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Upgrading from Z68, Sandy Bridge

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  • Sandy Bridge
  • Intel i5
  • Motherboards
  • Systems
Last response: in Systems
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May 12, 2014 5:26:38 PM

So I'm currently rocking an i5-2500K (nicely overclocked to 4.4 GHz) and a Gigabyte Z68 motherboard, along with two 7970s. Used mainly for gaming.

My question is, when does it become worth it to upgrade my mobo/CPU? I'm hearing about the new Devil's Canyon CPUs and the 9-series chipsets, and wondering if it would be worth it in any way to upgrade yet, or if I should stick with what I have.

Anyone have any advice?

More about : upgrading z68 sandy bridge

May 12, 2014 6:59:55 PM

What games, only game that is worth for a more expensive CPU is rome 2 total war which is very cpu intensive, toherwise, STICK WITH THIS for a while, because broadwell is on the way :) 
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a c 519 V Motherboard
May 12, 2014 7:16:51 PM

I'm in the same situation as you. i5-2500K and Gigabyte Z68. I keep saying "this year I will upgrade", but when I see the 'improvement' from the SB, I'm not really impressed enough to follow through. I have had several SLI and CF combinations and now a single R9-290X. So far, no real need at 1080p. I guess it's all about what your need is.
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a c 1799 V Motherboard
May 12, 2014 7:27:38 PM

What you have should be a good gaming rig and you might have some OC headroom in the 2500K yet ;)  If looking to possibly upgrade, would at least wait till the Haswell refresh K models come out (the 4690K or 4790K), should be released around the 1st of June (hopefully)
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a b V Motherboard
May 15, 2014 3:01:40 PM

As you're aware, you're currently using a Sandy Bridge (2nd generation) CPU in your Z68 motherboard. If you didn't already know, I'm just pointing out that Ivy Bridge (3rd generation) processors are also compatible with your motherboard. So if you want a cheap upgrade, you could upgrade your CPU to 3rd generation whilst retaining all your other components.

However with your processor overclocked to 4.4GHz, it's still a solid piece of hardware. I don't think you'll need an upgrade any time soon. Broadwell doesn't bring major performance boost over Haswell, whilst your overclocked i5 is still considered high-end.

If you'd like to bump up a generation without replacing your motherboard, you could always look at Ivy Bridge.

All the best. :) 
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a c 519 V Motherboard
May 15, 2014 3:34:32 PM

+1^
But remember to update your MB BIOS first so it recognizes the IB. I was going to do the IB upgrade myself. But the good folks here at Tom's talked me out of it. Not enough bang for the upgrade buck.

I just played a little of that beast of a system killer, Crysis 3 at max settings (1080p). No stutter, smooth except for one or two quick spots. You should be able to max it out even better with 2 x HD 7950 now that AMD has Frame Pacing figured out. Kind of hard to justify upgrading when it does all it is duppose to.
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