A question about CPU for gaming for the next 5 years.

[M@rk]

Hello everyone!
My brother want to buy a new CPU+Mobo to upgrade his PC. He wants to buy 2 configurations. A Core i7 6700k and a mini itx mobo or a Core i7 5820k and a mini itx mobo.
He also wants to buy Corsair Graphite 380T Mini ITX case. So he asked me what configuration should he buy that will be good for gaming for the next 5 or so years. I said as DX12 will focus more on more powerful cores than more cores in general he should buy the 6700k configuration.
Now here is the question, Which configuration should he buy?
Im asking you guys cause there are some people here that are more expirienced than me. Also as you can see, Budget is not a thing here, But parts is cause there is limited parts in the store he buys at.
Here is a mobo that is available for the Core i7 5820k : Gigabyte GA-X99M-Gaming 5
A quite a bunch of mobos are available for a Core i7 6700k.

 

[mackerel]

For starters the Gigabyte mobo listed above isn't mini-ITX, so look again or reconsider the case. The case mentioned above is big for mini-ITX. I have smaller micro-ATX cases than that, so I think micro-ATX could still be a consideration unless it was the overall case design that was the deciding factor more than size.

A 6700k is a pretty safe choice, seeing as it sits at the top end of regular CPUs without going into the enthusiast range. The main concern I'd have about either CPU and mini-ITX is cooling it. It is pretty fast already even without overclock. It'll be fine at stock voltage overclock, but personally I wouldn't push it much further than that without decent cooling on it, which might be more limited in smaller cases. To me, the 5820k only pulls ahead if you can get it to similar clocks as the 6700k, but with 6 cores working you'll have more heat to deal with also.

I'm also considering a mini-ITX gaming rig for VR use (so I can move it more easily to demo elsewhere). I'm kinda biased as I already have a 6700k system I can steal parts from but that is to me the logical choice even if I was starting from scratch. They're easy to hit 4.2 GHz at 1.25v or less, and cooling demands in that situation are not too bad.

 

[M@rk]

For starters the Gigabyte mobo listed above isn't mini-ITX, so look again or reconsider the case. The case mentioned above is big for mini-ITX. I have smaller micro-ATX cases than that, so I think micro-ATX could still be a consideration unless it was the overall case design that was the deciding factor more than size.

A 6700k is a pretty safe choice, seeing as it sits at the top end of regular CPUs without going into the enthusiast range. The main concern I'd have about either CPU and mini-ITX is cooling it. It is pretty fast already even without overclock. It'll be fine at stock voltage overclock, but personally I wouldn't push it much further than that without decent cooling on it, which might be more limited in smaller cases. To me, the 5820k only pulls ahead if you can get it to similar clocks as the 6700k, but with 6 cores working you'll have more heat to deal with also.

I'm also considering a mini-ITX gaming rig for VR use (so I can move it more easily to demo elsewhere). I'm kinda biased as I already have a 6700k system I can steal parts from but that is to me the logical choice even if I was starting from scratch. They're easy to hit 4.2 GHz at 1.25v or less, and cooling demands in that situation are not too bad.

My bro want a board that will fit in the case, I forgot the x99 board is micro ATX..
I think a Hyper 212X will be fine for stock speeds on both CPUs.

Hmm, What do you have for a GPU for the VR PC? The RX480 came out, Maybe consider it if you dont have a GPU for your VR PC, But buy an aftermarket cooler RX480 cause the reference gets really hot.

 

[mackerel]

The 212 series is pretty tall, and not something I'd normally associate with mini-ITX. Looking up the case, it lists a maximum cooler height of 150mm, and the 212x is 158mm, so you're going to need to double check it will fit or look at something shorter.

As for my VR GPU, I've temporarily moved the 980Ti from my main rig into the VR test rig. I'm looking to buy a mid range 1070 as more choice of after market cooler versions come out, so I can get back to conventional gaming on main box (the systems are in different locations).

 

[ATMINSIDE]

ASRock makes an mITX X99 motherboard, but honestly he should stick to the 6700K for mITX/gaming.
See my sig to get a good idea on an mITX gaming rig, it's one of my many uses for Little Power, running games at 5760x1080.

 

[M@rk]

ASRock makes an mITX X99 motherboard, but honestly he should stick to the 6700K for mITX/gaming.
See my sig to get a good idea on an mITX gaming rig, it's one of my many uses for Little Power, running games at 5760x1080.

Will the 6700k be good for the next 5 years for gaming? Im just thinking about disabling 2 cores if needed on the 5820k for now and when PC gaming will need more cores just enable them.

Hey, Your mITX rig is pretty good! But my bro has a GTX970FTW and also a 1500P screen, But he plays at ~1080P so it doesnt matter much, He will upgrade his GPU in a few years if he'll need to.

He also has a Core i5 4460 now but he really wants to upgrade even though i told him its not bottlenecking, But he wants that case too and his mobo is ATX sized, So he cant resist the upgrade Maybe ill get that CPU+Mobo after he upgrades

 

[Kenrou]

Will the 6700k be good for the next 5 years for gaming? Im just thinking about disabling 2 cores if needed on the 5820k for now and when PC gaming will need more cores just enable them.

2-3 years maybe depending on how newer games come out ? remember dx12.

 

[mackerel]

On the future resistance of a CPU, I could look backwards as well as forwards. Last year, I changed my 2600k for a 6700k setup. The 2600k setup was about 4 years old at the time, and as a system it was still far more GPU limited than CPU limited when it came to gaming. And the 2600k was at stock most of the time. I did try a mild OC to 4 GHz towards the end before I sold the system on. Being realistic, if I still had the 2600k and paired it with my 980Ti, I doubt I'd notice the difference outside of benchmarks for gaming performance.

What would cause a CPU to become obsolete? Something new and revolutionary? But that would apply equally to all lesser CPUs. Personally I don't think there is anything to say a 6700k wont have a useful life of 5 years or more. It wont be high end by the end of that, but should still hold its ground. The only possible thing that might affect it would be if Zen turns out really good, and AMD starts offering it at affordable consumer pricing at 8 cores and beyond. That might drive an incentive to use more cores, but even then I'd expect years for it to get much traction.

 

[Tír na nÓg]

^I agree with the above, with one objection though:

It's more the new platforms than the new CPU tech that evolve. P67 to z68, PCIe-3. z87 to z97, M2. Z97 to Z170, DDR4.

Pure perf/IPC wise, there is maybe a 25/30% increase per clock between Sandy and Skylake. A [email protected] is neck to neck with 6700k@stock, which is plenty fast! But no PCIe-3, no DDR4 and no M2...

As Mackerel says, outside of benching, I doubt anybody would notice any difference between a Skylake and a 5 years old overclocked SB.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

+1 to what all those guys said!

 

[mackerel]

That's a good point on the platform. It wasn't so much the CPU speed that drove me to upgrade, but the lack of more modern functions. However they don't really make a significant difference to gaming, and I wanted it more for other uses outside that.

 

[M@rk]

Ok thanks
Btw, The cost of the X99 system will be about 100-150$ more expensive, And to add 2 more cores its pretty good price no?
Uhh idk everyone suggests the 6700k but as said by mackerel:

The only possible thing that might affect it would be if Zen turns out really good, and AMD starts offering it at affordable consumer pricing at 8 cores and beyond

and i dont want to dissapoint my bro even though itll not be such a dissapointment, Only if it will require 6 cores in about 2-3 years from now.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I would stick to the 6700K in a small form factor build for him...
People who really know what they're doing can pull off a high TDP system in an mITX size, but I don't think your brother wants to do that kind of tweaking and cleaning if he's coming to you to build for him.

 

[Tír na nÓg]

I would stick to the 6700K in a small form factor build for him...
People who really know what they're doing can pull off a high TDP system in an mITX size, but I don't think your brother wants to do that kind of tweaking and cleaning if he's coming to you to build for him.

ATMINSIDE makes a fair point here: the Haswell-E are heat generators. I believe you plan on using a powerful enough GPU, that will be a lot of heat in a very small case.

 

[M@rk]

I would stick to the 6700K in a small form factor build for him...
People who really know what they're doing can pull off a high TDP system in an mITX size, but I don't think your brother wants to do that kind of tweaking and cleaning if he's coming to you to build for him.

Hmm, Ok, 6700k it will be.
You can fit a ATX sized PSU in the case jic.

ATMINSIDE makes a fair point here: the Haswell-E are heat generators. I believe you plan on using a powerful enough GPU, that will be a lot of heat in a very small case.

Yeah i guess you and him are right.

Thanks

 

[M@rk]

Hey, Also as he uses stock intel cooler so he needs a cooler, So what cooler is the best? Here are the choices:
Scythe Tatsumi SCTTM-1000I
Arctic Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2
CoolerMaster Hyper 103
Which is better?
Also considering a little OC (To about 4.5GHz) if he will need it in the future.

 

[Tír na nÓg]

That's what you need

Raijintek Palas, the best mITX solution!

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/raijintek-pallas-slim-cpu-cooler,4085.html#p10

 

[ATMINSIDE]

What case is it?

 

[M@rk]

That's what you need

Raijintek Palas, the best mITX solution!

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/raijintek-pallas-slim-cpu-cooler,4085.html#p10

I saw the results and im impressed, But its not available here so... No... What i listed is available and more expansive is pretty pointless...

What case is it?

Corsair Graphite 380T Mini ITX.


Also here are more that are available:
Arctic Freezer 13
Arctic Freezer A11
Zalman Mini-ITX CNPS2X
Scythe Iori SCIOR-1000
Arctic Freezer Xtreme Rev.2<------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------|
I think going other than these fans is a waste of money... (This one is pretty much too)

 

[Tír na nÓg]

I saw the results and im impressed, But its not available here so... No... What i listed is available and more expansive is pretty pointless...




Corsair Graphite 380T Mini ITX.


Also here are more that are available:
Arctic Freezer 13
Arctic Freezer A11
Zalman Mini-ITX CNPS2X
Scythe Iori SCIOR-1000
Arctic Freezer Xtreme Rev.2<------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------|
I think going other than these fans is a waste of money... (This one is pretty much too)

They deliver worldwide I think, and with the pound down to the ground...
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/delivery-options
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/raijintek-pallas-140mm-low-profile-cpu-cooler-hs-005-rt.html

Edit: that's where I shop.

Edit 2: just gave it a try, no delivery in Israel. Sorry.