Future Proof 2017 rig

UNDEROATH77 · Jun 1, 2016

I want to build a future proof rig for 4k at ultra settings in mid 2017. Given what I've seen I'm assuming that Broadwell E may be the last X99 supported. My rig would be (bear with me) . Asus 6950x , strix x99 mobo, 32 GB of ddr4 , with 2 1080tis in sli. Now I know they haven't come out yet amd I get tech changes every year..

But should I go X99 rig or see what Z170 has in the future. (I want the very best and I want to game in 4k)

Ps. Money is no object

IntelTurtleFan · Jun 1, 2016

Z170 is for gaming x99 is for rendering in general unless you have exorbitant amounts of cash to just drop for a 2% speed increase. There is no point in getting the 6950x. You can run everything you want on a 1700 dollar PC you do not have to go crazy. 32GB RAM is overkill for games period.
There is no such thing as a future proof PC and it is impossible to build but a Z170 will last through 2019 in every situation of gaming.

Rogue Leader · Jun 1, 2016

IntelTurtleFan :

Thats actually not true, Z170 (and Skylake) is considered consumer boards, where X99 is considered enthusiast boards. While not many games need the extra cores of Broadwell-E processors yet, they may going forward. Not only that for a real enthusiast power user, game streamer, X99 motherboards and processors allow you to play, stream in full HD, and do more without breaking a sweat. I do however agree with you currently an i7-6700k (heck even an i5-6500) can play anything you can throw at it for the forseable future with no problem. Its when you want to do more that you come to this decision. The average gamer doesn't and likely will never need it. 32gb of ram as well, waste. 8gb is still good enough for most games, 16 is the "just in case standard", but tbh it will be a long time before thats too little.

I agree as well that said the idea of planning a PC now for mid 2017 to be futureproof is kind of absurd so many things can happen between now and then. Z170 will still be viable in 2019, maybe with a GPU upgrade but maybe not, theres still plenty of folks playing current games with 3-4 year old GPUs with no issues. Considering the slowing of CPU development, in fact current CPUs may last even longer than expected.

IntelTurtleFan · Jun 1, 2016

I have X99 for rendering purposes and yes it does work great but I have the feeling some people feel overly exuberant about x99 for gaming. And the 5820k performs slower in quite a few games than the 6700k for a lot more cost. I wrote an article last year here on tomshardware about the same thing.

Rogue Leader · Jun 1, 2016

IntelTurtleFan :

I agree, like I said its more of a money is no object enthusiast setup. Works great for rendering as well. The 5820k will however game and stream better with 6 cores and hyperthreading. Thats really what its for, but most people don't need that.

geofelt · Jun 1, 2016

The best gaming hardware in 2017 is likely to be cannonlake processor, a 200 chipset, optane ssd/ram and something like a GTX1080ti.
None of which are announced or available today.

Best to keep up with the news and hope that things are available in your time frame.

UNDEROATH77 · Jun 1, 2016

So you guys are saying cannonlake over anything X99....why do they call X99 Enthusiast level,if skylake is so much better? How can 4 cores be better than 10?

Rogue Leader · Jun 1, 2016

UNDEROATH77 :

No we are not saying that.

We are saying that for the excess money you spend you are not going to get some big jump in gaming performance. In fact game wise the 6700k beats the 5820k (mind you the 5820 is the lowest end of X99 compatible processors)

However if you want to max out the details in a game, and live stream it at 1080p, an enthusiast X99 board and processor is the way to go. If you were livestreaming at 1080p in the above example, the 5820k would perform better.

UNDEROATH77 · Jun 1, 2016

Is it true the that the 10 series can't 3 way or 4 way sli. Because that was something else I though would be up for

Rogue Leader · Jun 1, 2016

UNDEROATH77 :

1070 and 1080 only fully support 2 way SLI. However Nvidia will allow you to do an unsupported unlock to 3 & 4 way. You need to contact them for a way to unlock it, but they will do it. That said the reason they did that is, yet again for the minimal increase you get and the various support problems you introduce its a waste of money.

UNDEROATH77 · Jun 1, 2016

Sorry about creating a new response, my phone won't let me quote. So if I get just a 1080 and then another and sli it with a 6700k or kaby lake...it's should last a few years at 4k ..or only at 1080?

geofelt · Jun 1, 2016

UNDEROATH77 :

To meet thermal limits, a 10 core processor needs to run each core at a more modest speed.
Games rarely can effectively use more than 2-3 cores.
The cpu performance of games is largely determined by the power of a single core.
So the 4 cores of a quad can usually be run at a higher performance level than 6/8/10 core processors.
A 6950x, for example has a base clock of 3.0 and a turbo to 3.5 on 10 cores.
That is great if you can use all 10.
OTOH, a i7-6700K has a stock clock of 4.0 and a turbo to 4.2 on 4 cores which is more useful to a gamer.

No telling what cannonlake will bring. But Intel generally improves performance by 5-10% with each new generation.

maddogfargo · Jun 1, 2016

Avoid the term "future-proof". There's no such thing.

Wait for AMD ZEN and their next gen GPUs to come out. See how they stack up against Intel/NVidia. Choose your parts and build then. No sense trying to choose now when much of what is currently on the market will be aging in 6-9 months.

Example: GTX 1070 > 980ti in most games... so this is again evidence that nothing is "future-proof" and you should wait and choose/buy closer to build time.

UNDEROATH77 · Jun 1, 2016

Alright well I can do a build with a 6700k and a 1080 and grab another the next yeat for way cheaper.......but I'm worried it won't be powerful enough for 3 or so years til my next build...I mean 4k is what I wanna play on...but games get so demanding every uear

Rogue Leader · Jun 1, 2016

UNDEROATH77 :

2 1080's should kill 4k for the forseeable future. If we could see further we would all be rich.

IntelTurtleFan · Jun 1, 2016

It will be. There is never a need to upgrade currently from a 5 year old middle of the road setup aka something like a i7 2600 with equal graphics card. Probably the i7 2600s will have to upgrade in 2018ish time so making it to 2017 or 2020 should be very easy. Gaming wise the CPU will not make a difference after you get to a i7 of todays level. Games are nearly all based on GPU over CPU. I would even look at an i5 setup or Xeon e3 1240 v5. Both a current i5 and Xeon should easily take you to 2020 for gaming needs based on the CPU alone. The GPU however could change but a 1080 by todays standards cannot get any better. So what your dilemma is I am not sure since you are wanting to get to 2017 you can do that on an i5 without any issues at all. No need to be worried when a i5 should take you to 2019 at the soonest in all games.

UNDEROATH77 · Jun 1, 2016

Wow really? 4k on high setting for 3 years......2 1080s....hmmmm

Future Proof 2017 rig

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It's a trap!

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It's a trap!

Titan

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It's a trap!

Commendable

It's a trap!

Commendable

Titan

Splendid

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It's a trap!

Dignified

Commendable

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