Upgrading to potentially I6600K

Kyle_4 · Nov 20, 2016

So I want to upgrade from my

-AMD Phenom 1090T Black edition CPU
-nVidia Geforce 550 TI

I know i will need a new mobo for CPU chipsets.

I was considering going with the I5 6600K with a Geforce 1060 Windforce OC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125901&cm_re=Nvidia_GeForce_GTX_1060-_-14-125-901-_-Product

Pretty sure this is way overkill since I occasionally dable in new games, but usually just play League of Legends, and OSU!

Im running with a 144HZ monitor with max reso of 1080P.

Any suggestions, im trying to get just what I would need to max out FPS on 144HZ, on 1080P. I know some of these new cards can do 4k Gaming, which i dont plan to play with for a long time, unless it gets cheaper in the very near future.

Also this PC is a Plex server, though it usually just streams, my throughput through wifi is like 500mbps, so im streaming full 1080P movies at like 20mbps no problem. I did just get a chromecast, and I may need to lower quality on that 1, not sure if it can handle that high of quality.

Ecky · Nov 20, 2016

Depends very much in the game. Battlefield will not reach 144fps even with an overclocked 6700K due to lack of CPU horsepower, other games you'll need to turn down a lot of settings to get near that with a GTX 1060. However for something like League, you could use the integrated graphics on a Core i3 and probably get 144fps.

RCFProd · Nov 20, 2016

The Windforce OC is suffering a bit from coilwhine during gameplay and doesn't have better cooling than the MSI Gaming X which also costs a bit less. The MSI Gaming X, Zotac Amp! series and Asus STRIX are the best ones. The Gaming X is usually the best for the price.

As for the parts, not sure what you're budget really is but I'd get something along these lines:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Motherboard: Biostar Z170GT7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($53.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING X Video Card ($254.99 @ B&H)
Total: $685.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-20 11:03 EST-0500

The mobo is serious business and insane for the price. Check review here:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7594/biostar-racing-z170gt7-intel-z170-motherboard-review/index.html

Ecky · Nov 20, 2016

A B150 board and Core i7 6700 is probably more appropriate for 144hz, and likely cheaper too.

Kyle_4 · Nov 20, 2016

Ecky :

You don't think I need to upgrade my gpu? Keep in mind I'm only running 1080p not 1440 or 4k.

Currently I am at 90-100 fps in league

@RCFPROD

My budget is what ever it needs to be. My main goal is to be setup for the next 4-5 years. My current build was made in 2010.

I would prefer to not overkill on specs, I currently have 8gb of ram ddr3 iirc (I'll upgrades later if need be)

I just want to upgrade because it's about that time and I just got the monitor.

I chose the i5 6600k because it's cheaper than the i7, and I heard not all games use the i7 to its fullest.

I randomly chose the windforce based on price. I was planning to upgrade last year but decided to wait because the 1060s were coming out.

I just don't want to bottleneck myself.

Most games I will probably play on my ps4. I tend to emulate ps2 & wii on my pc as well.

I play more mmorpgs, like BnS, not to many FPS, I am considering over watch for pc. I don't intend to touch battlefield or go near that level of graphics. You could even call me a casual these days.

Ecky · Nov 20, 2016

CPU load and resolution have nothing to do with each other. A CPU capable of 144fps at 1080P is capable of 144fps at 4K. However, you need a much more powerful GPU at higher resolutions. On the other hand, if you can't get the framerate you want with your GPU at max settings, you can always drop graphics to hit your target framerates. There are usually no graphical settings that will improve the situation if your CPU is the limiting factor.

That said, a 1060 will be massive overkill for MOBAs for 144fps, but not nearly enough to hit those framerates without going to very low settings in titles like Battlefield.

RCFProd · Nov 20, 2016

The higher the resolution the lower the CPU load and the higher the GPU load. The GPU does more as the resolution increases. So a certain processor definitely wouldn't be worse if you played in 4k.

All you should look for is probably just an i3-6100, or maybe an i5-6400/6500. Doesn't sound like you need more then.

Ecky · Nov 20, 2016

CPU load does not go down as resolution goes up if you're maintaining the same framerate. You need the exact same amount of CPU power to hit 100fps at 4k as you do at 720P.

RCFProd · Nov 20, 2016

True, that makes sense.

Kyle_4 · Nov 20, 2016

I'm considering RCFPRODS build, just to future proof it for the upcoming years.

All depends on sales for this weekend. I was actually hoping to get most of this with black Friday cyber Monday sales.

Ecky · Nov 20, 2016

It's a fine build, but I'd like to caution: An i7 2600K generally outperforms an i5 6500 in newer games, despite being five years older. Chances are good an i7 6700 will age better than a 6600K, and cost about the same. A 6700K would be best, of course, but then you're spending a lot more money.

RCFProd · Nov 20, 2016

Ecky :

Prove/source? Pretty sure it doesn't generally outperform an i5-6500.

Anyways, the Biostar motherboard is serious quality but the sale for it ends in a couple of days and will cost 165 dollars after.

st3v30 · Nov 20, 2016

Just wait a bit more for Zen and Kaby Lake to come out, then do the shopping. Intel will maybe drop prices cuz of Zen release, and if Zen proves to be new Sh*it from AMD you can just go Intel rout and maybe save some $$ if the prices drop.

Ecky · Nov 20, 2016

3770K is ~30% faster than 4690K in Overwatch despite the latter having a a ~10% IPC advantage: http://www.techspot.com/review/1180-overwatch-benchmarks/page5.html

2600K is ~20% faster than i5 6600 in Battlefield: http://gamegpu.com/images/stories/Test_GPU/Action/Battlefield_1/b1_proz_12.png

2600K wins in Mafia III: http://gamegpu.com/images/stories/Test_GPU/Action/Mafia_III_/m3_proz.png

And in Gears of War 4: http://gamegpu.com/images/stories/Test_GPU/Action/Gears_of_War_4/gw4_proz.png

And in Civ6: http://gamegpu.com/images/stories/Test_GPU/strategy/Sid_Meiers_Civilization_VI/new/s6_proz_12.png

And in Witcher III: http://gamegpu.com/images/stories/Test_GPU/RPG/Witcher_3_Wild_Hunt_-_Blood/test/w3_proz.jpg

These are all major titles, played by tons of people.

In cases where an OC'd i5 is faster than a stock i7, both chips are usually well above 60fps anyway. There are a few exceptions, of course, but generally speaking, games are able to use an i7's extra threads effectively enough now that you'd need more than a 1000mhz clockspeed advantage with an i5 to even tie.

RCFProd · Nov 20, 2016

Seems correct. Xeon E3 1231 V3 might still be solid value for those titles then.

Quite baffling how the FX-8350 is nearly better in every game in their tests though, It's a bit strange too.

Ecky · Nov 20, 2016

The FX chips have aged pretty well. As predicted, games have become better threaded, but the i5 CPUs that they're often close to still draw half the power and perform this way consistently, among all games, whereas the FX's are a bit more Jekyll and Hyde, due to single-threaded performance. The main reasons not to buy an FX today are not their performance per dollar, but their power usage and the platform they're on.

RCFProd · Nov 21, 2016

Ecky :

I remain to be a bit skeptical. Thing is, DDR4 memory for example is known for giving some games quite a boost in some games, a boost that seems more signficant especially with Intel's memory bus. In Battlefield 4 Digital Foundry has done a test and achieved 10 fps extra by upgrading the memory of an i5-2500k build for ddr3-1600 to ddr3-2133mhz, and an even slightly bigger jump in going from a Haswell DDR3-1600mhz build, to a Skylake DDR4-2133 build, and another jump from going Skylake DDR4-2133 to DDR4-2666+ ranges. Especially in games like The Witcher 3, Battlefield 1, Far Cry 4/Primal, Grand Theft Auto V. All big titles that could be named CPU intensive seem to benefit from faster memory.

So how exactly does GameGPU manage to test and come to a similar results across various Intel and AMD CPU's? You benefit a lot more from fast memory on Intel compared to AMD.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2016-is-it-finally-time-to-upgrade-your-core-i5-2500k
http://www.overclock.net/t/1591982/digitalfoundry-is-it-time-to-upgrade-your-core-i5-2500k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qksXthUcbiQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er_Fuz54U0Y

It seems a bit more complicated than GameGPU really shows, and I believe you can still get better performance with Intel i5 Skylake CPU's with fast memory.

Ecky · Nov 21, 2016

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting an FX is a better choice than an i5, or even that it's faster, but there are cases where performance is close.

Kyle_4 · Nov 26, 2016

In the end I went with

I5 6600K
Asus Z170 ProGaming Aura
MSI GTX 1060 6GB
GeIL EvoX 2x 8GB DDR4 3000 Ram
Cryorig H7

Link to full build with existing parts - https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Zeal514/saved/NsCzyc

Unfortunately I lost the Intel mount for my BeQuiet ShadowRock Slim, So I had to buy a new 1. But I did get the CPU MoBo and Ram for $420 in a combo sale from Newegg, and the GPU for 250 from newegg. Had to pay 700 in the end with the Cryorig.

The nice part about buying the H7 was that I was able to take the CPU fan off of the ShadowrockSlim and put it on the front of the case, making the airflow alot better than it was before. Now All I need is a new 200MM Fan to replace the 1 I have on top since its super noisy (bearings are getting bad in it).

Made out pretty well imo. Was planning to get that biostar MoBo, but this deal was better as it included the Ram with it.

Upgrading to potentially I6600K

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