Old CPU & New Tech. Does It Matter?

[BigC847]

I have an i7 2600k that I decided to use to replace a FX 6300 in my main rig, and I just wanted to make sure I wasn't limiting myself.

I picked up the i7 dirt cheap from a guy on craigslist and after looking at benchmarks realized it was a solid chip (albeit old) and definitely a world ahead of my FX 6300.

Are there any technologies that this older cpu is going to keep me from utilizing?

The build I'm planning will end up being:
- i7 2600k with a decent mobo
- adding 8 gigs of ram for a total of 16gb @ 1600mhz
- r9 fury/r9 fury x/gtx 980 ti (Whichever has the best price/performance)

This build will be for 1080p gaming for now, but plan on picking up a 4k monitor in the next few months and I'm definitely getting an oculus rift or similar VR headset when they are finally available and reviewed.

Will having a Sandy Bridge processor have a negative impact on anything I'm planning on doing?

You guys are awesome, Thank you so much for your help!

Current Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33ZKVn

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

The i7-2600k is still an excellent CPU and can handle a single flagship GPU well. As long as you get a Z77 motherboard with PCI-E 3.0 and update the BIOS on it, then you will be fine.

 

[MarkW]

The I7-2600K only supports PCIe 2.0. But still has 16 lanes of it.

It uses a 1155 socket motherboard, not the 1150 sockets most new boards have today.

It was designed to use 1033 or 1333 speed DDR3. Anything over that would be considered an overclock. I do not believe this will support DDR3 high density memory, nor any of the PnP DDR3 memory that has come out. So watch for that.

It was launched in 2011, and end of life was 2013.

Other than that, it should be a really good CPU for you.

 

[Groveling_Wyrm]

The I7-2600k is still in the top tier of processors listed here at tomshardware' heirarchy chart. It's a solid processor.

 

[BigC847]

The I7-2600K only supports PCIe 2.0. But still has 16 lanes of it.

It uses a 1155 socket motherboard, not the 1150 sockets most new boards have today.

It was designed to use 1033 or 1333 speed DDR3. Anything over that would be considered an overclock. I do not believe this will support DDR3 high density memory, nor any of the PnP DDR3 memory that has come out. So watch for that.

It was launched in 2011, and end of life was 2013.

Other than that, it should be a really good CPU for you.

I always though that the compatibility of DDR3 and PCIE 3 depended on the motherboard you're using. For example This mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 says it's compatible with ddr3 memory at various speeds and has a pcie 3 slot and its an 1155 socket. Would everything perform at pcie 2 speeds and would the ram I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544&cm_re=crucial_ballistix_sport_8gb-_-20-148-544-_-Product suffer perfomace?

 

[Groveling_Wyrm]

The I7-2600K only supports PCIe 2.0. But still has 16 lanes of it.

It uses a 1155 socket motherboard, not the 1150 sockets most new boards have today.

It was designed to use 1033 or 1333 speed DDR3. Anything over that would be considered an overclock. I do not believe this will support DDR3 high density memory, nor any of the PnP DDR3 memory that has come out. So watch for that.

It was launched in 2011, and end of life was 2013.

Other than that, it should be a really good CPU for you.

I always though that the compatibility of DDR3 and PCIE 3 depended on the motherboard you're using. For example This mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 says it's compatible with ddr3 memory at various speeds and has a pcie 3 slot and its an 1155 socket. Would everything perform at pcie 2 speeds and would the ram I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544&cm_re=crucial_ballistix_sport_8gb-_-20-148-544-_-Product suffer perfomace?

To get PCIE 3.0 you have to have and Ivy Bridge processor. The I7-2600k is a Sandy Bridge processor with PCIE 2.0.

However, nothing uses the bandwidth of the PCIE 2.0 yet, so worrying much about PCIE 3.0 is not worth the effort.

That ram will work just fine with that motherboard. Just make sure you go into the bios and change the speed to 1600.

 

[BigC847]

The I7-2600K only supports PCIe 2.0. But still has 16 lanes of it.

It uses a 1155 socket motherboard, not the 1150 sockets most new boards have today.

It was designed to use 1033 or 1333 speed DDR3. Anything over that would be considered an overclock. I do not believe this will support DDR3 high density memory, nor any of the PnP DDR3 memory that has come out. So watch for that.

It was launched in 2011, and end of life was 2013.

Other than that, it should be a really good CPU for you.

I always though that the compatibility of DDR3 and PCIE 3 depended on the motherboard you're using. For example This mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 says it's compatible with ddr3 memory at various speeds and has a pcie 3 slot and its an 1155 socket. Would everything perform at pcie 2 speeds and would the ram I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544&cm_re=crucial_ballistix_sport_8gb-_-20-148-544-_-Product suffer perfomace?

To get PCIE 3.0 you have to have and Ivy Bridge processor. The I7-2600k is a Sandy Bridge processor with PCIE 2.0.

However, nothing uses the bandwidth of the PCIE 2.0 yet, so worrying much about PCIE 3.0 is not worth the effort.

That ram will work just fine with that motherboard. Just make sure you go into the bios and change the speed to 1600.

Thanks, That eases my mind a bit. Maybe after sky lake comes out the ivy bridge processors will drop in price and become an option later. All my money is going for a GPU, Mobo and an Oculus for now.

 

[MarkW]

Yes. The CPU determines the PCIe version that is used. So with your CPU installed, even though it might be a PCIe 3.0 capable board, it will function as PCIe 2.0. The slots are the same, and backwards compatible, so its all a smooth process. You can even drop in a PCIe 3.0 video card (or any PCIe 3.0 card) and it will work at 2.0 speeds, which for a video card, usually only results in 2% to 3% decrease in performance vs a PCIe 3.0 board and CPU that supports PCIe 3.0.

The only Crucial Memory that I see listed on the approved list is model number BL12864BA1608.8SFB(XMP) which is a 1600 1GB stick.

So, when I need to know what will work with a motherboard, I go to Crucial.com. They are a division of Micron Technologies, who is the last remaining American memory company to have their own fabs. They are also the owner of SK Hynix, which lately has been in the news with AMD for the HBM memory to two created and shown on the new AMD R9 Fury X card.

In any case, Crucial came up with 84 kits that will work on that AsRock motherboard. Here is a link to the results page of my search:

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/ASRock/z77-extreme4#memoryResults