CPU and Motherboard Upgrade

[wcrockett]

After 7 years, I'm looking to upgrade my CPU and mobo.

Years ago before I knew anything about computers, I built a rig running an i7 930k and an Asus P6X58D-E. A few years later I over-clocked it to 4.00 GHz and it was as fast as I needed, until recently when my mobo started showing old age related problems and I had to reset the OC to default.

Long story short, I'm looking for new components, and I'm looking for the same sort of "future-proofing" that I had 7 years ago (the year for year 930 equivalent today). I'm open to Intel and AMD components, and only need it for gaming. I plan to reuse my old water cooler and other components, so don't worry about those.

Sorry about the long back story, and thanks for your suggestions!

 

[Hellfire13]

If budget is not a constraint, wait for the new 8th gen. i7-8700k launching on 5th October. It should be the 1st gen. 930 equivalent and should carry a price tag of around $370. The best part is after 7 long generation, Intel is increasing the core count to 6 from 4.

 

[wcrockett]

If budget is not a constraint, wait for the new 8th gen. i7-8700k launching on 5th October. It should be the 1st gen. 930 equivalent and should carry a price tag of around $370. The best part is after 7 long generation, Intel is increasing the core count to 6 from 4.

I'd like to limit myself to $500 for mobo CPU and RAM. Is that unrealistic? Should I consider Ryzen?

 

[Hellfire13]

You can consider Ryzen. Its doing pretty good on current gaming benches. Something like this should be pretty good.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($195.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX AM4 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($148.55 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Total: $464.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-29 18:48 EDT-0400

 

[ohenryy]

Even with the new intel cpus, it might be still a good buy if you do plenty of multitasking...Ryzen

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/68KdzM
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/68KdzM/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($289.79 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($135.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $499.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-29 18:49 EDT-0400

 

[Hellfire13]

The 1600 is enough for gaming requirements. The board paired with it has better VRM and power phases for OCing. The 1600 OCs better than the 1700 due to lesser cores, hence less heat and more headroom. If gaming is not your primary intent, then go for the 1700.

Edit: Ryzen shines with faster RAM, 2133 is not recommended. Go for 2666 or higher, specially with GSKill units which ahs Samsung B die.

 

[wcrockett]

The 1600 is enough for gaming requirements. The board paired with it has better VRM and power phases for OCing. The 1600 OCs better than the 1700 due to lesser cores, hence less heat and more headroom. If gaming is not your primary intent, then go for the 1700.

Edit: Ryzen shines with faster RAM, 2133 is not recommended. Go for 2666 or higher, specially with GSKill units which ahs Samsung B die.

Thank you! That sounds like a good plan, particularly because I plan to OC.