How long the i7 3770K will remain useful?

[ShockInfantry]

Bought a lightly used i7 3770K from ebay a few years ago and with Windows 10 coming around the corner, I was wondering how long this CPU will last, especially for gaming? A few more years and I will definitely need a new motherboard if I want to upgrade and I was wondering if I should buy a retail version to be able to transfer the windows license to a new motherboard rather then buying a new OEM again.

 

[utgotye]

Well considering the Nehalem-Bloomfield and Lynnfield CPUs are still chuggin along for a lot of people and they're 5-7 years old, I'm thinking a good 3-4 more years at worst.

 

[ahnilated]

Did you overclock that CPU? It should run great at 4.5G with an aftermarket cooler. The one I have has been there for well over a year.

 

[mr91]

What games do you play?

I think it will last for a few more years however if you get a 4790k or wait for skylake you will get more performance in some titles...

 

[DeathRabit]

4-5 years depend how much you can OC

 

[ShockInfantry]

Well, I haven't really OC'd my CPU, afraid of breaking things accidentally I guess. Have a Hyper 212 EVO as a Cooler so I guess If I have to, I can definitely do some OCing.

As for games, used to play Battlefield 4 and Archeage heavily, Now mostly just playing War Thunder and Europa Universalis 4, although I am interested in getting the Witcher 3 and GTV 5 down the line. Keep in mind though, that it paired with a AMD R7950 that I got as the R2XX series came around.

 

[gerr]

As long as you have a good GPU, that CPU will last you a number of years. Many Sandy Bridge CPU's are going strong, and your's is newer than those.

Plus if you are able to put a decent OC on it, it will outpreform any stock Haswell CPU.

 

[DeathRabit]

What mobo you have ?

 

[mr91]

You can definitely do some overclocking however if you over do it then it might be counter productive...

Your CPU should be fine for the Titles you mentioned.

 

[ShockInfantry]

What mobo you have ?

Gigabyte Z77-D3H

 

[okcnaline]

I'd say 3-4 more years before it shows its age without OC. The thing can maybe even handle 6 more years before really pulling strings for upgrade, and maybe 8 before truly too slow for much of anything.

 

[DeathRabit]

What mobo you have ?

Gigabyte Z77-D3H

Your mobo is decent quality review and OC example on your CPU
http://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/zardon/gigabyte-ga-z77-d3h-motherboard-packs-a-punch-at-80/4/
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_z77x_d3h_motherboard_review,8.html

Depends to CPU cooler you can hit from 4.4Ghz -4.7Ghz.

 

[gerr]

What will mainly determine how long your CPU is good for will be the level of speed increases Intel has over the next few CPU releases. There were only minor speed increases when Intel jumped from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge to Haswell, and likely to Broadwell. Any overclocked i7 from any of those will be revelant for a while with little difference between those.

 

[mr91]

A GPU upgrade will be your best option in the coming years if you are no longer satisfied with your gaming experience.

If you decide to go 3 way Titan X SLI in the near future then it might be worth investing a X99 platform & 5930k with 40 PCI express lanes...

 

[mr91]

If you get a 980 ti or 980 ti sli and want to squeeze every last drop of performance an Overclocked 4790k or 5930k might be worth it.

However it won't make as much sense performance per dollar...

 

[mr91]

You also might look into the extra features of the Z97 or X99 and see if they appeal to you...

 

[ShockInfantry]

Don't worry, I think I will be sticking to single GPU step for the foreseeable future for quite awhile. Thanks for all the help!