My 920 setup is in desperate need of some more RAM and a couple of 6Gbps SATA ports, so after a good 6 years it's finally upgrade time (though to be honest, speed wise this thing remains utterly perfect).
Mostly my usage is pretty minor, I write books in my spare time and program for a living (including on this PC), do some minor virtualisation related tasks for work and do light gaming (I have a 970 for that). I do video editing but only 1-2 times per year for a couple weeks tops, one of such times is now, thus the upgrade. I have a brand new 1TB Samsung Evo so no need for an upgrade there.
The three options I see are:
1. Buy more RAM and change the motherboard (& possibly get a Xeon 5650)
The cheapest option is to pick up an X58 motherboard with 6Gbps ports and buy some extra RAM. For a CPU upgrade I could also pick up a Xeon 5650 as recommended here.
Pros:
- Cheap
- Core increase
Cons:
- Not a huge upgrade of technology (remain on triple channel DDR3)
- Second hand parts
Price: £225 - £375
2. Upgrade to an X99/5820k system
An option that would benefit future-proofing and the video editing would be to upgrade to the renowned X99/5820k combo and get 6 cores. This seems like a proper upgrade compared with the other two options, but comes with the associated cost. I'd be getting 32GB quad channel DDR4 with this.
Pros:
- Core increase
- Big upgrade in technology (inc quad channel DDR4)
- Potential for future CPU upgrades to Broadwell-E (though it's unlikely I'd feel the need to do it)
Cons:
- Most expensive option
- Requires overclocking to put its clock speed on par with the 6700k (though I know the difference will be near unnoticeable for my usage)
Price: £650
3. Upgrade to a 6700k Skylake system
The final option (that I can see) is to upgrade to a Skylake system. This would be a fantastic upgrade in technology and cheaper than option #2, but results in me going from one quad core to another, which seems almost pointless (though I realise there's a lot more to it than that). I'd be getting 32GB dual channel DDR4 with this.
Pros:
- Big upgrade in technology
- No overclocking required
- Cheaper than upgrading to an X99 system
Cons:
- No additional cores
- Second most expensive option
- Going from triple channel RAM to dual channel
Cost: £550
Any help would be much appreciated
Mostly my usage is pretty minor, I write books in my spare time and program for a living (including on this PC), do some minor virtualisation related tasks for work and do light gaming (I have a 970 for that). I do video editing but only 1-2 times per year for a couple weeks tops, one of such times is now, thus the upgrade. I have a brand new 1TB Samsung Evo so no need for an upgrade there.
The three options I see are:
1. Buy more RAM and change the motherboard (& possibly get a Xeon 5650)
The cheapest option is to pick up an X58 motherboard with 6Gbps ports and buy some extra RAM. For a CPU upgrade I could also pick up a Xeon 5650 as recommended here.
Pros:
- Cheap
- Core increase
Cons:
- Not a huge upgrade of technology (remain on triple channel DDR3)
- Second hand parts
Price: £225 - £375
2. Upgrade to an X99/5820k system
An option that would benefit future-proofing and the video editing would be to upgrade to the renowned X99/5820k combo and get 6 cores. This seems like a proper upgrade compared with the other two options, but comes with the associated cost. I'd be getting 32GB quad channel DDR4 with this.
Pros:
- Core increase
- Big upgrade in technology (inc quad channel DDR4)
- Potential for future CPU upgrades to Broadwell-E (though it's unlikely I'd feel the need to do it)
Cons:
- Most expensive option
- Requires overclocking to put its clock speed on par with the 6700k (though I know the difference will be near unnoticeable for my usage)
Price: £650
3. Upgrade to a 6700k Skylake system
The final option (that I can see) is to upgrade to a Skylake system. This would be a fantastic upgrade in technology and cheaper than option #2, but results in me going from one quad core to another, which seems almost pointless (though I realise there's a lot more to it than that). I'd be getting 32GB dual channel DDR4 with this.
Pros:
- Big upgrade in technology
- No overclocking required
- Cheaper than upgrading to an X99 system
Cons:
- No additional cores
- Second most expensive option
- Going from triple channel RAM to dual channel
Cost: £550
Any help would be much appreciated
Last edited:
I get your point about a lack of need for 6Gbps, I suppose really I just see a use for it given my current SSD is bottlenecked by 3Gbps. For video editing I imagine the increased speed would be useful.
