Upgrading from my 6 yr. old Rig

[Drake_The_Kind]

Hello there guys,
First time poster.

Currently running on my old rig that I build back in maybe 2008/9.

CPU: Phenom II x3 (unlocked to x4 B35 @ 3.4Ghz)
GPU: Recently upgraded to a 750GTX Ti 2GB DDR ACX cooling from EVGA, from my old 5770GT radeon.
RAM: 4GBs of G.Skill 1600DDR3 ram.
MOBO: Asus m4a785td-evo, upgrading regardless for new build.
PSU: 650W corsair gold plus
OS: Win 7 pro

I'm currently stuck between the question of what'll be more future proof, when games are no longer using only 1 or 2 cores in-games. The FX6300 or possibly 8320 or 8310 vs i5 4690k. Ideally I'd also like to upgrade my case to the antec 900 for more cooling.

From what I've read/understand, the 750Ti would bottleneck the i5, I can always upgrade my GPU in the future (ie 5-6 months).

I just want a solid gaming experience that'll last me another 3-5 yrs.

There just doesn't seem to be a definite answer from what googling I've done between the above mentioned CPUs. I know the FX series CPUs generally came out in 2010/12 where as the new Haswell is a 2014 CPU. I'd be overclocking, regardless of AMD or Intel.

Which would be the better buy in-terms of longevity? Don't want to spend more than 600USD honestly.

 

[TallestJon96]

Depends on the games you want to play and what settings. The 750 ti isn't a bad card (I owned one), and should last a while as long as your fine with med-high at 1080p. Bottlenecking is an overstated issue, and it is mostly when you have too weak a cpu, not one that's too powerful.

For $600 I'd get something like this:

i5-4460 (3.2 ghz)
8 (2x4)gb 1600 ram
H97 mobo


You already have a good PSU, OS, and case and HDD (I'm assuming), plus the 750 ti will last a while. Only $325, so you could get a better mobo and cpu like this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CRwkgs

But the performance difference isn't that big for the $100 jump.

If it was me, I'd get the 4460 and h97 mobo, with 8gb ram, and upgrade to a better GPU maybe 2 years later.

 

[cub_fanatic]

Yes, the 750ti will bottleneck an i5 Haswell but so will almost every other single GPU card above it. As for maximum longevity, definitely a H97 or Z97 motherboard and either get a Haswell CPU now or wait until Broadwell desktop chips are released. If you get a 8-series board, you will only be able to use Haswell... most likely. Like you said, the FX series of CPUs are still based on 32nm 2012 architecture although they are still decent gaming CPUs and will still give you similar performance to a Haswell i5 especially if you are using a 750ti. The only time you will really see the i5 start to pull ahead is if you are using a high end GPU like a 980 or 290x. With higher end GPUs, even the i3 Haswells start to pull ahead of the 8350 in most games. I doubt you will see much difference between an 8350 and HW i5 or i3 with a 750ti in 1080p, though. If you want to get the build as cheap as possible, you might consider an i3 like the 4160 or 4150 which are roughly the same price as a 6300 and can potentially give you the same performance as a stock 8350 if you ever upgrade the GPU. With the 750ti for now, you should be fine with a Haswell i3 in most games in 1080p.

 

[logainofhades]

The Antec 900 is a horrible case. I had one, and the cable management was nearly impossible, even modded. With $600, you have enough for an i7. Given how long you intend to keep this system, and your intention of upgrading the GPU in a few months, I would consider that.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Zeus Yellow 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $596.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 16:42 EST-0500

 

[TallestJon96]

I would not purchase an i7, it's $100 more for very little change, whereas $100 more for a GPU can be a big deal. For gaming, there is no need to do more than an i5, unless you are spend a few grand on the best of the best.

cub-fanatic gave some good advice. You should get a haswell i3 or i5, with either a h97 or z97 mobo, plus 8gb ram.

Btw, z97 is for over locking cpu's, h97 doesn't allow it.

 

[logainofhades]

I would not purchase an i7, it's $100 more for very little change, whereas $100 more for a GPU can be a big deal. For gaming, there is no need to do more than an i5, unless you are spend a few grand on the best of the best.

cub-fanatic gave some good advice. You should get a haswell i3 or i5, with either a h97 or z97 mobo, plus 8gb ram.

Btw, z97 is for over locking cpu's, h97 doesn't allow it.

For a system, with intention of keeping 5yrs, an i7 makes sense. For those upgrading every couple years, an i5 is the way to go.