Intel Haswell refresh lineup for Q2 - should I wait?

dirtyblacksocks

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Jun 27, 2013
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So - here's the golden question.

I'm upgrading my computer - mainly so a friend can have a computer, as my hardware isn't that out of date.

The upgrade was going to consist of an ASUS Maximus VI Hero MOBO and an Intel i7 4770k Haswell.

Should I wait on the release of the new chips in Q2? If I do, are they going to be compatible with the older mobo's, or are they going to require new mobo's to take advantage of whatever it is Intel is changing in their processors?

Most importantly, are the changes being made to these processors going to be so significant that it's worth waiting, and are the prices on these processors going to be outrageous (like latest technology GPU price points) or are they going to be in line with what the current Haswell processor's are selling for, and bump current Haswell processor's down in price?

Obviously a lot of this is going to be speculation, but I'm lost in a place where I don't know where or when to invest my money in a new rig that has long term sustainability - so I'm turning to you guys for any advice you have on the matter.
 
Solution
Historically, Intel new products have come in relatively small price/performance increases.
You might, for instance, see a 3.5 4770K cpu have a new model 4790K at 3.6 for the same price.
With a "K" it is not that useful unless a new version can oc higher.

If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever.
If you have a need today, buy today.

Somewhere out there is a Z97 chipset. What it brings, and how compatible is a matter of rumor.

Historically, Intel new products have come in relatively small price/performance increases.
You might, for instance, see a 3.5 4770K cpu have a new model 4790K at 3.6 for the same price.
With a "K" it is not that useful unless a new version can oc higher.

If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever.
If you have a need today, buy today.

Somewhere out there is a Z97 chipset. What it brings, and how compatible is a matter of rumor.

 
Solution

dirtyblacksocks

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Jun 27, 2013
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This build will take me roughly 3-4 months to put together, which is why I'm sort of at a dillema here. Maybe I should buy the GPU first and the CPU and mobo last?

I've been going under the assumption of this route for buying:
Power Supply Unit
RAM
CPU
Mobo
GPU

If any of that should be adjusted for the best possible increase in either performance, or possibly saving myself a few bucks in 4 months - I'd love to hear SPECULATION on the best order to buy in.

I just assumed the GPU would be the one to have a largest drop in price at some point - or have some better options available in 4 months, since I'm getting a 780 Ti - and was hoping to get the ASUS OC II version, but it seems to be sparsely available.
 
I think it is better to buy most parts as late as possible.
As new products are introduced, the tendency is to provide better price/performance.

Buying early is good if the part is not a tech heavy thing like a PSU.
Be on the lookout for a sale on Seasonic psu in the 650-750 range. They are as good as it gets, and will be able to power any foreseeable graphics card.

On graphics, buy as late as possible. The market is competitive, and if the R9-290X price ever comes down to reality, it will put price pressure on the GTX780ti cards. And.. there is a possibility that Maxwell details may emerge. At purchase time, hedge your bets with a EVGA card. They have a 90 day trade-up program where you can turn in your old card at full price on a new. I happen to like the titan stock cooler better anyhow.

New gpu's do not cause the old gpu's price to drop on the new market, only the used price drops. Vendors know that a sli/cf upgrade will need a duplicate of the old card so it can still sell at full price.
That is one of the negatives of planning for sli/cf.

If you have a case in mind, that is a ok early purchase.

I would wait on the motherboard. They do not reduce in price, but, by waiting, you will get a later bios update.

On ram you need to know the motherboard to insure compatibility.
 

dirtyblacksocks

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Jun 27, 2013
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In other words, if you were doing this build, you'd just save the money over the months and buy all of the parts at the same time - unless an extreme sale on a part pops up in the marketplace?

Also, I was told to get this power unit by some one who's fairly knowledgable in power units (from this forum) saying they're the best of the best, your thoughts?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171078

Except the 850 Watt model, I think 1k is overkill, even 850k likely is, but I'd like to be able to support SLI in the future without worrying about it.



 
Exactly.

The V series is one of the few top quality coolermaster psu's.

I have no problem overprovisioning a PSU a bit. Say 20%.
It will run cooler, quieter, and more efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.

I might argue about planning on SLI

Here is my canned rant on planning for dual cards:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690,7990, GTX780ti or R9-290X is about as good as it gets for a single card.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, or a 4k monitor, might sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards and stronger single card solutions.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX780 only needs a 575w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 200w to your psu requirements.

Even the most power hungry GTX690 only needs 620w, or a 7990 needs 700w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual gpu's do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual gpu support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) dual cards up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The Maxwell and amd 8000 or 9000 series are due next year.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------