X34, so that'd be 3440x1440.
Parts I plan to keep: Coolermaster Cosmos II case, Corsair Ax860 power supply.

Q's:
-Is my Corsair Ax860 compatible with a 2011v3 MB/Broadwell-E CPU? Unsure if connectors have changed. Btw, this ps is only 2 years old and functioning perfectly. I think 860w should be more than enough for a single GPU system, but I will upgrade if it's needed. Edit: checked out with Corsair, PSU is compatible. 860w is still overkill on a single GPU system, so I think I'm keeping this one.
-I already have a Samsung 850PRO 512gb SSD that I bought last year (and a bunch of other SSDs/HDDs), but I've read that some PCIe SSD drives are relatively accessible and offer insane performance gains. Knowing what I already have, is it worth spending money there?
-I've been checking out newegg and there's a huge variety in motherboards. I usually go for the higher end ones even if I don't plan to OC (just because of the higher quality parts), but recommendations will surely make my life easier!
-CPU: 6800k, 6850k or 6900k?
-Ram: Again, huge variety. No idea what to pick (usually go for Corsair/GSkill). DDR4: Dual channel or quad channel?
-VGA: I'm pretty sure this one will be down to availability since the FE GTX1080 is proving to be a PITA to find and buy, but any recommendations or tips will help lots.

That's all for now. Thank you guys a lot !

This is where you are going to go to pick up your CPU + mobo combo:

MicroCenter

Retail chain with a vast stock of computers & parts, plus software, gaming supplies & electronics.
Address: 32800 Concord Dr, Madison Heights, MI 48071, United States

Hours:
Wednesday 10AM–9PM
Thursday 10AM–9PM
Friday 10AM–9PM
Saturday 10AM–9PM
Sunday 11AM–6PM
Monday 10AM–9PM
Tuesday 10AM–9PM
Phone: +1 248-291-8400

Right now they have:

6700K for $310
6800K for $400
6900K for $1000

You will get $30 off with a motherboard combo.

The best CPU for gaming will be the 6700K and for productivity + gaming the 6800K. If you want to go 8-core, I'd suggest trying to find a used 5960X on eBay instead for $600-700. The 6900K is no way worth $1000 when there is a market for used 5960Xs.

You do not need to go crazy on the motherboard

X99
Gigabyte GA-X99P-SLI
MSI X99A SLI Krait Edition

Z170
Gigabyte Z170X-Gaming 5
ASRock Z170 Extreme6
ASUS Z170 ROG Maximus VIII Ranger

For 3440x1440, the best setup without breaking the bank account is GTX1070 SLI. If you go SLI, make sure to add a $40 High Bandwidth SLI bridge from NV.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_1070_2_way_sli_review,16.html

You are going to need to overclock the 6800K or it will bottleneck GTX 1070 SLI.

Any of these 1070 cards are great.
http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?Ntt=gtx+1070

I'll surely buy a 6850k, so both single thread and multi thread performance should be considerably higher.

This is a worthless CPU in the X99 line-up. 8x/8x PCIe lanes is enough for 1080 / 1070 SLI. Unless you plan on running PCIe SSDs in RAID and GTX1080 SLI, the extra lanes on the 6850K are meaningless marketing. In fact, some boards will still be able to provide sufficient lanes even under that configuration since the chipset has additional PCIe 3.0 lanes.

You also have to ask yourself if you will be overclocking or not and how much you prioritize gaming over video/audio work because otherwise the 6700K would be a better choice than any BW-E CPU.

 

[Proggm]

Thanks for the detailed post!

The GTX1070 SLI is a possibility I've been considering, but I think I'll go for a single 1080 for now. Maybe, I'll add a second one once the 1080ti is released and 1080 prices go down.

The fact that I may eventually end up with a PCIe SSD + SLI configuration is why I've been considering the 6850k (due to the extra lanes, which may not always be offered by a motherboard chipset), but it's also very true that the 6700K offers similar performance at a much reduced price. If I have the chance to grab a 6850k for a good price, I'll go for it. Otherwise, the 6700k might be the best option after all.

Like I said in the OP, OC'ing will be minor (around 300-400mHz tops if I see I'm getting bottlenecked by the CPU), because I don't really want to stress components too much and waste time running prime95 for days until I find the OC sweetspot (like I used to do in the past).

Btw thanks a lot for the motherboard choices! The Gigabyte one specially looks pretty solid, but the reviews I've read aren't really that favorable. I've been looking at other options like:
-Asus Sabertooth X99: looks awesome and isn't much more expensive, but same mediocre reviews too
-MSI X99A Gaming Pro Carbon: good reviews, but some boards seem to have USB issues (apparently software related)
-ASUS X99 Rampage V Edition 10: overpriced + useless features, but I've checked the owner's threads and they seem to be very happy.

Remember that I won't have the luxury to easily RMA any of the hardware, so I should consider buying the most reliable/overengineered/tested stuff I can find, even if it's at a price premium.

 

[Yuriman]

Might I recommend an M.2 SSD rather than a PCIe one?

The Samsung 950 Pro 512GB is priced around the same as the Intel 750 400GB and is considerably faster.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7467&cm_re=samsung_950-_-20-147-467-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=intel_750_400gb-_-20-167-359-_-Product

 

[Proggm]

I wasn't aware that those 950 Pro M.2's were so fast, thanks a lot for the info!

 

[Proggm]

Well s**t. New Titan X coming out. Hopefully I have the chance of grabbing one in the USA before I come back in September.
Btw: If anyone here has ordered a 1080 right when they were launched in the nvidia store, please share how long they took to ship it!

 

[Altered Carbon]

when you're in Detroit, definitely go visit the MicroCenter store in Madison Heights across from Oakland mall.

And it's right off I-75 so it's very accessible. Love that store!

 

[Ken g6]

Some things have not progressed much in 3 years. In 2013, Ivy Bridge-E was out. Haswell-E and Broadwell-E are out now, and offer a ~10% IPC improvement, but a potential regression in max clockspeed, so it's a wash. If you're going to replace the motherboard and CPU, and not go for one of the 10-core monsters, expect little performance improvement. I would only really consider it if I was looking to get a couple of M.2 slots.

2600K/3770K are going down as one of the most legendary CPUs of all time. It's not going to be surprising to see these users holding out all the way to Icelake.

This really doesn't feel like the time to upgrade to Intel's high-end socket. Broadwell-E is barely different from Haswell-E, which came out two years ago, and I wouldn't even call it better in many cases. I'd wait to upgrade your CPU until Skylake-E a year from now.

 

[Proggm]

I've "waited" before and it's always the same deal: whenever you're about to pull the trigger on a new purchase, there's always something better just around the corner. I've been holding back from playing a bunch of games since my current setup just doesn't cut it anymore, especially the GPU. In fact, I was using a 4k TV as my main monitor and I had to downgrade to an older FHD Sony because of the abysmal frame rates. I could upgrade the GPU and OC the 3770k some more (I think it's barely above stock right now), but I'd be missing out on the M.2 drive and DDR4.

I know I'll be paying a premium for minimal performance increases, at least with the CPU, but that's how it's always been aside from a few cases.

 

[Yuriman]

It's not that something better is around the corner, just that CPU progress has slowed practically to a halt. I'd personally just upgrade the video card, but to each his own.

 

[giantpandaman2]

It's not that something better is around the corner, just that CPU progress has slowed practically to a halt. I'd personally just upgrade the video card, but to each his own.

Agreed. It's not that there's something better around the corner. It's that what's here is not much better than what we had 2-3 years ago.

 

[Proggm]

Yeah, I know what you guys mean. What I was saying is that if I wait for say Cannonlake, I'll eventually want to wait for Ice Lake, and so on.

I'm aware I could keep the 3770k and save some money, but for me it doesn't make sense to have a pascal Titan X paired with a 4 year old CPU. If I'm going to invest heavily into something (without being too conservative with the budget), might as well go all the way.