[SOLVED] Is It Worth The Upgrade?

[blackop]

Thanks in advance!

So I posted this same question years ago, right when the 8th gen intel cpus became available. Since a lot has changed since then, here it is:

Is it worth upgrading my current system to an intel 11th gen system? My computer is on a lot. I write and edit a lot so MS Word is the most common program used. Other than that? Surfing the web, streaming, watching movies, playing music, and playing silly low-intensity graphics games like Plague Inc., are all I do, really. But I do love a fast computer. I'm interested in using Windows 11 , which I've just heard Microsoft has said older cpus can run it, but I won't get updates via Windows Update. I'm wondering if that will change, as we get closer to its release.

Here are my current stats:

intel Core i-5 6500 6th Gen
ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming Motherboard
DDR-4 8 GB G. Skill
Samsung EVO 850 500 GB
Corsair 600 watt PSU.
I use onboard intel graphics.

Here is what I had in mind:

ASUS PRIME Z590-V LGA 1200 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Intel Core i5-11600K 3.9 GHz LGA 1200 BX8070811600K Desktop Processor - Newegg.com <--Sad the only in-box, easy to install CPU heat sink and fan only comes with the 2.8 GHZ slow version. = (

CORSAIR Vengeance RGB Pro (AMD Ryzen Ready) 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 2933 (PC4 23400) Desktop Memory Model CMW16GX4M2Z2933C16 - Newegg.com

Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition CPU Air Cooler - Newegg.com

Antec Dark League DF600 FLUX, Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case, FLUX Platform, 5 x 120mm Fans Included, ARGB & PWM Fan Controller, Tempered Glass Side Panel, 2 x USB3.0, High-End GPU Support - Newegg.com

 

[InvalidError]

If your computer is already more than fast enough for everything you normally do, then there is no point in upgrading performance-wise since 2-3X as fast as what you already have won't make a noticeable difference when your PC is already over-powered for most of what you do.

I upgraded from an i5-3470 to an i5-11400, can't really tell the difference for normal day-to-day stuff. For N64/GC emulation, it fixed some sound crackling issues and that is pretty much the extent of obvious improvements. Load times for most games I play feel like they are still about the same, games play pretty much the same since I play with vsync on and most games I played before were already hitting 60fps on my old i5, so no meaningful change there either.

If you are upgrading without any specific sore points in mind that a new CPU would definitely help with, you will probably be disappointed. My main reason for upgrading is simply that my main PC was nearly nine years old and my living room's C2D was kind of overdue for a hand-me-down too.

 

[blackop]

If your computer is already more than fast enough for everything you normally do, then there is no point in upgrading performance-wise since 2-3X as fast as what you already have won't make a noticeable difference when your PC is already over-powered for most of what you do.

I upgraded from an i5-3470 to an i5-11400, can't really tell the difference for normal day-to-day stuff. For N64/GC emulation, it fixed some sound crackling issues and that is pretty much the extent of obvious improvements. Load times for most games I play feel like they are still about the same, games play pretty much the same since I play with vsync on and most games I played before were already hitting 60fps on my old i5, so no meaningful change there either.

If you are upgrading without any specific sore points in mind that a new CPU would definitely help with, you will probably be disappointed. My main reason for upgrading is simply that my main PC was nearly nine years old and my living room's C2D was kind of overdue for a hand-me-down too.

True! I've heard the same when I posted this question years ago, when the 8th gen came out. Got the same answer. LOL

Hmm... 2-3X faster is enticing. But if I'm not using it for gaming or EXTREME software...

Thanks!

 

[blackop]

Anyone here in the Windows 11 Insider Program running it on hardware like mine? How does it run compared to Windows 10.

Again, thanks!

 

[InvalidError]

True! I've heard the same when I posted this question years ago, when the 8th gen came out. Got the same answer. LOL

Another reason to possibly be tempted to upgrade now is if you have no or low confidence in the new stuff getting introduced over the next few years. I generally don't buy into first-gen anything, so I went 11th-gen also in part to comfortably skip the first many DDR5, fancy 3D CPU packaging generations, heterogeneous core architectures, etc. so all of it should be well on its way to fully polished before my next upgrade.

As for Windows 11, unless you want to use stuff exclusive to Windows 11, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. If Microsoft loosens DRM and other requirements for increased backward compatibility, you may need an upgrade to 16GB along the way to comfortably accommodate the increased minimum RAM requirement.

I credit a lot of how my i5-3470 served me so well for so long to having 32GB of RAM. Whenever I have to 'wait' for something, I can instantaneously alt-tab to something else and hardly ever need to wait for anything in particular - need to run a 10min spice simulation? Just go write code or CAD something for a while, maybe catch up on emails too.

 

[blackop]

Another reason to possibly be tempted to upgrade now is if you have no or low confidence in the new stuff getting introduced over the next few years. I generally don't buy into first-gen anything, so I went 11th-gen also in part to comfortably skip the first many DDR5, fancy 3D CPU packaging generations, heterogeneous core architectures, etc. so all of it should be well on its way to fully polished before my next upgrade.

As for Windows 11, unless you want to use stuff exclusive to Windows 11, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. If Microsoft loosens DRM and other requirements for increased backward compatibility, you may need an upgrade to 16GB along the way to comfortably accommodate the increased minimum RAM requirement.

I credit a lot of how my i5-3470 served me so well for so long to having 32GB of RAM. Whenever I have to 'wait' for something, I can instantaneously alt-tab to something else and hardly ever need to wait for anything in particular - need to run a 10min spice simulation? Just go write code or CAD something for a while, maybe catch up on emails too.

It's a hard decision to make. A lot of cash to spend.

Wow! That's an interesting direction they're going.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks in advance!

So I posted this same question years ago, right when the 8th gen intel cpus became available. Since a lot has changed since then, here it is:

Is it worth upgrading my current system to an intel 11th gen system? My computer is on a lot. I write and edit a lot so MS Word is the most common program used. Other than that? Surfing the web, streaming, watching movies, playing music, and playing silly low-intensity graphics games like Plague Inc., are all I do, really. But I do love a fast computer. I'm interested in using Windows 11 , which I've just heard Microsoft has said older cpus can run it, but I won't get updates via Windows Update. I'm wondering if that will change, as we get closer to its release.

Here are my current stats:

intel Core i-5 6500 6th Gen
ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming Motherboard
DDR-4 8 GB G. Skill
Samsung EVO 850 500 GB
Corsair 600 watt PSU.
I use onboard intel graphics.

Here is what I had in mind:

ASUS PRIME Z590-V LGA 1200 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Intel Core i5-11600K 3.9 GHz LGA 1200 BX8070811600K Desktop Processor - Newegg.com <--Sad the only in-box, easy to install CPU heat sink and fan only comes with the 2.8 GHZ slow version. = (

CORSAIR Vengeance RGB Pro (AMD Ryzen Ready) 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 2933 (PC4 23400) Desktop Memory Model CMW16GX4M2Z2933C16 - Newegg.com

Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition CPU Air Cooler - Newegg.com

Antec Dark League DF600 FLUX, Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case, FLUX Platform, 5 x 120mm Fans Included, ARGB & PWM Fan Controller, Tempered Glass Side Panel, 2 x USB3.0, High-End GPU Support - Newegg.com

Intel's Alder Lake is due out in a few months. I'd wait to see the benchmarks.

 

[Bob.B]

Thanks in advance!

So I posted this same question years ago, right when the 8th gen intel cpus became available. Since a lot has changed since then, here it is:

Is it worth upgrading my current system to an intel 11th gen system? My computer is on a lot. I write and edit a lot so MS Word is the most common program used. Other than that? Surfing the web, streaming, watching movies, playing music, and playing silly low-intensity graphics games like Plague Inc., are all I do, really. But I do love a fast computer. I'm interested in using Windows 11 , which I've just heard Microsoft has said older cpus can run it, but I won't get updates via Windows Update. I'm wondering if that will change, as we get closer to its release.

Here are my current stats:

intel Core i-5 6500 6th Gen
ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming Motherboard
DDR-4 8 GB G. Skill
Samsung EVO 850 500 GB
Corsair 600 watt PSU.
I use onboard intel graphics.

Here is what I had in mind:

ASUS PRIME Z590-V LGA 1200 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Intel Core i5-11600K 3.9 GHz LGA 1200 BX8070811600K Desktop Processor - Newegg.com <--Sad the only in-box, easy to install CPU heat sink and fan only comes with the 2.8 GHZ slow version. = (

CORSAIR Vengeance RGB Pro (AMD Ryzen Ready) 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 2933 (PC4 23400) Desktop Memory Model CMW16GX4M2Z2933C16 - Newegg.com

Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition CPU Air Cooler - Newegg.com

Antec Dark League DF600 FLUX, Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case, FLUX Platform, 5 x 120mm Fans Included, ARGB & PWM Fan Controller, Tempered Glass Side Panel, 2 x USB3.0, High-End GPU Support - Newegg.com

Unless there is something that does not work to your liking leave it alone.

If the ram is single channel consider going dual channel.

W11? That's a work in progress.
If w10 does what you need use it for the next few years.

 

[InvalidError]

Intel's Alder Lake is due out in a few months. I'd wait to see the benchmarks.

If his current PC already does everything he needs to do more than fast enough for his liking, Alder Lake being 10X faster won't change the fact that he still won't see much benefit if any from it for most day-to-day use until his typical usage changes. Until then, upgrading is mainly a vanity "just in case" project.

When I upgraded for my C2D to my i5 all of those years ago, it was because I was trying to do stuff that required 16+GB of RAM on a system maxed out at 8GB and had to split the swapfile across three HDDs to make it barely bearable. Upgrading to the i5 (initially with 16GB) was nice but 16GB still wasn't enough for what I was doing so the i5 was still struggled until I bumped memory to 32GB a few weeks later. Compared to that, my upgrade from the 3470 that was still doing most of what I needed it to do perfectly fine to 11400 was very underwhelming.

 

[blackop]

Intel's Alder Lake is due out in a few months. I'd wait to see the benchmarks.

Oh! Well... this does complicate the situation. I'll wait until those come out and see.

Thanks!

 

[blackop]

If his current PC already does everything he needs to do more than fast enough for his liking, Alder Lake being 10X faster won't change the fact that he still won't see much benefit if any from it for most day-to-day use until his typical usage changes. Until then, upgrading is mainly a vanity "just in case" project.

When I upgraded for my C2D to my i5 all of those years ago, it was because I was trying to do stuff that required 16+GB of RAM on a system maxed out at 8GB and had to split the swapfile across three HDDs to make it barely bearable. Upgrading to the i5 (initially with 16GB) was nice but 16GB still wasn't enough for what I was doing so the i5 was still struggled until I bumped memory to 32GB a few weeks later. Compared to that, my upgrade from the 3470 that was still doing most of what I needed it to do perfectly fine to 11400 was very underwhelming.

I didn't factor my usage changing. Hmm... this will help. I'll wait and see what Alder Lake can do.