Shuold I upgrade to Z97 or upgrade the Motherboard only

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Houston Z51

Houston Z51

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Jan 25, 2011
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Hey guys,

Its been a while since I build my last PC.

I need some expert advise and info.

My current system is:
CPU: i5 2500k Sandy bridge
MB: ASRock P67 Extreme 4
RAM: 16GB GSkill Ripjaw PC3-12800
Graphic: GeForce GTX 560Ti X 2 on Sli with 3 x Dell ultra sharp Monitors

I just bought an Evga GTX 970 Super clock graphic card. I will buy a 2nd one later.

I am thinking of upgrading to Z97 Mobo with i7 4790k processor so I can have PCI-E 3.0 to go with my new card,. I think I can use the same rams!

Now should I do this or just keep the same CPU and rams and just upgrade the mobo to this
Asrock

Please advise which way to go keeping in mind that I don't have to upgrade again too soon or don't need to.

Please advise how much will be the difference on gaming between i52500k and i7 4790k ?
Does it worth the extra spending!!
Do I need different or higher rams to go with the new Graphic card!
Should I change anything else ?

Thanks in advance.

 
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Abmario

Abmario

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Oct 1, 2014
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Your cpu i5-2500k can compete with the latest CPUs out there, I can say it is still a beast. You can get a better a motherboard like Z77 series if you are worried with PCIe 3.0. Motherboard something like this: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z77V_PRO/specifications/
You may even get a board with Z77 PCIe 3.0 (dual x16 for SLI/Crossfire) that will works very well with i5-2500k (though if would not be easy to find a stock).

Especially if you are into overclocking for sure your cpu Sandy Bridge can perform well with latest high-end Graphics card, not to mention good cpu cooling system.

i7-4790k has hyper-threading that non in i5-2500k, though 2500k can do multimedia editing, 3D design, rendering, etc, but i7 can do it better.. Can't find big difference when it comes to gaming, except if you are doing screen capture.

Anyway, if you still planing to upgrade I would suggest don't go lower than i5-4690k and better if get i7-4790k.

Here are few advantages of i7-4790K vs i5-2500k:
- The Core incorporates Hyper-Threading feature. This technology doubles the number of threads that the CPU can process at once. Threads 8 vs 4 of 2500k.
- The microprocessor offers higher operating frequency than the Intel i5-2500K.
- Power consumption of the Core i7-4790K is better.
- Better supported memory.
- Technology 22nm vs 32nm
- Temperature almost identical (at stock).
- Turbo frequency 4.4GHz vs 3.7gHz.
The i5-2500k advantage vs i7-4790k == can't find one.

All in all i7-4790k wins in all aspect.

Before I upgraded to i7 DCanyon i had i5-2500k (OCed to 4.8GHz) run very well with R9-280x.. Now 2500k is with my younger brother.
 
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Houston Z51

Houston Z51

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Do I really get benefitted with Z97 MB and i7 4790k !! or I can achieve almost same result by switching the Mobo to Z77 and OC the i5 to 4.3Ghz. This way I can save around $340.00.

Does Z97 chipset gives any additional benefits ?

Should I use same rams or go for something else with the i7 ?

This is what I have in mind ASUS Z97-A LGA

Thanks
 
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Abmario

Abmario

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Does Z97 chipset gives any additional benefits?

Though they are two gens apart, no big difference between Z77 and Z97. It has more SATA ports, M.2 supports, well added features i.e. Asus 5-way Optimization, protection, etc. But there's basically no benefit to be had going from z77 to z97 unless they supports DDR4.

Should I use same rams or go for something else with the i7 ?
es, you can use same ram regardless of 1.5v or 1.65v, it can always adjust it in UEFI bios setting, if ever the are variants.

This is what I have in mind ASUS Z97-A LGA ..

It is fine mainstream motherboard, since you are mentioned PCIE 3.0, it has 2 but single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode, according to specs.
 
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Houston Z51

Houston Z51

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I think It will help on Sli x 3 Monitors when I put another card.
 
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Houston Z51

Houston Z51

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The problem is I am not very clear on how much difference it makes to run GTX 970 on PCI-E 2.0 or PCI-E 3.0

Very conflicting info on line.

See LINK here. I found this by looking for latest articles on PCI E 3.0. Not old ones when it first launches.

What do you think! I need some more info on this. I don't want to upgrade 2-3 times.

Thanks
 
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Abmario

Abmario

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There's not big difference between the PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 2.0. When it comes to gaming, the gameplay performance of PCIe 3.0 has advantage of 10%, but with that percentage doesn't change the actual gameplay experience. The important thing is as long as the board has an x16 lane/s it will be fine..

You may wanna read this in addition to the links they have given earlier.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/07/18/pci_express_20_vs_30_gpu_gaming_performance_review/14#.VEdvyCKUfVo
 
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