I don't think I'll ever upgrade CPU/Motherboard for atleast another ____ years!

[rezax58]

Hey guys. I built this system back in '09 for home use.

GA-X58a-ud7-rev 1
I7-930 oc'ed to 3.7 on only 1.19735 volts!!
Noctua DH-14 cooler
Corsair 750W TX
Sapphire 5850 Vid
G-skill triple channel 1600mhz 6gb total
WD black 640gb
Seagate 500gb
Antec 1100 case
Windows 8 Pro

Till this day I feel as though this setup is still very good and can't come up with any excuse to upgrade except maybe more RAM and an SSD drive? But hey what do I know

Do you guys think I should do any upgrade? Look for a better CPU i.e 960, 980 or even 990x better video card?

[zanzabar]

i could see changing your storage and case, you dont need anything else. your graphics card is fine and i would not upgrade till the next gen, your cpu is fine and if you were to upgrade it the hex cores are not cheap even on 1366 so i would do a haswell quad instead as it should be about a SB-e quad clock for clock in overall performance and much faster for games. SSDs are really nice i would start with that.

[nossy23]

i could see changing your storage and case, you dont need anything else. your graphics card is fine and i would not upgrade till the next gen, your cpu is fine and if you were to upgrade it the hex cores are not cheap even on 1366 so i would do a haswell quad instead as it should be about a SB-e quad clock for clock in overall performance and much faster for games. SSDs are really nice i would start with that.

Isn't the supposed 'much faster for games' performance of the Haswell CPU only when using the igpu? I didn't see anything about Haswell being a lot fast for games if you're using a graphics card (apart from the fact that haswell might overclock really well)?

[EniGmA1987]

That setup wouldnt even come close to playable frames rated on 1440p monitors or higher. So as long as you are fine only running barely adequate FPS in old resolution then ya there is no reason to upgrade.

[zanzabar]

Isn't the supposed 'much faster for games' performance of the Haswell CPU only when using the igpu? I didn't see anything about Haswell being a lot fast for games if you're using a graphics card (apart from the fact that haswell might overclock really well)?

for quads, socket 1156 was about 5% faster clock fom clock than 1366, then the SB is about 7% faster than the 1156, then the IB is about 5% faster than the SB, and the haswel (1150) is supposed be 5-10% faster than the IB. so over time it adds up that you not only should have higher clock speeds but better performance and lower latency. you would not really get anything now but you would get a nice upgrade if you want a new toy. it would also use about half the power.

[Ivanlabrie]

Haswell will be faster for games, but ultimately you'll be limited by your old gpu. Try to get a gpu upgrade and an ssd, the other bases are covered.
I'd reccomend a 7970 if you want something now, or maybe even a cheaper 7870 XT or 7950. Nvidia gpus are too expensive and don't clock as well, whilst performing on par at max oc, or slightly worse than AMD cards at most titles.

EDIT: Again, this all depends on the resolution you're playing at of course. For 1080p you'd need an upgrade if you consider 60fps smooth.

[Kain665]

I built my system towards the end of 2010. I specifically built it with the intention of not upgrading for quite some time - I went through about 7 CPUs until I found one that I was happy with. My 870's been running 4ghz @ 1.25v ever since. Originally I built the machine with 4GB of DRAM and a 5850. The only things I've changed is expanding the Memory to 16GB for my photo editing, as well as adding a 240GB boot SSD and a 512GB storage SSD to augment my Velociraptor. I've also swapped out my 5850, but not out of necessity, I was just able to get a newer card for a good price.

[Ivanlabrie]

Yeah, those chips are strong enough for gaming...if anything gpu+ssd upgrade is in order.

[nossy23]

for quads, socket 1156 was about 5% faster clock fom clock than 1366, then the SB is about 7% faster than the 1156, then the IB is about 5% faster than the SB, and the haswel (1150) is supposed be 5-10% faster than the IB. so over time it adds up that you not only should have higher clock speeds but better performance and lower latency. you would not really get anything now but you would get a nice upgrade if you want a new toy. it would also use about half the power.

I don't think that's true for gaming. There is no real increase in gaming performance clock for clock, for several generations already. Check this out:

http://alienbabeltech.com/main/?p=29402&all=1

The only improvement we can see is in integrated igpu, power consumption, some extra new features, and some non gaming related software that gets a boost (like media encoding, encryption etc)

[lutjens]

I'd second the vote for an SSD...and for more memory. Video card upgrade depends completely on the resolution you plan to run, so unless you're into the multi-monitor gaming, it shouldn't be required. Just for fun, you might also consider a closed water cooling system for your CPU and see if it'll go a bit higher...with that low Vcore, I'd be surprised if it didn't have some more room left in it.

[CrazyNutz]

SSD, and GPU will net you the highest performance boost. The rest of your HW is fine for awhile longer

[rezax58]

Thanks ya'all. Ordered 256gb 840 pro (samsung) and will use my WD black as a data drive! Might hold of on the GPU for now though, since I don't game much like I did in the past.

[tiro_uspsss]

SSD, and GPU will net you the highest performance boost. The rest of your HW is fine for awhile longer

+1, & more RAM.. get a 3x4GB kit.
OC your CPU a lil more & you'll be set!

go read the CPU article on anand about the C2D set-up they recently tested - it shows you how much 'progression' there has been in CPU / CPU usage requirements

[chinaguy]

I keep an old Intel Q6600 running on an Asrock P41 mobo, 2x4GB DDR3 1333 and a 64GB Toshiba SSD SataII under the desk at school. I use it to keep it working as a spare for all my 775 based PCs at home. As I run Q8400,E6750,E6700 at home, so I need spares in case of breakdowns.

I have it OC from 2.4 to 3Ghz and the old PC kicks a$$ still with every thing it does from video editing to music making. The SSD and 8GB makes a big difference in performance.

If it ain't broke don't fix it!!! Its not the fastest PC NOW TODAY(its was once) but as I made it up from spare parts it does the job. Just looking for a cheap GTX430/460 card to give it some extra video power from a GT9300, its like an old F1 V8 pickup you keep just to take the rubbish down to the dump!

[Sparky]

Actually if you have a decent case to start with I see it as one of the few things to get upgraded for a long time, unless you just like switching cases. I don't because it is almost impossible to sell a used case for more than peanuts. I've been using the same chassis since 2007 and still have no intention of switching it. No other case really either appeals to me or is far too expensive IMO. As it was I spent a little over $100 for this case.

Other hardware lasts me quite a while anymore. I'll skip anywhere from 1-3 generations on hardware. I went from a Q6600, to an AMD 955BE, to a 2600k, and from an X1950XT, to a 4870, to a 7950. I used the same primary hard drive since 2008 until just recently when I got an SSD, and my main storage drive is about 3-4 years old now I think. PSU has been the same since 2007. Heck I still used an IDE NEC DVD-RW drive until my latest board no longer supported IDE anymore And I'm still rocking my old Audigy 2 ZS.

[chinaguy]

Every bit of Hardware I have must work with Windows 7. I couple of good P4 systems went into the B!N when the sound or video drivers did not work with W7 installed, made me cry

[Movieman]

I don't think I'll ever upgrade CPU/Motherboard for at least another three days!
Fixed!

[chinaguy]

I have a 4 year old boy and that takes all my spare cash so I have to save the penies in a big jam jar to spend on my toys!

Nearly got $300 in change, so come Christmas I should be able to upgrade.

But seriously I don't need to upgrade till a PC dies on me. I have one that is based on a E6750 and is nearly 6 years old giving some signs of death, but until its dead I will keep it going.

Then just use a new CPU/MoBo/RAM/SSD and recycle everything else into the build from the old PC. When does an old CM690 become unuseable, 2x2TB WD Green+2x1TB Blue still work, Antac 650W still in good order and the DVD still plays.

[fuzelogic]

You said your using your computer for home use, do you play games with your system or use it vmwares, etc?

[rezax58]

Just purchased a powercolor 7950 pcs+

I guess I'll be playing pc games again... Oh Oh

[Kai Robinson]

The computer in my sig is still what i'm using, 6 years on. Last major upgrade was 3-4 years back. Considering a new rig this year but eesh...hard to decide what to get Intel/AMD wise :/

[rezax58]

Update: sold the 7950 for a huge profit (thanks miners) and picked up a 780 gtx. Also just bought a Xeon x5650 cpu. I love my I7 930 and I think it's a fabulous chip, but for the price and the fact that I'll be getting a 32nm and 6 core it just made it too tempting. Hopefully I can at the minimum overclock it to 4ghz and if it does in fact overclock then I'll need to figure out what to do with the 930...hmmm

The computer in my sig is still what i'm using, 6 years on. Last major upgrade was 3-4 years back. Considering a new rig this year but eesh...hard to decide what to get Intel/AMD wise :/

As long as you're happy. But now that you know you'll possibly be keeping you're next build for 5+ years, then you may as well go all out

[DaveB]

I don't think I'll ever upgrade CPU/Motherboard for atleast another ____ years!

Good question, so let me try to flesh out an answer. I've been upgrading and downgrading constantly with new builds since 1998. Probably built at least 25 single socket setups and an equal number of dual socket ones pretty evenly divided between AMD and Intel. But mostly all Intel for the past 5 years. My current i7 4770K mini ITX rig was so cheap (Microcenter $199 deal with $40 off the motherboard) that I can't see upgrading from that one. I can't see any need for more than the GTX 760 video since that does the 2560 x 1440 nicely for my HP 27" monitor. I'll generally pick a main system and keep it for 5 years and then rotate in 3 to 5 more systems to play with and then resell the parts. The micro ATX dual socket 771 system was also so cheap ($250 for the motherboard, CPUs, and 24 GB RAM), I'll most likely keep that one for at least 3 years. The old PC-DL dual Prestonia Xeon rig is retired, but operational - I boot it up every other week or so. I recently built and AMD A10 6800K rig for a friend, so I don't see the need to do another AMD. But, then again, next week I could decide something is a good deal and be off again.