Time to replace an i7 970 (1366)

[torin3]

My main desktop rig is starting to randomly crash with increasing frequency. The CPU is the oldest thing in it, an i7 970 hex core that I suspect is failing. It was run hard early in its life, but the last 3-4 years it has been at stock.

So, I'm looking for upgrade advice that would keep me at the same or better performance without blowing the bank. And I've got to do it soon, or I'll be using the laptop for a while.

The other questions I've got are: DDR4 or keep with 3? I've got a fair amount of DDR3, so that would save me some money.

Thanks!

 

[EarthDog]

Makes sense to me to go Skylake and DDR4 if you can... not sure why, unless there is a budget limitation of course, to go Haswell. The difference really isn't that much. $20 on the processor, maybe $20-40 on the board and $20 on the DDR4.

So I would look at:

i7 6700K
2x4GB DDR4 2800 CL15
Z170 based mobo that fits your needs.

 

[torin3]

Makes sense to me to go Skylake and DDR4 if you can... not sure why, unless there is a budget limitation of course, to go Haswell. The difference really isn't that much. $20 on the processor, maybe $20-40 on the board and $20 on the DDR4.

So I would look at:

i7 6700K
2x4GB DDR4 2800 CL15
Z170 based mobo that fits your needs.

Sounds good. I do have a bit of a budget/time issue, and if I went Haswell, I was probably going to put a celeron in for a month or two until I could afford the CPU. I can tap a card if I need to though, and it sound like I'm going to have to bite the bullet on the CPU and just pay it back the following month.

Thank you.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Seeing how long you keep a CPU, go 6700K and Z170.

 

[bob4933]

What are the uses for this computer? Did you need the extra cores?

As ED stated, the skylake build isn't too much more expensive, but if it came down to a hard budget and you had to sacrifice things (lower quality gpu, lack of ssd), devils canyon may he rhe way to go

 

[torin3]

What are the uses for this computer? Did you need the extra cores?

Daily driver, web browsing, gaming, folding, some benching, Netflix, etc..

As ED stated, the skylake build isn't too much more expensive, but if it came down to a hard budget and you had to sacrifice things (lower quality gpu, lack of ssd), devils canyon may he rhe way to go

I can swing it, but it is more than I'd like to do this week. Just have to bite the bullet.

 

[bob4933]

Sounds like a 4690k would be overkill for your uses, but I can see the appeal of "going big" if you're gonna use it for many years. Since you have ram, you could save quite a bit going with z97 i5 route. Boils down to what you'd like to spend.

 

[torin3]

I guess I'll be getting the 6700K and I'm thinking I'll get this board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128838 (Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5) Unless there is a better board in the same or lower price range that I'm missing.

I'll be pulling the trigger in a couple of hours.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Also check out the Extreme6, but the UD5 is solid in that price range.
I feel like you could drop a few tiers on the board and be just fine though, while saving some cash.

 

[torin3]

Well, I stayed home sick today, so as long as I'm awake, I'm going to take the time to build the new system.

OS drive backed up and copied to another drive. CHECK!

USB set up with Win 7 install image. CHECK!

Retail Key pulled so I know which one I'm using on this machine. CHECK!

Drivers downloaded for MB because I left the stupid CD at work. CHECK!

OS installed. In Process....

Data copied back over. Pending.

Tweaked back the way I like it. Pending.

Acronis image made for easy restore. Pending.