Possible new build

Aug 11, 2008
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What games do you play and what resolution? Are you cpu or gpu limited? I assume you have the 8320 overclocked to 4+ ghz. If so, and if you dont mind the power use, i agree it is probably not worth it to upgrade to the 6500. I see 3 possible upgrades.

1. Save up for a 6700k or 5820k, or broadwell E. (But i am not expecting any great improvements over haswell E.)

2. Upgrade the gpu when the next generation comes out.

3. Wait for zen. But it could be nearly a year before it is available in good supply, and price and performance are both unknowns. *If* the performance is good, i do not expect that it will be cheap, at least initially.
 
Aug 11, 2008
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Zen?


Will it be under 300 for those three components?

Not at all likely unless it sucks. Initially, it will be 8 cores, and if the ipc and clockspeeds are competitive, I cant imagine it being any cheaper than 5820k, which is close to 400.00.

Realistically, I think you are looking at 500.00 for a worthwhile upgrade from what you have.
 

Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
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We know basically nothing about Zen beyond the name. AMD has stated nebulously that it will have "40% better IPC than Steamroller" which at the time was only found in low-end laptops, and we have reason to believe it will be offered with 8 cores and have no integrated graphics, but Zen could very well show up as a 20%-higher-IPC quad core with GCN1.2 cores for all we know - or even not show up at all.
 

AtenRa

Lifer
Feb 2, 2009
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Not at all likely unless it sucks. Initially, it will be 8 cores, and if the ipc and clockspeeds are competitive, I cant imagine it being any cheaper than 5820k, which is close to 400.00.

Realistically, I think you are looking at 500.00 for a worthwhile upgrade from what you have.

I dont believe there will only be a single 8-Core CPU sold. There will most probable make 4C/6C + HT SKUs as well at sub $400 price. Also Motherboard prices will be spanning from very cheap (no extra Chip solutions) to enthusiast/Overclockers high priced models.
 
Jan 27, 2009
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The games I play necessitate a gtx 970 lol AAA stuff

But I've been benchmarks where both are equally roughly until it comes to games. Where the i5 goes ahead 20 to 30fps
 

escrow4

Diamond Member
Feb 4, 2013
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Right now, those parts (minus the RAM) would be the minimum I'd recommend for any PC, not just gaming. For longevity consider a 6700 non K (if not OC) for that little bit extra but those will do. For RAM find a 16GB dual channel kit that is at least 2400MHz if not 2666MHz.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
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Right now, those parts (minus the RAM) would be the minimum I'd recommend for any PC, not just gaming. For longevity consider a 6700 non K (if not OC) for that little bit extra but those will do. For RAM find a 16GB dual channel kit that is at least 2400MHz if not 2666MHz.

Well, if one isn't the type to "slum around" with dual-cores, then yeah, the i5-6500 is probably the lowest I would recommend too. The i5-6400 is just gimped too much in ST performance due to low clock-speed, and the price isn't that much different than the i5-6500.

For a non-gaming (nothing beyond Facebook games) / web-browser box, the i3-6100 isn't exactly a bad choice either, if on a budget.

Edit: Another reason for the choice of a quad-core, would be for heavy-duty media codec support, or future codecs that won't be supported by current-gen hardware.
 
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Denithor

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
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I'd suggest i5 6600K instead. You will easily recoup the extra $40 in higher resell value and in the interim you get faster stock clocks and the potential to OC considerably higher.
 

Majcric

Golden Member
May 3, 2011
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If You're not willing to step up to one of the i7's mentioned in the thread. Then I agree you should consider at min the i5 6500k.

But I would definitely think about that i7 as a one and done deal. You could get the i7 and be set for a long, long time at rate ipc is going.