How long will i7 2600k last?

ATi RaDEoN · Jun 7, 2015

I am currently playing most of the latest games very well in very high to ultra settings along with Nvidia DSR. My 4 year i7 2600k seems to be doing a good job. As DX12 is about to release, I am pretty much relieved that I won't have to sell my GTX 960, instead I will simply add a new high end GPU after 3-4 years. What I am concerned about is my ageing i7 2600k. Will I have to upgrade it after 3-4 years or would it be fine if I just get a high end GPU paired with my current GTX 960?

PS: I don't have an overclock supporting mobo

mcnumpty23 · Jun 7, 2015

i am still on a 2600k--overclocked to 5ghz--not sure why you have a 2600k on a board that cant overclock it though

in my opinion nothing yet has been worth the cost to performance gained to upgrade it

skylake may change that

vicstead · Jun 7, 2015

ATi RaDEoN :

I am currently playing most of the latest games very well in very high to ultra settings along with Nvidia DSR. My 4 year i7 2600k seems to be doing a good job. As DX12 is about to release, I am pretty much relieved that I won't have to sell my GTX 960, instead I will simply add a new high end GPU after 3-4 years. What I am concerned about is my ageing i7 2600k. Will I have to upgrade it after 3-4 years or would it be fine if I just get a high end GPU paired with my current GTX 960?

PS: I don't have an overclock supporting mobo

d1rtydeedz · Jun 7, 2015

The i72600k is a proven BEAST. However; if you're not overclocking, you're not experiencing it's full potential, not even close. A decent cooler, EVO, or H80 can help you overclock your 2600K to 4.4ghz [give or take] without a worry. That being said, you'll need a new motherboard, look in to the AsRock Z77 extreme 4; it's what I run and it's great. Unless you're going to drop $1000 bucks, there isn't another processor worth buying if you're already running the 2600k overclocked. [just manage the heat]

vicstead · Jun 7, 2015

Stick with what you have. The Sandybridge i7 2600k is still a good processor.

ATi RaDEoN · Jun 7, 2015

Where can I find sandybridge compatible motherboard. I think 2011 motherboards are not available anywhere.

mcnumpty23 · Jun 7, 2015

might be hard to find one depending where you are

ebay may be your best bet

vicstead · Jun 7, 2015

The last time I had a i7 2600k I believe that it was a Z-68 system using a 1155 socket.
I'm sure that I will be soon corrected if I am wrong.

ATi RaDEoN · Jun 7, 2015

I found GIGABYTE GA-Z77M-D3H motherboard after searching almost every ecommerce website available for my country. It has 2 PCIEx16 slots and supports LGA1155 socket.
So, getting this mobo, a decent CPU cooler and overclocking the i7 2600k to 4.5 ghz be sufficient after 4 years.

vicstead · Jun 7, 2015

I would have thought that the GA-Z77M-DH3 would suffice.

ATi RaDEoN · Jun 7, 2015

d1rtydeedz :

vicstead :

I meant to ask if i7 2600k 4.5 ghz sufficient for 4-5 years provided you have a decent GPU. I don't want to spend another 1000 bucks for getting 8th gen i7 if I can suffice with 2nd gen processor.

nikoli707 · Jun 7, 2015

i would go on ebay and find a z68 or z77 motherboard. there is plenty of old stock laying around and you should be able to get a new board for around $80. after that all you will need is a decent cooler like a $30 hyper 212 evo or equivalent. 4.4ghz is nothing for sandy bridge. the 2600k is still a beast and when it becomes obsolete for gaming so will a brand new 4790k.... the performance differences between the two is minimal at best. you can roughly figure a 2600k@4.4ghz = 4790k@4.0ghz.

you might want to think about lapping your processor since it is out of warranty. i lapped my 2500k with $10 worth of sand paper, 800/1200/1600/2000/2500 grit sand paper. lapping dropped my temps by about 7-10c overall. if you use a $50 120mm noctua/phanteks cooler you can very likely hit 4.6ghz with prime95 temps under 80c. cheers.

ATi RaDEoN · Jun 7, 2015

nikoli707 :

I live in India and only old stock was GIGABYTE GA-Z77M-D3H which I just ordered. I am going to university this year and will only come home for one two months annually and in that break I will game my a$$ off. My concern was the reliability of an overclocked i7 2600k. I hope that it lasts for another four years considering the fact that it is already four year old.

nikoli707 · Jun 7, 2015

the 2600k is definitely more reliable than the 3770k and 4790k when it comes to overclocking. sandy bridge is more tolerant to higher voltage and higher core/package temperatures than ivy bridge and haswell. this is due to the way the heat spreader is attached to the core, and also due to it being on a 32nm process. the smaller processes like 22nm etc. are more susceptible to electromigration. if you are at all concerned then just run 1.30v vcore and whatever core frequency that will get you. 1.35v is considered safe though.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html

ATi RaDEoN · Jun 7, 2015

nikoli707 :

So is it good enough for next four years?That's my main question. Thanks for answering!

nikoli707 · Jun 7, 2015

from a gaming only performance standpoint i would think the 2600k will last another four years. in overall non gaming performance i would say about three years. but many other aspects will come into play after three years. many newer features will be offered by future chipsets like ddr4, pcie ssds, bandwidth changes etc.

skylake 6600k and 6700k will be released soon so we will be able to see where the 2600k stands compared to a new 6700k in the benchmarks. skylake and is accompanying die shrink will last a little over two years. if leaked pre launch performance charts are anything to go by then skylake is nice but not worth the 5-10fps one "might" gain in certain games from a $400 upgrade. you would be far far better off upgrading to a gtx980ti for $650 and getting a 20-30fps gain.

ATi RaDEoN · Jun 7, 2015

nikoli707 :

My PC is only for gaming purpose. I think I am better off with my i7 2600k. Is it even worth overclocking the i7 2600k?

ATi RaDEoN · Jun 8, 2015

UPDATE: Got Intel DZ68BC motherboard in excellent deal. Hope so it's good.

nikoli707 · Jun 8, 2015

it is definitely worth overclocking. probably the best overclocking cpu ever made.

How long will i7 2600k last?

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