[SOLVED] Best time to upgrade a 4790K system in next few years?

[slurmsmckenzie]

Hi all, there have likely been lots of similar discussions recently (been reading a few on Tech PowerUp forums myself), realise it is a vague question but I'd be interested in thoughts about when/whether to upgrade a Z97 i7-4790K DDR3 system to something new in the coming years?

The recent history of my system is that it started with an H87 ATX board and an i5-4570 back in 2013 and has been upgraded (via eBay) into a Z97 micro-ATX (Asus Maximus Gene Vii) and i7-4790K (micro-ATX to fit in my beloved TJ08-E). My Win 8.1 install has remained throughout and is solid. I personally prefer the stability and (maybe percieved?) control I have over this OS and I've preferred not to move to Win10 so far (I have it on a Surface Go and find aspects of what it automatically does / changes to be a bit frustrating). Part of the reason why I went for as good a 4th Gen system as I could was to set me up until 2023 when I will have to retire my Win 8.1 installation - I don't overclock or game very heavily, but I do multi-task at times stress my system so I like having something capable.

I have some components that I can carry over to a new build, such as a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (Samsung 980 PRO 1TB) and RTX 2060 StormX, but my 32GB DDR3 is obviously not going anywhere.

Because I haven't built anything new for so long I was out of the loop on lots of stuff, it sure has been interesting to read about AMD's rise! And simultaneously a bit sad to see that Intel haven't been doing so great at hitting back so far. But of course I've also discovered that now is not an ideal time to be planning a major upgrade!

I've read lots of advice which helps me realise that I don't need to upgrade right now, and I am pretty happy with my system - one exception being random reboots that I get and can't track down (see here). Fingers crossed I can sort out those problems and if I do, I could run this system for some time yet.

However, I've also been reading that waiting for AM5 (or whatever it will be called) or Intel 12th Gen might well mean waiting a good few years until they are stable and Windows is properly ready for them. I've missed the DDR3 -> DDR4 transition myself but I hear that it took time, and the same could be said about the move to DDR5. I've read opinion that MS will take a while to get to grips with Intel's Big.Little architecture, and I can believe it.

What I'm struggling with is - if I want to upgrade before late-2022, should I do it now and grab a B550 & Zen 3 (or Intel 11th / 10th gen) system with DDR4, or wait for the new stuff? Is it likely that by, say, October 2022 the new platforms will be mature enough to be worth moving to? Or will it take longer, such that my system might fall too far behind?

 

[Flayed]

I thought I saw you over there I can often see things from both sides!

I really keep going back and forth. I don't know what the MSRP is in the UK for the 5600X but £300 still feels just a bit high. But maybe it is worth it, find it hard to tell.

I know what you mean. If it was £50 less it would be a no-brainer. You could always go for the 5800x for £389. I don't think the 5900x will ever be sold at MSRP in the UK.

On the face of it the 11400F and an H570 or more modest board looks really good value, almost like the old days. I'm a bit nervous about the unknown with Rocket Lake though, and I wasn't planning on going for the cheapest originally. But then I feel like that makes me one of those people who buys way more than they need because they have the money and they're clueless

Maybe I should just embrace my ignorance it and enjoy it

I think if money is an issue then the 11400F is a good option. I would rather have one of AMD's latest chips though, so I think once I'd spent the savings on a huge quantity of teacakes I would regret not getting Zen 3

 

[Why_Me]

I thought I saw you over there I can often see things from both sides!

I really keep going back and forth. I don't know what the MSRP is in the UK for the 5600X but £300 still feels just a bit high. But maybe it is worth it, find it hard to tell.

On the face of it the 11400F and an H570 or more modest board looks really good value, almost like the old days. I'm a bit nervous about the unknown with Rocket Lake though, and I wasn't planning on going for the cheapest originally. But then I feel like that makes me one of those people who buys way more than they need because they have the money and they're clueless

Maybe I should just embrace my ignorance it and enjoy it

I always make sure to take plenty of ammo with me when I'm posting on TPU

Tough call on what road to take tbh. Can't go wrong with either the 11400F or the 5600X.

 

[slurmsmckenzie]

You could always go for the 5800x for £389

That's an interesting thought....

I think once I'd spent the savings on a huge quantity of teacakes I would regret not getting Zen 3

That's a good point! I'd probably spend it on beer!

I always make sure to take plenty of ammo with me when I'm posting on TPU

Tough call on what road to take tbh. Can't go wrong with either the 11400F or the 5600X.

I bet, it can get serious real quick over there! It is great that there is still a lot of passion for DIY at least

I'll see if I can make a decision today....! I was thinking of going for this RAM:

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/32g...3200-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-16-20-20-38-xmp-2

I haven't done a massive amount of research, but would this be a reasonably good option do you think?

 

[slurmsmckenzie]

Looking at GBP -> USD, £300 for the 5600X is ~$420 and £390 for the 5800X is ~$540

Having said that, from UK reviews of the 5600X it seems that the MSRP was £280 ($390) so I guess it is just a bit more here to start with? Would be interested to know how the $420 approx for the 5600X compares to other markets around the world (I guess it is available here at least).

The same review said that the MSRP of the 5800X was £420, so that at least is currently lower rather than higher.

A customer on Amazon UK said this of the 5800X:
"The 5800X is placed poorly on the value scale due to using a well binned 8 core chiplet as opposed to a cheaper 6 core chiplet on the 5600X and two 6 core chiplets on the 5900X. The 5800X should be around 369-399 dollars but at 449 dollars it is just not good value".

Not sure how I feel about that, but I'd be surprised if it was ever as low as $449 in the UK (~£325), so it feels like that person is expecting US prices in the UK??

£150 for the 11400F is approx $210.

 

[Flayed]

Looking at GBP -> USD, £300 for the 5600X is ~$420 and £390 for the 5800X is ~$540

Having said that, from UK reviews of the 5600X it seems that the MSRP was £280 ($390) so I guess it is just a bit more here to start with? Would be interested to know how the $420 approx for the 5600X compares to other markets around the world (I guess it is available here at least).

The same review said that the MSRP of the 5800X was £420, so that at least is currently lower rather than higher.

A customer on Amazon UK said this of the 5800X:
"The 5800X is placed poorly on the value scale due to using a well binned 8 core chiplet as opposed to a cheaper 6 core chiplet on the 5600X and two 6 core chiplets on the 5900X. The 5800X should be around 369-399 dollars but at 449 dollars it is just not good value".

Not sure how I feel about that, but I'd be surprised if it was ever as low as $449 in the UK (~£325), so it feels like that person is expecting US prices in the UK??

£150 for the 11400F is approx $210.

We have VAT which raises the prices compared to our Americian friends.

 

[slurmsmckenzie]

We have VAT which raises the prices compared to our Americian friends.

Of course, I always forget that!

I notice you have the R4 case, how do you find it? I'd like an R6 with the USB-C front panel as my next case, I can imagine it will seem huge compared to my TJ08 though and it might be just a bit too deep for my desk (ideally I'd go no deeper than 500mm). I still want an ODD slot though, which really limits my options.

 

[Flayed]

Of course, I always forget that!

I notice you have the R4 case, how do you find it? I'd like an R6 with the USB-C front panel as my next case, I can imagine it will seem huge compared to my TJ08 though and it might be just a bit too deep for my desk (ideally I'd go no deeper than 500mm). I still want an ODD slot though, which really limits my options.

I like it. I removed all the HDD cages to promote airflow and added more fans.