Building the PC for next 4-5 years - tips needed

[dremorabanisher]

Hello,

My current spec: i5-2400, Z68 chipset, 8gb/1600mhz cl9 RAM, nvidia gtx950.

I want to buy the PC for the next 5 years. I use it mainly for Photoshop, Lightroom, occasional AfterEffects and The Elder Scroll games.

I can build the machine with Z97 chipset, i7-4790 cpu components and add additional 8gb ram. Or go for the next gen - i7 6700, h170 chipset, 16gb ddr4.

Of course, going for Z97 and + 8gb ram is cheaper. But if the next gen is the thing for the near future, adding more $$$ isn't that a big deal _if_ I'm going to notice any improvement over the z97 spec I plan to build?

For example, my current memory is ddr3 8gb 1600mhz cl9. I plan to add 8gb of the same type. How much is that slower (if at all) than 16gb DDR4 2133 CL13?

How much is i7-6700 better than i7-4790?

Any useful tips are more than welcomed. I should note that I never upgrade cpu+mb+memory in less than 5 years. Meaning that I never buy these components separately in 2-3 years or so. I may buy new SSD & hard disks, new GPUs in the mean time, but not those.
Thanks!

 

[sportsfanboy]

well how budget minded are you? elder scroll games don't take full advantage of modern processors. you can perhaps pick up a 2600k cheap from an ebayer with great feed back and overclock it a bit. now you're not rebuilding the entire system.

my question is... do you photo create or video for a living? because if all you plan on doing for the next 5 years is what you stated above, all you really need is more memory and a 2600k.

 

[dremorabanisher]

my question is... do you photo create or video for a living? because if all you plan on doing for the next 5 years is what you stated above, all you really need is more memory and a 2600k.

Yes, I do photography, editing & occasional videos for a living. Currently, Adobe Lightroom chokes with my library of +35k images shown at once. I also like to be up to date with current standards and peripherals. For example, my new camera supports usb 3.0. If I hadn't updated MB with usb in mind, i'd be out with 2.0 and painfully slow transfers of 21mbs per file.

I'm aware the current Elder Scrolls games don't take full advantage of newer cpus, however, Elder Scrolls Online and Skyrim do use full potential of GPU. I also want to make my PC ready for future Elder Scrolls VI.

Buying cheap 2600k is not an option but I've got your point. The more I think of this, the more I'm leaning towards i7-h97-16gb ddr3.

Thanks for assisting me!

 

[giantbucket]

in 3-5 years, the ONE generation diff between Z97 and Z170 will be nearly irrelevant. so, go Z97 since it's cheaper and put the extra money back in your pocket OR towards an SSD if you don't already have one.

 

[dremorabanisher]

in 3-5 years, the ONE generation diff between Z97 and Z170 will be nearly irrelevant. so, go Z97 since it's cheaper and put the extra money back in your pocket OR towards an SSD if you don't already have one.

Thanks! Got it! Yeah, SSD was the best investment I've made on my current system in terms of speed and performance.

I'm going towards H97 instead of z97, since I won't be overclocking. I hope H97 does not have any other disadvantages?

 

[giantbucket]

H, Z, whatever. without OCing and with most single GPU setups, an H is more than enough. Z chipset boards typically give you more SATA ports, more PCI slots, and a higher price tag. for most people, not really relevant.

 

[dremorabanisher]

H, Z, whatever. without OCing and with most single GPU setups, an H is more than enough. Z chipset boards typically give you more SATA ports, more PCI slots, and a higher price tag. for most people, not really relevant.

Thanks a lot everyone!