A worthwhile upgrade?

ro55o · 17 May 2017 at 12:50

Currently looking at upgrading my CPU from my faithful i5-3450 Ivybridge to an i5-6600k. What I want to know is this a worthwhile upgrade? Obviously this means a new motherboard, more than likely a Z270 and new DDR4 ram.

I've currently got an AMD RX470 4GB and 8GB ram to go with the i5. I mainly play the likes of Overwatch, which isn't the most intense game on the planet, currently max it out @ 2540 x 1440. I do however like to play Deus EX, Witcher 3, Far Cry etc. Though the most tasking thing will be running the Rift, which currently it manages at medium settings (It does however come up with "Your PC settings do not meet requirements for the Rift", but it has worked on any game I've thrown at it).

Hopefully you lovely people can steer me in the right direction, especially if anyone else has went through a similar upgrade.

ro55o · 17 May 2017 at 13:10

Didn't realise the 7600k was around the same price (Looking at about £20 more than the 6600k). This looks like a better and newer option.

I've seen the arguments on here a lot, mainly pushing the new Ryzen CPU's. Don't want this one to turn in to that, but going by the rest of the threads it's more than likely lol

I'm obviously open to suggestions, but more so if this move is a worthwhile upgrade over my existing system, whether its the 7600k or the 1500X/1600.

ro55o · 17 May 2017 at 14:34

I might keep my eye out for a 2nd hand 1070 on the MM, if I can get a decent amount for mine it could be a good upgrade, especially the additional 4GB. Based on the 1440 res I'm playing at and the oculus rift, that might be the better upgrade.

Regarding the CPU, the best available for the 1155 socket is the i5-3570k, would be around a £30-£40 upgrade, but would require overclocking to really see a difference. I need to look at my motherboard, can't remember the model, but would ideally need a z75/77 to get the most out a k CPU. I don't want to spend a huge amount on an older socket.

Have had a look at both the intel and AMD's newest offering's and after selling my CPU, mobo and ram, I'm looking at about a £250-£300 upgrade to go to the most recent, either 7600k or 1600.

ro55o · 17 May 2017 at 15:28

Quartz said:
I wouldn't bother. The performance increase is slim unless you overclock, and that's never guaranteed. I'm still on my i7-3770S. You'll get better value for money by upgrading your GPU.

Had that feeling, it was only recently I realised how old Ivybridge is, so had a little think about a possible upgrade. It's looking likely that getting a 1070 is the better route to go down and the cheaper.

Plec said:
Yes, my bad, i made a bit of an assumption about your board. If you haven't got a z68/z77 then getting a K series CPU would mean yet another component to buy second hand.

If you did have an overclocking motherboard then the i5-3570K clocked and coupled with a GTX 1070 would have been a great compromise as i think it would have given superior gains rather than just new MB and CPU.

I've had more of a look at the RIFT - and it does appear to be quite GPU dependent - so it may be worth a bit more research as even your present CPU would marry a GTX 1070 comfortably - but with limitations i already explained above.

A 1070 seems the logical upgrade, my CPU looks like it can last a little longer. Might look at moving to 16GB ram, some games on the rift recommend this. Will keep my eye on the MM for some bargains. Cheers guys!