Ivy Bridge vs Skylake

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michaelnrn

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Apr 17, 2013
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I have an IvyBridge i7 at my disposal, along with DDR3 RAM. I wanted to gauge some opinions on whether or not I should build a new system on Skylake, or use what I have to save some money. I intend to game at 1080p either way.

Some build suggestions would also be cool, I'd like to keep the price as low as possible if I go the Ivy Bridge route since it's older stuff anyway. Thanks in advance!
 
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Luminary
It really is right on the line.

The i7-3770 is still a good CPU and should last a few more years (though you proably won't get the BEST performance on modern titles moving forward).

I suppose a different way to frame it that might help you decide would be this: The i7-3770 will still be able to handle modern titles at various settings for a few more years, but a good Skylake (i5-6600k for example) would be able to provide performance on Ultra for several more years to come and still be viable even longer after that.

For the price, (already having the i7 and RAM) you're looking at a perfectly good deal for average gaming performance for a few more years.

If having maximum settings is important to you then the Skylake would be...
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Luminary

Luminary

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Is the i7 an unlocked 'k' model? If so you can stick with the IvyBridge CPU for a year or two longer before needing to upgrade to a more modern chipset, especially if you overclock.

If it is a locked CPU I'd encourage you to go ahead and upgrade to Skylake, you'll see a dramatic increase in performance and features and it would be a better overall investment than sinking your money into a much older platform.
 
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michaelnrn

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It is indeed locked, just a plain ol' 3770.
 
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jollypirate

jollypirate

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Jul 18, 2014
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Can you post the processor model number? An ivy bridge i7 shouldnt really borrlneck any gpus, its better to
buy a better gpu than upgrade the cpu
Edit: just saw that you have a 3770. You dont have to upgrade for gaming.
 
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Petrossa

Petrossa

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Jan 30, 2014
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If you have the i7 now along with DDR3 RAM, then go with it..
If you not looking to overclock, then a H61 or H77 board should suffice. Not sure if you going to find anything new though.
I still run Ivy Bridge i3 and while I only game at 900p with a GTX560, I have no issues at all.
I can happily play Witcher 2 for example at full settings. Haven't tried 3 yet.
 
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Luminary

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Tough call then. If you're on a really tight budget I'd say stick with the i7 and get the most you can out of if while you save up for a new 1151 rig.

It will certainly last you for moderate gaming until the new Kabylake comes out at the end of next year, and that might be the perfect time to finally upgrade to Skylake.

It's certainly investing in old harware at this point, but again if the budget is tight seeing as how you already have the CPU and RAM it would probably be best to finish out the Ivy Bridge build and save up from there for a newer platform.
 
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michaelnrn

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You are correct, I am not interested in overclocking. Newegg has a couple ~$40 micro ATX boards, H61 as you said.
 
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michaelnrn

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Well, it's more about whether or not the dollar value is there. I don't mind throwing down the cash for Skylake if it warrants the returns, but if I can get good gaming performance on Ivy I'm OK with that. I really am saving money only on RAM and the CPU, but DDR4 is somewhat pricey, and I have 16GB of DDR3 already, so, you know, just trying to spend wisely :)
 
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Luminary

Luminary

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It really is right on the line.

The i7-3770 is still a good CPU and should last a few more years (though you proably won't get the BEST performance on modern titles moving forward).

I suppose a different way to frame it that might help you decide would be this: The i7-3770 will still be able to handle modern titles at various settings for a few more years, but a good Skylake (i5-6600k for example) would be able to provide performance on Ultra for several more years to come and still be viable even longer after that.

For the price, (already having the i7 and RAM) you're looking at a perfectly good deal for average gaming performance for a few more years.

If having maximum settings is important to you then the Skylake would be worth the upgrade. If not, it would probably be making the wisest overall investment by sticking with the i7 for a little while longer.
 
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