i5-4690k Still Relevant?

[theunliked]

I'm wanting to upgrade from 8 to 16GBs RAM and a graphics card capable of pushing 120+ frames at 1080p when I upgrade (in the future) to a high refresh rate monitor.

What I'm wondering is, should upgrade the whole system while I'm at it?

My CPU is still great especially when overclocked to 4.5GHz. However, it is only a quad-core and might not be strong enough in a few years time as the trend seems to be increasing core counts.

I don't want to buy 16GBs of DDR3 RAM now only to have no use for it in a year's time when I upgrade my CPU and motherboard.

Does my CPU have a good few years left, or I'm I better off upgrading everything?


CPU: i5 4690k @ 4.5GHz Stable
Cooler: CM Hyper 212X
Mobo: Asrock Z97M Anniversary
GPU: EVGA GTX 760 4GB FTW
Ram: Patriot 2x4GB 1600MHz
PSU: Corsair CX 650M
Storage: OCZ Vertex 460A 120GB SSD; WB Black 1TB HDD

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

You should be fine for a few more years. There really isn't anything on the horizon to make me doubt that. Unless you wanted to get into streaming you'll most likely be fine.

Even today there are very, very few games that take advantage of more than 4 threads, and at 4.5 GHz you'll be ahead of the clock speed curve when games do start supporting more than 4 threads. I don't see any reason why the 4690k won't be a good CPU for a while longer.

 

[King_V]

However, it is only a quad-core and might not be strong enough in a few years time as the trend seems to be increasing core counts.

Highlighted the important part. My guess is that your CPU is probably good for at least another 2 years or so.

RAM prices have fallen a little bit, so, it might be worth it - a quick search for 2x4 GB kits @ DDR3 1600 shows a few kits at $60. Patriot and G.skill among them.

I don't think your CPU is going to be useless in the next year or two.

 

[theunliked]

Thanks for the quick answers.
I guess I'll be using my current CPU for a while then.

 

[King_V]

Also, by the time your CPU does become an issue, there will probably be another generation of CPUs that have come out, likely with more performance for the money than what's available today.