Upgrade. Where to?

[Yaayuh!]

Hi all,
I currently have a 3930K @ 4.5GHz on an X79 Sabertooth with 16GB Samsung Green at 2133+MHz with tight timings.

I want to upgrade and would prefer a smaller and preferably quieter build, M-ATX using a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv or Corsair Carbide Air 240.

I game (980Ti) and use Ableton DAW.

Do I:

Drop 2 cores and go for a Skylake z-series setup.

Or

Wait for Broadwell-E and go to that platform despite the fact Skylake-E will be Q-4 2016 potentially and require a new board.

 

[Caracus2k]

Broadwell-e's unlikely to over much in the way of performance over haswell-e when overclocked. It will run a bit cooler than haswell-e overclocked. I would not particularly advise anyone to hold out for broadwell-e over haswell-e for these reasons. There are of course some limited options for matx on x99 but you will lose half the normal ram slots and may lose some overclocking headroom over an atx or eatx board with the smaller board having more limited space. Ultimately skylake would arguably be a downgrade overall and x99 would largely be a side grade. Maybe review you current cpu, case and gpu cooling and look to quiten that down and keep what you have got unless you really want a smaller form factor

 

[Boomstick777]

Wouldn't bother yet, (Well I would, I change all the time) but for normal use what's the point, your 3930K isn't really holding anything back. Wait until Broadwell -E drops and get a real decent upgrade and pick of the refresh X99 motherboards that will coincide with the 14nm CPU's.

 

[Yaayuh!]

I'm happy with the EVGA M-ATX X99 board looks good. But yes, there are limited choices really. Hopefully when Broadwell-e comes, there'll be a few more.

I know the 3930K itself is pretty good, given its age and all, but it's hot and I'd really prefer a smaller system that's quieter. Doesn't help that the pump on my H100 is droning a bit.

I'll wait and see when Broadwell-e comes along. Not long hopefully.

 

[Caracus2k]

Probably March at the earliest untill we see broadwell-e

 

[Sylver123]

For all we know Broadwell-E might actually overclock quite well, just as good as Haswell-E. Just because the current mainstream
Broadwell doesn't overclock very well doesn't mean the enthusiasts versions for the X99 platform will also be the same.

 

[wam7]

It depends how badly you want to go smaller. I use Ableton as well and it should be fine on a quad core though I think in the long run you'd regret dropping the two cores. As other have said I'd been inclined to wait for Broadwell-E - unless you're dying for a size/noise reduction.

 

[Methanoid]

I was thinking about this last night....

Each generation tends to be 10% faster clock for clock... cumulative! So...

Sandy-E < Ivy-E < Haswell-E < Broadwell-E or in percentage terms....
100 < 110 < 121 < 133

So at same clock speed expected Broadwell-E to be about 33% faster... Or to match a 4.5GHz overclocked Broadwell you'd need a 6GHz Sandy!!

 

[Caracus2k]

For all we know Broadwell-E might actually overclock quite well, just as good as Haswell-E. Just because the current mainstream
Broadwell doesn't overclock very well doesn't mean the enthusiasts versions for the X99 platform will also be the same.

We won't know to we see the silicon but all evidence points to one conclusion.... Recent reductions in process size have not helped maximum attainable clocks, they have actually retarded them somewhat overall. I anticipate broadwell-e will prove to be rather underwhelming when compared to comparable haswell-e cpu's, ie six core vs six core, Oct core vs Oct core.

 

[mmj_uk]

Ivy Bridge (although they run hotter according to monitoring programs) kick out a lot less heat than the old Sandy Bridge so I'd suggest selling your 3930K and getting a 4820/4930K? unless you really want to downsize. At least then you'll be able to reduce fan noise of the CPU cooler, unless it's the Sabertooth itself which is noisy...

 

[Yaayuh!]

Tempted just to go Broadwell-E. Money is burning a hole in my pocket though, it needs to hurry the hell up.