My son is getting more into gaming, and our second (wife’s) computer isn't keeping up. BF5 is the first real demanding game I've been interested in for a while, and we’ve both pre-ordered it – so, I’m looking at upgrade paths/options. I typically try to upgrade the GPU a time or two between CPU upgrades, so at this point I think both systems have a bit of a CPU bottleneck.
Current State:
Mine: Gaming, some transcoding, web
I5-2500k @ 4.5GHz
16 GB RAM
GTX 970 4GB
1920x1200 @60Hz
Wife’s: Normally web, but now also used by son for gaming
Phenom II X4 955 BE @ 3.2GHz
12 GB RAM
1050ti 4GB
1920x1080 @60Hz
We may upgrade monitors at some point in the future, but since I like to go a while between upgrades I’d chase refresh rates rather than more pixels to keep hardware demands down.
Desired state: Two computers that can play BF5 with >30fps on 64 player maps without breaking the bank.
Upgrading both systems is an option, but I’m considering upgrading my CPU/MoBo/RAM and passing the 2500k to him to use. The BF5 beta wasn’t ideal on it, but it was far better than on the Phenom. I think the 1050ti would be reasonably-matched for the 2500k, and the 970 wouldn’t be an unreasonable bottleneck (again looking for 30-60 fps) for a new CPU in the near-term.
As I see the practical options as:
Intel: i5-8600k or i5-8700k
AMD: r5-2600x or r7-2700x
I’ve been compelled to upgrade for more cores/threads before (BF3 destroyed my e8500), so I’m somewhat inclined to go with more cores/threads over the higher clocks, but my crystal ball is never clear in guessing the more 'future-proof' path. It seems that consoles sales drive game coding/optimizations anymore, so I could see the knee in the curve sitting at 6-8 cores/threads for a couple more years… That said, I read somewhere that BF5 is written for up to 12 threads already. I know AM4 is touted as having an upgrade path for a few more years, but I found with my LGA1155 (e8500) it never really made financial sense to upgrade during the socket lifetime, so I’m skeptical.
Budget for this really depends on if I’m doing a hand-me-down, or if it really only makes sense to upgrade both - really after the best bang/buck, with an eye for longevity assuming a GPU update in a couple years. My son is ~12, so anything bought no now would be obsolete by the time he’s close to graduating - it’s not like investing heavy there would ‘set him up’ for the college years yet – although he’s eager to spend any savings he has to help get his own rig. I’d love to wait until we have proper hardware protection against Spectre/Meltdown variants, but the Phenom isn’t going to make it that long.
Other games we play: Kerbel, 7 days to die, BF1, Civ6, Skyrim, Ark, …
Thoughts? Does only upgrading a single computer seem like a fool’s errand? I bought the 2500k 7 years ago now, so I can’t really complain unless it's about the lack of interesting (to me) new games.
Current State:
Mine: Gaming, some transcoding, web
I5-2500k @ 4.5GHz
16 GB RAM
GTX 970 4GB
1920x1200 @60Hz
Wife’s: Normally web, but now also used by son for gaming
Phenom II X4 955 BE @ 3.2GHz
12 GB RAM
1050ti 4GB
1920x1080 @60Hz
We may upgrade monitors at some point in the future, but since I like to go a while between upgrades I’d chase refresh rates rather than more pixels to keep hardware demands down.
Desired state: Two computers that can play BF5 with >30fps on 64 player maps without breaking the bank.
Upgrading both systems is an option, but I’m considering upgrading my CPU/MoBo/RAM and passing the 2500k to him to use. The BF5 beta wasn’t ideal on it, but it was far better than on the Phenom. I think the 1050ti would be reasonably-matched for the 2500k, and the 970 wouldn’t be an unreasonable bottleneck (again looking for 30-60 fps) for a new CPU in the near-term.
As I see the practical options as:
Intel: i5-8600k or i5-8700k
AMD: r5-2600x or r7-2700x
I’ve been compelled to upgrade for more cores/threads before (BF3 destroyed my e8500), so I’m somewhat inclined to go with more cores/threads over the higher clocks, but my crystal ball is never clear in guessing the more 'future-proof' path. It seems that consoles sales drive game coding/optimizations anymore, so I could see the knee in the curve sitting at 6-8 cores/threads for a couple more years… That said, I read somewhere that BF5 is written for up to 12 threads already. I know AM4 is touted as having an upgrade path for a few more years, but I found with my LGA1155 (e8500) it never really made financial sense to upgrade during the socket lifetime, so I’m skeptical.
Budget for this really depends on if I’m doing a hand-me-down, or if it really only makes sense to upgrade both - really after the best bang/buck, with an eye for longevity assuming a GPU update in a couple years. My son is ~12, so anything bought no now would be obsolete by the time he’s close to graduating - it’s not like investing heavy there would ‘set him up’ for the college years yet – although he’s eager to spend any savings he has to help get his own rig. I’d love to wait until we have proper hardware protection against Spectre/Meltdown variants, but the Phenom isn’t going to make it that long.
Other games we play: Kerbel, 7 days to die, BF1, Civ6, Skyrim, Ark, …
Thoughts? Does only upgrading a single computer seem like a fool’s errand? I bought the 2500k 7 years ago now, so I can’t really complain unless it's about the lack of interesting (to me) new games.
Facebook
Twitter