Skylake and motherboards question

sandsglands

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Jun 9, 2015
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Hey there. I currently own a Asus P8P67 and a GTX 580. I want to upgrade my video card this Fall which will require a new motherboard that can support PCI 3.0. During my research I learned that a new generation of CPUs by Intel is coming out towards the end of the year so I definitely want to get one of these new chips and a motherboard that can support the chips - which means I must wait until they get released.

My question is this: does anyone know if the new Skylake compatible motherboards that will be coming out towards the end of the year/Q1 2016 will support DDR3 RAM or not? I'm trying to plan for the future and one less part I have to buy would be quite nice.

Thank you
 
http://wccftech.com/asrock-unveils-lga-1151-socketed-motherboard-featuring-support-6th-generation-skylake-processors/

The first LGA 1151 motherboard has been revealed, and it will support both the DDR3 and DDR4 types of memory. However, PCI-E 3.0 is backwards compatible, and you can run a PCI-E 3.0 video card on a PCI-E 2.0 motherboard
 
Really? So I could buy a PCI-E 3.0 card now to use in my P8P67 instead of waiting a couple months? That's good to know. I'm thinking prices will be lower for the current high end cards (I'd like a GTX 980) by the time Skylake and the motherboards get released however. What do you think?

That motherboard you linked says it will support DDR3L, but not DDR3. DDR3 sticks wouldn't work in slots meant for DDR3L, would they? Also in the article the author states boards will be able to support DDR3 or DDR4 and it's up to the maker. Would you recommend I buy DDR4 RAM and a Skylake - compatible board that can support DDR4? I want my motherboard to be prepared for the future - so I'm leaning towards new DDR4 RAM. Also.... any idea if boards will be able to support both DDR3 and DDR4 (not at the same time)? That way I don't have to buy new RAM until later on when I decide I want to spend the extra $.
 
The thing about skylake is that only high-end boards will appear at first. If you have around $200 to pay for a motherboard, i say go for it, but if you're on a tight budget, you should settle for upgrading your current build. GTX 980 should work fine on that board, however you might want to consider upgrading to an equivalent CPU, at least an i5, because you can have frame drops or stuttering if the CPU doesn't meet the game's requirements.

Also, a gtx 980 will require more power, so you might need to upgrade your PSU as well. 700 W PSU is recommended.

And something not required, but i did it to my board just to be safe: a small fan on the northbridge, because a gtx 980 would be a big load onto the northbridge, which tends to heat up.
 
I can wait a couple months after the first Skylake boards drop for the mid-spec models to appear otherwise shelling out the extra isn't a problem. I currently own an i7-2600K and Corsair 750W so those aren't a problem but like I said earlier I'd figure 980 prices to be cheaper in a couple/few months once the Skylake CPUs start coming out. Honestly I can't afford a upgrade until late August anyway. I'm just planning for the future.

How gimped would a 980 be if it had to be used on a PCI-E 2.0 slot? I definitely would be okay with getting the video card before I decide on a new Skylake CPU / motherboard / RAM - if I decide to even upgrade those components. However if I am severely reducing what a 980 can do I will want to get a new motherboard to handle PCI-E 3.0 and Skylake CPUs. Thank you for your help so far by the way!
 
Unless you're planning to add multiple GTX 980 [3-way or even 4-way sli], there shouldn't be any problem. GTX 980 should achieve its maximum potential on a PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot.