X79 and Quad Channel

[Oldwhpsian]

Hey guys;

I'm just wondering, I currently have a system sitting next to me (- Ivy-E i7 4820K @3.7GHz
- Gigabyte X79-UD4 Motherboard
- 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance @ 1600MHz
- GTX 780Ti OC 3B
- 3TB HDD/512GB SSD
- 750W PSU)

And I'm just wondering whether or not the fact that its a X79 with only 2 sticks of RAM will hinder its performance, particularly in gaming?

I have the option to swap to the exact same rig, but with a Haswell 4770K and a top line Z87 board.

I know that this isn't entirely the correct forum section to ask this in, but I just thought that the dual channel/quad channel made this section the best choice.

Which system would you recommend?

 

[Damn_Rookie]

The fact it only has 2 sticks of RAM won't hinder it in respect to the 4770K system you've been offered. They'll both be in dual channel mode, and you'll have the option later, if you add more RAM, to move up to quad channel mode.

So if all else is the same between the two systems, I'd stick with the X79 system (even though it's older tech) that you have now. Obviously that's just my opinion, other commentators here might prefer the Z87 system. It really depends on what you plan to do with it long term.

 

[Oldwhpsian]

Thanks for the reply;

Basically I want to use the rig (in the long run) for lots of gaming on a 32"LCD at medium to high resolutions (no need for super ultra HD).

Does this affect the standings in any way?

 

[Spectre694]

Well right now the two are basically identical the 4820 is almost the same as a 4770. But with the 2011 you do have the option to upgrade to a 49XX which is faster. On the other hand the Z87 will give you more Sata III USB 3 and the like.

The RAM won't effect your gaming.

 

[Damn_Rookie]

Well, I'd normally only recommend x79 based system if you're going to take advantage of a few certain features;

1. 6 cores - obviously that's not the case here as it's a 4820K based system
2. 40 X16 PCIe lanes, for 3 way or 4 way SLI/Crossfire
3. Quad channel memory, for certain productivity based programs

There are drawbacks to the X79 sytem, like higher power usage, fewer 6 Gbit SATA ports, and older CPU architectures.

Do you know the exact motherboard being offered on the Z87 system?

EDIT: Yep, what Spectre says is true. It's an either/or kind of situation.

 

[HEXiT]

as long as you stick to ddr3 1600 you can use quad channel ram configs of up to 8 sticks of ram, filling up all the slots. but if you go faster say 1866 you will be limited to 1 stick per channel (which means you will only be able to run 4 sticks total) and any additional ram will be ignored or worse fail to boot.

 

[Oldwhpsian]

The motherboard I'll be using in the X79 system is: Gigabyte X79-UD4 Motherboard

And the motherboard I'd have with the Z87 board is : Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H Motherboard

 

[Damn_Rookie]

Well they're both pretty nice boards (I'd happily use either one). From what I've read about the X79 board, it's software and firmware aren't as stable or as refined as what you get with the Z87, but really it all comes down to what everyone wrote above. There really are positive and negatives to either choice; there's no clear 'right' choice. Sorry I can't come down firmer on one side of the fence! 🙁