Updating current system; advice needed.

Westpalmdan · May 26, 2016

I would like to upgrade my cpu, motherboard, and memory to last me another 6-10 years. Needs are primarily multitasking, Web browsing on 2 monitors. I have been on the forums and have been guided towards core I3, I5 and Xeon processors. I believe that adding a new cpu and motherboard that it would be best to include the latest memory......am I correct in thinking this way? What are your thoughts?

Garilia · May 26, 2016

6-10 years might be a bit lofty, as technology progresses, 4-5 years seems to be a good shelf life for a system. As operating systems change, and the associated drivers and platforms that support even simple web browsing change (Java, Flash, Adobe Reader are some examples) there eventually becomes a need to update RAM, and even a video processor. If you are using the integrated graphics on a cpu and board, those will eventually need replacing. Using a separate gpu can add further life, at an increased cost.

What kind of multitasking? That involves a decent amount of high quality RAM. The current edge on mobo seated RAM modules is DDR4. High end gpu's have DDR5

Assuming no need for a case, power supply, monitor, OS, optical drive, or storage drive (although if you do not have an SSD that is something to invest in) the key components that impact performance are the CPU/motherboard RAM and video card.

So beyond multitasking...is this simply multiple windows/apps running simultaneously? Multiple monitors? What is the budget for an upgrade?

Westpalmdan · May 26, 2016

I use office while surfing the net and will stream Netflix. Soon would like to utilize photos hope at some point too.

Garilia · May 26, 2016

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H170-PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($110.00 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $403.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-26 12:21 EDT-0400

Westpalmdan · May 26, 2016

Garilia :

I currently use an MSI 1024MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 7700...............is that good enough?

Garilia · May 26, 2016

Yes, if that card has been working, it will continue to work for you with this setup. Then if you are realizing it's slowing down for you, you could always upgrade that component, and keep the cpu/mobo/ram intact

Here's what it looks like taking out the gpu

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H170-PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($110.00 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card
Total: $273.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-26 12:45 EDT-0400

Westpalmdan · May 26, 2016

I like your pick...but is I3 enough!!..Will I be sorry down the road.

Garilia · May 26, 2016

Westpalmdan :

Personally, I never put anything under an I5 in my rigs. I was also trying to be conservative with telling you how to spend your money

You can thrown an I5-6400 onto the same configuration for about $70 more. That is a cpu that can grow with you

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H170-PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($110.00 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card
Total: $342.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-26 13:44 EDT-0400

Westpalmdan · May 26, 2016

I only want to upgrade this part every 6-10 (if possible) so money is not my main concern. That is why I was interested in the Xeon and it's ability to be similar to an I7 at a little more than an I5. I just never heard of a Xeon before I started this new research.

Garilia · May 26, 2016

Westpalmdan :

How much is money not a concern? At the price range I've been staying around, the I7-4790k is actually the best performing single thread cpu.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

Using that, you have a Z97 mobo with DDR3-2400 RAM, so it's not the most current RAM
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 KILLER ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $500.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-26 14:39 EDT-0400

But if we go crazy to look at the highest performing cpu we get to a $2,800 gem called the Intel Xeon E5-2697
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

In head to head comparisons on cpuboss.com, similarly priced I7's outscore the comparably priced Xeon's.
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Xeon-E5-2650-v3-vs-Intel-Core-i7-6700K

Here's a head to head comparison of an Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 vs. an I5 4670K
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Xeon-E3-1231-v3-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4670K

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-6700K-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4790K

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-6700K-vs-Intel-Core-i5-6600K

And pretty much all of this is overkill for Netflix streaming and web browsing. This is why I recommend the Skylake I5 or Skylake I7, to get the most current DDR4 RAM, and the most recent motherboard with the most current device drivers.

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Updating current system; advice needed.

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