Motherboard dying. Need replacement. SO MANY CHOICES.

[Kaidesa]

Hey guys!  Posting for the first time.  Been lurking for a long time, though.

 

So, I've got an issue.  I have a rather old-ish (note: 5 years) gaming PC, which is finally on the way out.  Having my motherboard randomly forget it has certain things built into it, just because... You know, reasons.

 

Unfortunately, the motherboard is way out of warranty.  But let's be honest.  Who the hell would want an X58 motherboard replaced at this point?

 

Current build:

• Motherboard:         ASUS Rampage III Extreme
• Processor:              Intel Core i7 930 (Overclocked to 4.2GHz)
• CPU Cooler:            Corsair H70
• RAM:                        24GB Corsair Dominator GT 2000Mhz
• GPU:                        EVGA GeForce 980 SC w/ ACX 2.0
• Storage:                  2x Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB (RAID 0), 4x WD Blue 1TB (RAID 5)
• PSU:                        Corsair 1200W (way overkill, I know... but I got it for free, so...)

 

 

Okay, so some minor background before asking the obvious upgrade recommendation question.  I currently just started a gaming channel on YouTube, and have been streaming live gameplay to Twitch.tv since before Twitch was a thing (Justin.tv).  I tend to stream at 720p, but have been wanting to stream at 1080p 60fps while gaming at the same.

 

The huge question is, given the circumstances, an upgrade is required.  But what?  Do I worry about longevity and upgrade potential at this point?

 

I currently have ~$1000 (no less than $800, no more than $1200)  to blow on a suitable upgrade.  Should I... A)  Get a Z97 mobo and the beefiest non-Extreme Edition CPU possible, plus a second GTX 980, to focus on maximixing my current potential or...  B )  Get an X99 mobo and fitting processor, spending the leftover on as much RAM as I can fit in there, and worry about "future-proofing" my purchase with potential upgrades in the future?

 

Any input would be appreciated.  I'd like to get this system running within the next week, if at all possible.

 

Thanks!

[EcoBoost]

I currently have ~$1000 (no less than $800, no more than $1200)  to blow on a suitable upgrade.  Should I... A)  Get a Z97 mobo and the beefiest non-Extreme Edition CPU possible, plus a second GTX 980, to focus on maximixing my current potential or...  B )  Get an X99 mobo and fitting processor, spending the leftover on as much RAM as I can fit in there, and worry about "future-proofing" my purchase with potential upgrades in the future?

Get a Z97 board + 4790K and save the rest. One 980 atm is plenty

[Dimwitted]

You are not at a bad spot. Normally I would say toast the whole thing but your psu and gpu can last for 3 more systems! There's nothing that the X99 can give you that fits within that budget. Just leave it and go with Z97. I would go with a 4690K, 32gb memory (something cheap by GSkill, there's no reason to go overboard with pricey fast crap that you won't notice), a good Asus or GB board. Maybe a new case while you're at it. You can get pretty fancy and fast without breaking the budget at this point.

 

One thing I would advise is change the ssd's. Quit the Raid thingy and get a faster ssd. Better drives abound and I don't think that the Raid is giving you a damn thing in a desktop.

[Kaidesa]

Get a Z97 board + 4790K and save the rest. One 980 atm is plenty

 

I'm aware the 980 is more than enough to run most of the currently released games at maximum settings, minus one or two exceptions.  The goal of getting a second if I had the allowance to do so was to be able to make use of the 4K display I have by actually being able to play at 4K without having to sacrifice too much quality.  Definitely not a priority, but if I have the money and don't spend it on an X99 setup, I figured I may as well.

 

You are not at a bad spot. Normally I would say toast the whole thing but your psu and gpu can last for 3 more systems! There's nothing that the X99 can give you that fits within that budget. Just leave it and go with Z97. I would go with a 4690K, 32gb memory (something cheap by GSkill, there's no reason to go overboard with pricey fast crap that you won't notice), a good Asus or GB board. Maybe a new case while you're at it. You can get pretty fancy and fast without breaking the budget at this point.

 

One thing I would advise is change the ssd's. Quit the Raid thingy and get a faster ssd. Better drives abound and I don't think that the Raid is giving you a damn thing in a desktop.

 

The main reason I was thinking about the X99 was because of the two extra cores.  If I'm not mistaken, the streaming software I'm using could leverage the two extra cores of the X99 to be able to stream and game at the same time with much less overall CPU usage, giving me enough leeway to stream at a higher resolution than I do now.  I'm inches away from a Twitch partnership, and would like my viewers to be able to experience the better quality when it becomes possible.

 

Or am I mistaken on that?  I'm afraid I've not had much time to focus on hardware research as I once did.  Really, I'm only considering the upgrade right now due to the inevitability of my motherboard biting the dust.

[awesomes8wc3]

You could probably keep everything except the board and CPU.

 

I would probably wait for Skylake, but if you need your system NOW I would probably do A.

However if you really really need the extra performance then I would probably do B.

[EcoBoost]

I'm aware the 980 is more than enough to run most of the currently released games at maximum settings, minus one or two exceptions.  The goal of getting a second if I had the allowance to do so was to be able to make use of the 4K display I have by actually being able to play at 4K without having to sacrifice too much quality.  Definitely not a priority, but if I have the money and don't spend it on an X99 setup, I figured I may as well.

 

 

The main reason I was thinking about the X99 was because of the two extra cores.  If I'm not mistaken, the streaming software I'm using could leverage the two extra cores of the X99 to be able to stream and game at the same time with much less overall CPU usage, giving me enough leeway to stream at a higher resolution than I do now.  I'm inches away from a Twitch partnership, and would like my viewers to be able to experience the better quality when it becomes possible.

 

Or am I mistaken on that?  I'm afraid I've not had much time to focus on hardware research as I once did.  Really, I'm only considering the upgrade right now due to the inevitability of my motherboard biting the dust.

 

Well if you feel as though you need the extra GPU power then you can definitely go ahead and get a second 980.

 

If you play mostly games that support SLI, a second 980 will be of a lot more benefit then the extra two cores of a 5820K.

 

 

I would probably wait for Skylake, but if you need your system NOW I would probably do A.

Skylake isn't going to be that mind blowing of a performance increase. Haswell -> Skylake is going to be like Sandy -> Haswell

[Kaidesa]

The biggest issue I'm having right now is that nobody actually provided ANY information ANYWHERE as to whether or not the new Haswell-E's will be better for single-PC gaming AND streaming when compared to any of the other currently available processors.  If the extra two cores would mean that I'd be able to stream at a higher quality much more easily, then that answers my question.

 

Otherwise, I'd be more likely to go with the Z97 setup.  I'd also be able to get myself a second video card in said case, which is never a bad thing.  Gotta pump out those pixels.

 

Any recommendations for a motherboard if I stick with a Z97?  Would definitely want something that's OC-friendly.  Built-in wireless preferred, but not necessary.

[Dimwitted]

Yeah, you have a use case for X99, you just don't have the budget. You could blow your budget on just the cpu. Or sufficient ram. Or a nifty m/bd. Pick one! By getting just what you could afford leaves you at the lower end of the scale and that's not good enough to power you past the Z97.

As for Skylake... waaay too early to say. It will also come with a new chipset which is always exciting. So what? We're looking at near 2016 which might as well be forever. You can't wait. I don't even think you can wait for Broadwell.

 

For a m/bd I would look for Asus. The Pro or the WS series has merits. What features do you need? Dual Ethernet? Wi-Fi? Dual procs? 64gb ram?

[Kaidesa]

Alright, after putting much thought into it, I may just pony up the extra out of pocket and get the X99 build rolling.

 

I assume that, considering I don't ever plan on going beyond a Tri-SLI (at most... never done more than a standard SLI) setup, I should be fine with the low-end 5th gen i7?  Don't think I'd ever need the extra PCI-e lanes if I'm not going to be shoving anything more in there, right?

 

Plus, I've heard they're better overclockers than the two with the 40 lanes.  Could be mistaken.  Again, haven't had much time to research lately.