LGA 1155 motherboard failing, looking for advice in regards to my options

[scooptywoop]

My build:

• 
  ATX-only compatible case
  ASUS P8Z68 (LGA 1155 socket)
  Intel i5-2500k
  Nvidia MSI GTX 1060 6GB
  4 x 4GB, DDR3 RAM 1333 Mhz
  1TB, Seagate Barracuda (2018)
  240GB, Crucial MX500

The motherboard is failing -- ports have began to stop working. I could replace it but replacing it won't be cheap at all and it'd easily cost maybe £120+ for a used motherboard that's likely to have a short life-span and fail again next year (3650 hours per year).

My options are very limited, as I don't want to replace the CPU to migrate to a newer platform, as then I'd need new RAM, being that the newer motherboards are mostly only compatible with DDR4 RAM, wherein there'd be less chance in selling my old DDR3 RAM to anybody in 2018 despite it also performing "above average".

As my CPU scores very highly in performance tests and is clearly functioning top-notch, I don't ideally want to downgrade at all. I use my personal PC for a fair bit of data work and I'm looking at the i3-7350k (£89.99) as a downgrade OR an i5-8400 (£155.45) as a slightly better upgrade OR a one-up from that such as the i5-7640x (£89.99). Though, with the LGA 2066 chipset for the x-series, the motherboards are VERY expensive, so much so that the CPU itself is less expensive than the motherboard. And, on top of that extra cost for all of the three, would be 2x4GB to 4x4GB of DDR4 RAM.

With an i5-7640x; £361.20: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/9667MZ

With an i5-8400; £321.43: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/9PwgvV

With an i3-7350k; £242.96: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/2NzzpG

Clearly the i3 build is the most affordable, it's just that it's oomf is a fair chunk less than the i5-2500k I have now. And, the i5-8400 works out above the performace of my current CPU but below the performace of the i5-7640x, as such, i3-7350k < i5-2500k < i5-8400 < i5-7640x.

I just need a stable PC that can handle moderate loads from data analysis/handling software.

What may be best for me? I'm open to selling the old RAM and CPU + stock fan and heatsink separately for around the £100 mark on Ebay, since there won't be any use for them.

tldr; old LGA 1155 socket MBD dying, don't want to lose my beloved i5-2500k, would need to replace CPU, RAM and MBD - used MBD would probably die soon too making it not that worth it. What could I do about my situation? Could I sell the parts RAM and CPU for a decent price?

 

[DSzymborski]

An i3-7350k isn't necessarily a downgrade from a 2500k. While it's 2c/4t vs. 4c/4t, there have been enough generations since to make generation-over-generation incremental improvements in instructions-per-clock significant.

I'd go for the 8400 build or even an 8600 rather than the Kaby-Lake X, even though the cost of the CPU has dropped enough that it's not insane anymore.

You'll probably get £40-£70 for the 2500k on ebay. Somewhere around £40 for the RAM, so £100 total sounds about right.

I'd probably just bite the bullet and make the platform upgrade. I had a similar issue recently; my old reliable 3770k's motherboard started having issues and it just didn't make sense to keep that platform running.

 

[scooptywoop]

An i3-7350k isn't necessarily a downgrade from a 2500k. While it's 2c/4t vs. 4c/4t, there have been enough generations since to make generation-over-generation incremental improvements in instructions-per-clock significant.

I'd go for the 8400 build or even an 8600 rather than the Kaby-Lake X, even though the cost of the CPU has dropped enough that it's not insane anymore.

You'll probably get £40-£70 for the 2500k on ebay. Somewhere around £40 for the RAM, so £100 total sounds about right.

I'd probably just bite the bullet and make the platform upgrade. I had a similar issue recently; my old reliable 3770k's motherboard started having issues and it just didn't make sense to keep that platform running.

Thank you for the advice!

I think, for now, the 8400 seems like the most stable starting point and making the jump to upgrade my platform will be the best bet. I'm sure LGA 1151 motherboards will have at least 7 years left before production stops. And during that time I could at least have the option to upgrade my CPU to an i7 if I find that I need it.

 

[DSzymborski]

An i3-7350k isn't necessarily a downgrade from a 2500k. While it's 2c/4t vs. 4c/4t, there have been enough generations since to make generation-over-generation incremental improvements in instructions-per-clock significant.

I'd go for the 8400 build or even an 8600 rather than the Kaby-Lake X, even though the cost of the CPU has dropped enough that it's not insane anymore.

You'll probably get £40-£70 for the 2500k on ebay. Somewhere around £40 for the RAM, so £100 total sounds about right.

I'd probably just bite the bullet and make the platform upgrade. I had a similar issue recently; my old reliable 3770k's motherboard started having issues and it just didn't make sense to keep that platform running.

Thank you for the advice!

I think, for now, the 8400 seems like the most stable starting point and making the jump to upgrade my platform will be the best bet. I'm sure LGA 1151 motherboards will have at least 7 years left before production stops. And during that time I could at least have the option to upgrade my CPU to an i7 if I find that I need it.

It may be worth getting a Z motherboard if you're thinking long-term upgrade options. Four years down the road, you might find a good deal on an i9-9900k, which will work with Z370 motherboards with BIOS updates, and see a gain from overclocking and 8c/16t.

 

[scooptywoop]

An i3-7350k isn't necessarily a downgrade from a 2500k. While it's 2c/4t vs. 4c/4t, there have been enough generations since to make generation-over-generation incremental improvements in instructions-per-clock significant.

I'd go for the 8400 build or even an 8600 rather than the Kaby-Lake X, even though the cost of the CPU has dropped enough that it's not insane anymore.

You'll probably get £40-£70 for the 2500k on ebay. Somewhere around £40 for the RAM, so £100 total sounds about right.

I'd probably just bite the bullet and make the platform upgrade. I had a similar issue recently; my old reliable 3770k's motherboard started having issues and it just didn't make sense to keep that platform running.

Thank you for the advice!

I think, for now, the 8400 seems like the most stable starting point and making the jump to upgrade my platform will be the best bet. I'm sure LGA 1151 motherboards will have at least 7 years left before production stops. And during that time I could at least have the option to upgrade my CPU to an i7 if I find that I need it.

It may be worth getting a Z motherboard if you're thinking long-term upgrade options. Four years down the road, you might find a good deal on an i9-9900k, which will work with Z370 motherboards with BIOS updates, and see a gain from overclocking and 8c/16t.

Ahhh, the one that I attached to the i5-8400 build above is "MSI - Z370-A PRO", I wasn't sure which motherboard would be any good (having not needed to buy one for 6 years), do you have any suggestions? I'm just looking for a reliable motherboard without any RGB or fancy colourways, that has 4 RAM DDR4 slots, SATA 6 ports etc

 

[Fikshun87]

Hi there, not sure if you're interested but I just recently upgraded to a Z370 board and have a ASRock Z77 EXTREME4 LGA1155 with a Intel Core i7-2600 that I'd part with for say $175 CDN (I'm in the Toronto, Canada area) if you're still considering that route, it's in great shape I have all the original packaging etc only ran it for about a year as a stop gap when my old Z77 failed and needed to save up for this Z370 setup