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Discussion Upgrade my Haswell CPU or Save Up for Skylake?

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So, I started my build with a Z97 board around Christmas and found that this isn't the latest and greatest anymore. I currently have a Pentium G3258 and I want to upgrade to a i5-4690k, but I'm wondering - should I just wait and save up for a Skylake or even a Haswell-E build?
 
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Scarlett Johansson

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Skylake. What do you plan on using this PC for?
 
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I generally have a dynamic cycle of interests/hobbies - usually a bunch of gaming, developing, producing, editing, etc.
Get a set up with a i7-6700k. I can build you one if you tell me at what resolution you'll be playing games and at what settings (max, high, medium, low)?
 
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Sell the Z97 motherboard and get a set up with a i7-6700k. I can build you one if you tell me at what resolution you'll be playing games and at what settings (max, high, medium, low)?
Thanks, but I have most of the parts for the build - including GPU. The motherboard and CPU combo is the only thing thats really "dated". I'm planning on going with the i7 and the ASUS Z170-A.
 
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Thanks, but I have most of the parts for the build - including GPU. The motherboard and CPU combo is the only thing thats really "dated". I'm planning on going with the i7 and the ASUS Z170-A.
Get the Z170 and the 6700K and you'll be fine.
 
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Sorry I didn't realise that the Z170 is LGA 1151 and it's compatible with the 6700K so go with that. Now that I'm focusing, who told you the Z170 is dated?
I meant with my current build -- the current CPU and motherboard I have is kind of dated.
 
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Scarlett Johansson

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I meant with my current build -- the current CPU and motherboard I have is kind of dated.
I'm either really tired or just not focusing, but what I just said above was not right. What's your current build?
 
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I'm either really tired or just not focusing, but what I just said above was not right. What's your current build?
Mobo: ASUS Z97-A
CPU: Pentium G3258
HDD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB
RAM: Single channel 8GB @ 1600Mhz
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6770 (bad, I know, but it runs all the games I currently play, so I have no complaints as of yet)
 
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Mobo: ASUS Z97-A
CPU: Pentium G3258
HDD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB
RAM: Single channel 8GB @ 1600Mhz
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6770 (bad, I know, but it runs all the games I currently play, so I have no complaints as of yet)
Okay, if you with go the Skylake build, you'll need a new MOBO (MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX), CPU (6700K) and RAM as Skylake uses DDR4 RAM. Sorry about before I was busy as I responded so I gave incorrect answers and was writing nonsense.
 
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Monopolyman

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In most scenarios the jump from Haswell to Skylake is negligible. I personally think there isn't much of a reason to spend the money to go to Skylake.
 
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In most scenarios the jump from Haswell to Skylake is negligible. I personally think there isn't much of a reason to spend the money to go to Skylake.
That's what I'd say, but he's been told Z97 is "dated" otherwise the 4690K is fine.
 
Monopolyman

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That's what I'd say, but he's been told Z97 is "dated" otherwise the 4690K is fine.
Yeah, it's not the latest chipset but it still good to use. There is not a whole lot of changes between Z97 and Z170, especially for the average consumer.
 
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Yeah, it's not the latest chipset but it still good to use. There is not a whole lot of changes between Z97 and Z170, especially for the average consumer.
If you are going to be buying a new system like starting from scratch then Skylake is the way to go as it costs just a bit more, otherwise stick withe Haswell as it still has good CPUs.
 
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OP, you already have a Z97 motherboard and DDR3 RAM, just buy a Haswell Refresh i5/i7/Xeon and be done with it. There's absolutely no reason to go Skylake, which will just cost you more since you'll need a new motherboard and RAM. The performance increase is negligible, plus Haswell(Refresh) chips have come down in priced, and you can get them hella cheap used. You could get a Xeon E3-1231 V3(basically an i7-4790 without iGPU) for as much, or less than an i5-6600k at this point.
 
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Okay, if you with go the Skylake build, you'll need a new MOBO (MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX), CPU (6700K) and RAM as Skylake uses DDR4 RAM. Sorry about before I was busy as I responded so I gave incorrect answers and was writing nonsense.
The RAM change isn't necessary. So long as the motherboard he gets supports DDR3 he can use it.
 
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There's always something better just round the corner. I tend to wait a bit for new release prices to drop and then buy. Chasing the latest motherboard/cpu is a little pointless, speed improvements have been pretty poor for a few gens now. If there's any gaming spend any extra money on the graphics card and more system ram (up to a point).
 
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The RAM change isn't necessary. So long as the motherboard he gets supports DDR3 he can use it.
RAM upgrade is necessary actually. Skylake does not support DDR3. It supports DDR3L, which is different. However, using DDR3(L) RAM on Skylake could easily cause issues and will do damage to the IMC over time.
 
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RAM upgrade is necessary actually. Skylake does not support DDR3. It supports DDR3L, which is different. However, using DDR3(L) RAM on Skylake could easily cause issues and will do damage to the IMC over time.
Actually, there are certain motherboards that allow DDR3 with a 6700k. For example, the Asus Z170-P D3. It's not recommended by any means (especially since a lot of DDR4 memory is usually cheaper than the DDR3 equivalent) but it is doable. Worst comes to worst you change some settings in BIOS so that the memory's voltage isn't too strenuous on the CPU.
 
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Actually, there are certain motherboards that allow DDR3 with a 6700k. For example, the Asus Z170-P D3. It's not recommended by any means (especially since a lot of DDR4 memory is usually cheaper than the DDR3 equivalent) but it is doable. Worst comes to worst you change some settings in BIOS so that the memory's voltage isn't too strenuous on the CPU.
No, there are no motherboards that support DDR3. There are some that support DDR3L, as I said. DDR3 and DDR3L are different. DDR3L works due to it's lower voltage, but as I said, it will do damage to the IMC over time as Skylake is meant to be used with DDR4. You can use DDR3L with Skylake, but it's more of a hassle than it's worth,and often has issues or doesn't work at all. It's much easier and safer to go with DDR4 with Skylake, especially when you're buying a $350+ CPU, and an unlocked CPU at that.
 
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