Upgrade option for rig with 2500k and 560Ti

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Vereth_mic

Commendable
Aug 19, 2016
2
0
1,510
Hello,

I've pushed my old 560Ti to the bitter limit and it's definitely time for an upgrade. What I want to ask the community is if it is worth to also change my CPU from a 2500k to a 6500 as this would increase the upgrade cost by 50% for what looks like minor boost in performances. I plan to keep the system of 5 years or so.

This is my current system:
GPU - 560 Ti
CPU - 2500k @ 3.1GHz
MOBO - Asus P8P67 pro (can't take more than 1600MHz DDR3)
RAM - Corsair 8Gig DDR3-1600MHz

The cheaper upgrade possibility if I don't change the CPU (~400 $):
GPU - GTX 1060 6GB
CPU - 2500k @ 3.1GHz (same as before)
MOBO - Asus H110M-E/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151
RAM - 16GB DDR4-2133

Now if I change the CPU, that would be the other option (~600 $):
GPU - GTX 1060 6GB
CPU - Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz
MOBO - Asus B150M-K Micro ATX LGA1151
RAM - 16GB DDR4-2133

Thanks in advance for the suggestion and looking forward to nicely lay my 560Ti to rest after all those years of loyal service...

Vereth
 
Solution
timeconsumer
If you plan on gaming on this system for somewhere around 5 years you will need to replace the CPU at some point, whether that is now or two years down the road. In your shoes I would buy the GTX 1060 (and not upgrade the memory) and see how it all works out. If everything is playable to your satisfaction, keep rolling with the 2500k + 8gb for now. Maybe (a big maybe) Zen is everything we all want it to be and you can upgrade to that, or at the very least it forces Intel to take some bigger strides. Otherwise if you buy the GTX 1060 and it still isn't getting the job done, your 6500 build looks very solid.

But your "cheaper" build has a new H110 motherboard, you wouldn't be changing the board at all if you keep the 2500k. Nor would you...
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timeconsumer

timeconsumer

Splendid
Nov 28, 2011
3,130
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If you plan on gaming on this system for somewhere around 5 years you will need to replace the CPU at some point, whether that is now or two years down the road. In your shoes I would buy the GTX 1060 (and not upgrade the memory) and see how it all works out. If everything is playable to your satisfaction, keep rolling with the 2500k + 8gb for now. Maybe (a big maybe) Zen is everything we all want it to be and you can upgrade to that, or at the very least it forces Intel to take some bigger strides. Otherwise if you buy the GTX 1060 and it still isn't getting the job done, your 6500 build looks very solid.

But your "cheaper" build has a new H110 motherboard, you wouldn't be changing the board at all if you keep the 2500k. Nor would you be using DDR4.
 
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Solution
Barty1884

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Apr 16, 2015
22,250
1,350
108,740
While there would be a noticeable improvement going from a 2500K to a 6500, personally, I wouldn't.

I'd OC your 2500K to push some added performance out of it, closing the game some between it & the 6500.
Have you downclocked your CPU? A 2500K should be 3.3GHz base, turbo'ing to 3.7GHz?

The 2500K is not compatible with DDR4 or the H110 chipset - so you'd only be upgrading:
The GPU - 1060 is a great choice.
Increase your RAM to 16GB
A quality aftermarket cooler to overclock your CPU.
*You may need to upgrade your PSU too, before you get into OCing etc. What is the make/model/age of your current PSU?
 
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V

Vereth_mic

Commendable
Aug 19, 2016
2
0
1,510
Thanks guys,

my PSU is a Corsair TX650.

You're right, the even cheaper option is to keep the MOBO and RAM (or boost it to 16gig if I can find cheap DDR-1600MHz) and see how it goes. And OC is still an option, although as you pointed out my PSU and factory cooling fan might limit things there.

And you're right, my CPU is indeed 3.3GHz and not 3.1.
 
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