PC Parts for GTX 1080?

[Cappuccino]

Hi My current specs are

GPU - AMD Radeon (TM) R9 390 (I am getting the GTX 1080 for Christmas)
Motherboard - Z77A-G41 (MS-7758)
CPU - Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz (OC already)
RAM - 16GB
SSD - Samsung (can't remember the GB on my laptop atm
Windows 10

I have 1080p monitor. I am planning to buy 2k or 4k soon. Not sure which one or even worth getting.

I want to upgrade my CPU and I was wondering what are the top 3 CPUs for gaming right now? What is the % difference from my current CPU etc. Also if I do upgrade my CPU do I need to upgrade my Motherboard too? If yes what MB do I get? I really don't have a budget maybe under £400 cpu? Pref under £350. Less the better.

Appreciate the help

 

[UsandThem]

LGA1155 is long dead (the socket you have). You could buy a used i7-3370k and put in your motherboard for a small upgrade, but those go for $170+.

Outside of that, you could buy a Haswell CPU and a LGA1150 motherboard, and use your current RAM, or if you go up to Skylake (LGA1151), you will have to replace your CPU, motherboard, and RAM.

$500 (converted from Euro) If you are going to be gaming at 4k, you want a beefy CPU, and that buy itself will cost $250+. I'm not sure what CPU prices are in your country, but you'll want either a 6600k or 6700k ($220-$325), your pick of any z170 motherboard ($100-$200), and 16GB of RAM ($80-$100).

I'd just use your system a little longer as it will still game just fine, and you can save up a little more to buy a 6700k (or the Kaby Lake replacement). Not to mention Intel Kaby Lake CPUs and z270 motherboards are coming soon (Q1 of 2017). While not that much faster (under 10%), it should lower the price of Sky Lake components a little bit and might stretch your dollar (Euro) further.

 

[Cappuccino]

LGA1155 is long dead (the socket you have). You could buy a used i7-3370k and put in your motherboard for a small upgrade, but those go for $170+.

Outside of that, you could buy a Haswell CPU and a LGA1150 motherboard, and use your current RAM, or if you go up to Skylake (LGA1151), you will have to replace your CPU, motherboard, and RAM.

$500 (converted from Euro) If you are going to be gaming at 4k, you want a beefy CPU, and that buy itself will cost $250+. I'm not sure what CPU prices are in your country, but you'll want either a 6600k or 6700k ($220-$325), your pick of any z170 motherboard ($100-$200), and 16GB of RAM ($80-$100).

I'd just use your system a little longer as it will still game just fine, and you can save up a little more to buy a 6700k (or the Kaby Lake replacement). Not to mention Intel Kaby Lake CPUs and z270 motherboards are coming soon (Q1 of 2017). While not that much faster (under 10%), it should lower the price of Sky Lake components a little bit and might stretch your dollar (Euro) further.

Thank you
Which one is better overal 6600k or 6700k?
Any MB recommendations? Nothing toO expensive since it's only a MB
Any good RAM recommendations too? Why dosent my current RAM work?

 

[UsandThem]

Your current RAM is DDR3, and Sky Lake and newer uses DDR4 (except rarely uses DDR3L, but that's not worth even explaining).

I'd personally get the 6700k.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1544?vs=1543

There are many motherboards to choose from, but which style and colors are a personal choice. A few boards that always get recommended here are: Asus Z170-A, Asus Z170 Pro Gaming/AURA, Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5, and GA-Z170X-Gaming 6.

There are several more boards from MSI and Asrock, but I honestly haven't really followed their current products very much. I currently own three desktops and one has an Asus board, one has an Asrock board, and one has a Gigabyte board. All have worked just fine. Just make sure to pick a board with ALC1150 or better audio onboard (all four boards I referenced have that).

As far as RAM, DDR4 3000 or 3200 is the sweet spot, and you hardly seen any real-world difference when you go above that speed (and it gets pricey). I like Corsair and G-Skill RAM (however Kingston, Crucial, and many other manufacturers make perfectly good memory as well). Once you pick out a motherboard, it is HIGHLY recommended to buy RAM on the motherboard manufacturer's QVL (qualified vendor list) under their support page, or go to the memory manufacturer's website, and use their 'RAM finder' tool to ensure you get RAM that has been tested to work with your particular motherboard.

http://gskill.com/en/configurator

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/memory-finder

Depending on the model of your PSU, you might need a new one as well. There were some voltage changes for Haswell, so power supplies after that will state they are "Haswell ready".

 

[Cappuccino]

Your current RAM is DDR3, and Sky Lake and newer uses DDR4 (except rarely uses DDR3L, but that's not worth even explaining).

I'd personally get the 6700k.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1544?vs=1543

There are many motherboards to choose from, but which style and colors are a personal choice. A few boards that always get recommended here are: Asus Z170-A, Asus Z170 Pro Gaming/AURA, Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5, and GA-Z170X-Gaming 6.

There are several more boards from MSI and Asrock, but I honestly haven't really followed their current products very much. I currently own three desktops and one has an Asus board, one has an Asrock board, and one has a Gigabyte board. All have worked just fine. Just make sure to pick a board with ALC1150 or better audio onboard (all four boards I referenced have that).

As far as RAM, DDR4 3000 or 3200 is the sweet spot, and you hardly seen any real-world difference when you go above that speed (and it gets pricey). I like Corsair and G-Skill RAM (however Kingston, Crucial, and many other manufacturers make perfectly good memory as well). Once you pick out a motherboard, it is HIGHLY recommended to buy RAM on the motherboard manufacturer's QVL (qualified vendor list) under their support page, or go to the memory manufacturer's website, and use their 'RAM finder' tool to ensure you get RAM that has been tested to work with your particular motherboard.

http://gskill.com/en/configurator

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/memory-finder

Depending on the model of your PSU, you might need a new one as well. There were some voltage changes for Haswell, so power supplies after that will state they are "Haswell ready".

Oh I see. I understand now.

Holy crap all the MB you mentioned are all over £100

About the CPU is it worth investing another $100 for the i7 6700k or is the i5 6600k not much difference in gaming? The i7 6700 is newer that is all I can think of. Oh we need a cooler too. The one I have currently is not very good. I wanted to get the best cooler but the good ones dont fit in my case so that is also needed upgrading if I want a better cooler -_-

How do I check my PSU model? IIRC its gold rated.

 

[UsandThem]

Oh I see. I understand now.

Holy crap all the MB you mentioned are all over £100

About the CPU is it worth investing another $100 for the i7 6700k or is the i5 6600k not much difference in gaming? The i7 6700 is newer that is all I can think of. Oh we need a cooler too. The one I have currently is not very good. I wanted to get the best cooler but the good ones dont fit in my case so that is also needed upgrading if I want a better cooler -_-

How do I check my PSU model? IIRC its gold rated.

Your PSU will have a label on one of it's sides with the model number.

As far as the price of the motherboards, those aren't even in the 'enthusiast' class, those are just mid-range boards. Once you start going lower, the onboard audio becomes lower quality, the PCB becomes thinner, the cooling on the board becomes more basic, etc.

As far as the CPU goes, that's your call. You can look at the benchmarks of a GTX 1080 with the two different CPUs, and see how they impact the games you play. For me, when I build a computer, I buy the best "mainstream" CPU so my build can last as long as possible, but I also dabble in photo and video editing, so having the 6700k helps.

It all adds up, so that's why I recommended just keeping your current system a little longer to increase your budget a little bit. But if after reading some reviews, you feel a more basic board and i5 will work for your needs, go for it. I am just giving you 'food for thought' to consider before pulling the trigger on the purchase. Everyone has different needs, wants, and budgets.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you're buying into Skylake now, get the i7-6700K or wait a month or two for Kaby Lake i7-7700K. Games are starting to utilize more than 4 threads, and soon (well, 1-2 years) Coffee Lake will show up, with hex-cores for the mainstream socket.

If you're serious for gaming, don't go for anything less. Quad-core in 2017, will be like dual-core in 2015.

You will need to purchase a cooler, for the "K" CPUs, as they don't include one.

If you want to check your PSU model, you'll have to take the side of the case off and look at it, there's no way to read that information from the PSU in software, like other parts of the PC.

 

[UsandThem]

Here are a couple of things to look at on why I was recommending keeping your current system a little longer. Sure you will see a dip in FPS depending on the game (and especially if you get a 4k monitor), but an overclocked 2600k can still hold its own in gaming:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9483/intel-skylake-review-6700k-6600k-ddr4-ddr3-ipc-6th-generation/16

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-intel-skylake-core-i7-6700k-review

Like Larry mentioned, you could 'suffer' for a few months with an 'old' system, increase your budget a little bit, and nab a 6700k or even a 7700k when it is released in Q1 of 2017. A lot of people on these forums still rock an overclocked 2600k in their gaming rigs. It might not win any synthetic benchmark tests, but is still very capable of providing good gaming.

 

[Cappuccino]

Your PSU will have a label on one of it's sides with the model number.

As far as the price of the motherboards, those aren't even in the 'enthusiast' class, those are just mid-range boards. Once you start going lower, the onboard audio becomes lower quality, the PCB becomes thinner, the cooling on the board becomes more basic, etc.

As far as the CPU goes, that's your call. You can look at the benchmarks of a GTX 1080 with the two different CPUs, and see how they impact the games you play. For me, when I build a computer, I buy the best "mainstream" CPU so my build can last as long as possible, but I also dabble in photo and video editing, so having the 6700k helps.

It all adds up, so that's why I recommended just keeping your current system a little longer to increase your budget a little bit. But if after reading some reviews, you feel a more basic board and i5 will work for your needs, go for it. I am just giving you 'food for thought' to consider before pulling the trigger on the purchase. Everyone has different needs, wants, and budgets.

I see I see
I think I'll wait then. However my 1080p should be arriving soon so I guess I just upgrade my GPU. I sell my 390
Just wondering with my current specs I can run the GTX1080?
I will let you the PSU model when I get back from work

Thank you all! x

EDIT - nvm found it on ebay. The PSU is called EVA750 GOLD GC
80 PLIS

 

[UsandThem]

You might want to double check the PSU model number. If it is an EVGA gold unit, it won't say '80 Plus'.

Maybe it is a EVGA Supernova GS or GQ unit?

 

[Cappuccino]

You might want to double check the PSU model number. If it is an EVGA gold unit, it won't say '80 Plus'.

Maybe it is a EVGA Supernova GS or GQ unit?

I will double check. I'll be back home around 5 hours time

 

[Cappuccino]

You might want to double check the PSU model number. If it is an EVGA gold unit, it won't say '80 Plus'.

Maybe it is a EVGA Supernova GS or GQ unit?

It's 750 GQ
and the side it says 80 PLUS GOLD (Gold square sticker)

 

[UsandThem]

It's 750 GQ
and the side it says 80 PLUS GOLD (Gold square sticker)

That is a good PSU, and good to go with Sky Lake and Kaby Lake CPUs. One less thing you have to buy.

 

[Cappuccino]

That is a good PSU, and good to go with Sky Lake and Kaby Lake CPUs. One less thing you have to buy.

YAY! :Thats good to know

I think I just add the 1080 for now and wait couple months for upgrades.
What is the % increase for swapping my 390 > 1080?

 

[UsandThem]

YAY! :Thats good to know

I think I just add the 1080 for now and wait couple months for upgrades.
What is the % increase for swapping my 390 > 1080?

Close to 100% in some games and resolutions:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1747?vs=1714

Although until you upgrade your system, you will likely lose 20-40% of that gain (depending on game and resolution again).

 

[Cappuccino]

Close to 100% in some games and resolutions:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1747?vs=1714

Although until you upgrade your system, you will likely lose 20-40% of that gain (depending on game and resolution again).

Wow thats good

I was thinking. I buy MB now because I can't be bothered to re download OS/Games etc etc and re fitting my parts when I buy the CPU and RAMS. Will that work? Will the new MB work with current specs - i7 2600k and RAM?

Also do you know any good looking large cases that is cheap? Maybe around £50 or under?
Sorry if I'm asking alot of questions lol.

 

[UsandThem]

No, your current CPU and RAM won't work at all with a new motherboard.

Once you buy a new CPU, motherboard, and RAM, you'll really need to do a clean install.

As far as large cases that I recommend in that price range, it's tough to say because the prices are probably different in your area. For example a case I love, the Fractal Design R5 was recently on sale for $69, but it could cost a whole lot more in your region.

The Corsair Carbide Series might be worth looking at in your area, as they go on sale here for under $50 after rebate.

 

[Cappuccino]

No, your current CPU and RAM won't work at all with a new motherboard.

Once you buy a new CPU, motherboard, and RAM, you'll really need to do a clean install.

As far as large cases that I recommend in that price range, it's tough to say because the prices are probably different in your area. For example a case I love, the Fractal Design R5 was recently on sale for $69, but it could cost a whole lot more in your region.

The Corsair Carbide Series might be worth looking at in your area, as they go on sale here for under $50 after rebate.

Bummer

Yep the cases you mentioned cost over £100 ;_;

I guess I try find some bargains when Christmas hits.

I might actually end up buying everything before 2017 because I am going to put all my parts on eBay next week and hope I get at least £150 for my 390. RAM, CPU and MB is also going. I don't use my PC right now because I don't have time to game but next year.

 

[Cappuccino]

No, your current CPU and RAM won't work at all with a new motherboard.

Once you buy a new CPU, motherboard, and RAM, you'll really need to do a clean install.

As far as large cases that I recommend in that price range, it's tough to say because the prices are probably different in your area. For example a case I love, the Fractal Design R5 was recently on sale for $69, but it could cost a whole lot more in your region.

The Corsair Carbide Series might be worth looking at in your area, as they go on sale here for under $50 after rebate.

Oh shucks I forgot. I need new monitor lol. Any good suggestions under £150? Under £200 is ok I guess. My current one is 1080p I want 2k.

 

[UsandThem]

I am still using a lowly 1080 monitor, so I can't recommend one.

But I did give another user a starting point on finding a good 1440 monitor earlier today (last couple of posts in this thread):

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/1440p-or-4k.2493449/#post-38608257

 

[Cappuccino]

I am still using a lowly 1080 monitor, so I can't recommend one.

But I did give another user a starting point on finding a good 1440 monitor earlier today (last couple of posts in this thread):

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/1440p-or-4k.2493449/#post-38608257

wooow 2k monitors are not cheap -_-
fml

 

[UsandThem]

wooow 2k monitors are not cheap -_-
fml

True, but good 4k ones are much, much worse.

That's why I'm still at 1080p.......because I'm a tightwad.

 

[Cappuccino]

True, but good 4k ones are much, much worse.

That's why I'm still at 1080p.......because I'm a tightwad.

4k is for rich people

I think I wait until Christmas and hopefully they go on sale. Do Amazon do Christmas sale like they did with Black Friday? I hope they do.

Even the cheapest 2k cost £200 insane >_<

 

[UsandThem]

If the past is any indication, they will continue to have sales all month long, but rarely do prices hit as low as they do during the week of black Friday.

Camelcamelcamel.com is what I use to track Amazon prices. You can even set price alerts in it, and they email or text you when it hits. I'm not sure if it works for Amazon in other countries though.