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I52500 or should i wait?

cupofjava

cupofjava

cupofjava

Associate
Joined
22 Jan 2012
Posts
73
hi,

I'm currently running quite an old system, but put a new mid-range graphics card in over a year ago to try and keep it 'current' enough to play some of the latest games. Now I'm getting more time, I'm looking to invest into upgrading it to a modern gaming PC as im really struggling to run games like BF3 with good enough FPS to play properly online even on the lowest settings - I'm guessing mostly because of a CPU bottleneck?

Current system:

Core2Duo E6600 @ 2.8Ghz (poor over clocking motherboard)
MSI P965 NEO-F PCI-Ex
4GB Corsair PC2-6400 DDR2
Radeon HD5770 512MB

I obviously want to bring it back upto date making it a decent gaming system, and had originally wanted to add the I5 2500K, a decent overclocking motherboard and up the Ram to 8GB, whilst holding onto the graphics card for a bit longer. What's the best option for me here? obviously i don't want to upgrade now to regret it later when Ivy Bridge comes out; but im struggling to run some games. I have heard that by using the same socket the new processors will be backwards compatible on socket 1155 motherboards? if this is true it makes the option of upgrading now more appealing, as in a year or so I could drop the i5.
 
Welcome to the forums. My understanding is that ivybridge will use the same socket, and although new motherboards/chipsets will come out they will indeed be compatible with current i5 motherboards (Z68 etc..).

If you've got the money and want to upgrade, then you'll get a great rig now. I think Ivybridge is out in April or around that time, so it depends if you want to wait? Ivybridge isn't going to make Sandybridge any worse :P

It's probably best to get a decent CPU/Mobo/RAM/PSU first, then get a better GPU later on to make the most of it?
 
Hi there,

Since you are finding your current system is struggling then I wouldn't wait for Ivy Bridge and just buy a nice sandy bridge now. As you mention, you will be able to drop in an Ivy Bridge CPU into a current P67/Z68 board - so buying stuff now doesn't lock you out of future CPUs.

May I ask what your total budget for the upgrade is and what is the make and model number of your current PSU?

I ask this because when you do upgrade your CPU to a more modern one you will find that you HD 5770 is by far the limiting component and will only be able to drive games like BF3 at low-medium settings. Perhaps your budget (and PSU) would support a second HD 5770 to run in Crossfire.
 
wow thanks for the quick reply! my main concern when upgrading is always the fact that a new CPU often means a new motherboard, and then new RAM in most cases so it makes the whole upgrading process a lot more expensive. If its true that the new Ivy Bridge processors are compatible with the 1155 motherboards, obviously it would make future upgrades cheaper and more viable!

thanks a lot!
 
As they were the same time, you may have missed cmndr_andi's post?

If you answer some of those questions we can help you choose what to buy!
 
oh yeah!

It's a bit of a shame to hear that my gaming potential probably wouldn't improve much without upgrading the graphics card... I had a budget of around £450 tops. After reading some comments and doing some searching around I found the following that would probably be a good motherboard option? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-493-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

to allow some future proofing! my current PSU is the Thermaltake 675W Toughpower XT Modular PSU (model no: TP-675AH3CC) and had looked at the following upgrades, although im open to suggestions :) !

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor - £172.55
G-Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz RipjawsX Memory Kit CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V -£41.06
Antec 900 Nine Hundred Case with 200mm Top Fan - £80.84 (my current case is old with poor air flow, so I've been after something better for a while)
and if i factor in the motherboard this comes to a total of: £432.45

thanks guys, appreciate the help!
 
That motherboard is a decent one.

Though you may want to consider opting for a cheaper motherboard like this (one that doesn't support sli) but is still a solid board and allows for good overclocking. then spend the money saved on a second-hand hd 5770 (which usually go for around £50).

This review shows what adding a second HD 5770 in crossfire can do to gaming performance.

You current PSU should be fine for running a system two HD 5770 graphics cards.
 
that's a good find... would you really recommend a cheaper MSI over the ASUS ones? it all looks good, but I'm not a fan of the MSI one i have at the moment but have always seen and heard good things from friends ASUS boards, particularly in their stability and quality.

However I'm not sure i'll be able to say no to a board offering that much at that price...
 
Aye, I hear what you are saying about MSI - but recently they have really upped their game. Their LGA 1155 boards have been among the best made and they offer really good value with higher-end features on their mid/lower end boards.

The comparable ASUS board has the drawback of its second PCIE slot only running at x4 speed (not ideal for running two cards in crossfire) and it doesn't support PCI-E v3.0 - for use with Ivy Bridge CPUs.
 
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