Which board/CPU should I go for?

[n00bson]

I recently bought a i5-3570k and ASRock Z77 Extreme4 (but haven't used them yet) only to find a huge sale on the i5-4670k and Z87 Extreme6. Ultimately, I'd probably be spending $40-50 more on the Haswell combo. I plan on only using one graphics card for now as I only have a CX600 (maybe GTX 770 or Radeon 7950), and I plan on using the Plantronics Gamecom 780. One thing that was making me consider the second board is the soundchip that's advertised. Do you think it'd make a difference over the Z77 Extreme4 with that headset?

 

[expl0itfinder]

No. Not enough to pay extra for. The performance difference is virtually unnoticeable, and most advertised onboard audio is all hype. The audio that the extreme4 should be more than sufficient.

 

[chesteracorgi]

There is a 5-15% performance inprovement in the Haswell, but that is offset by the fact that Haswell is much harder to OC. The difference is in the ancillary components and the fact that Haswell has 6 native SATA 3 ports vs. 2 native SATA 3 ports on the IB.

You also have to be aware that Haswell has had some issues with PSUs: because the Haswell is designed to use an "improved" sleep/hibernate cycle some PSUs don't work with Haswell. So the difference in $$ may be more.

The audio chip is better, but you'll only appreciate it if you are an audiophile.

 

[Tradesman1]

Think you'll be more than happy with what you have, I'm runny the same CPU/mobo combo and while I plan a Haswell, it's primarily for supporting clients and letting them see one in action, I anticipate staying with my 3570K as my primary workstation, does everything I ask of it (and then some)