Which upgrade will yield the most performance?

[austin541]

So i have pooled together $530 for upgrading my computer, and would like some suggestions for my upgrades.

 

1-cpu and mobo upgrade (most likely i7 4790k, a good motherboard-suggestions please, and a decent cooler)

 

2-grad another 770, and a new motherboard that supports sli 

 

My current rig-Specs: Cpu: i5-3470@3.8ghz Cooler: H80 Motherboard: Msi Z77A-G41  Ram: Kingston HyperX Black 16gb 1600mhz GPU: EVGA GTX 770 ACX SC PSU: Corsair HX850  Case: Fractal Design Define R4 

 

So, the main games i play are Dayz mod, Dayz standalone, Arma 3, and cs:go.

 

My understanding is that these games are very cpu hungry (other than cs:go), so i think option 1 would give the most performance. But i would appreciate your opinion and thoughts on my upgrades.

 

(sorry if im in the wrong sub-forum)

[MegaDave91]

If it's solely for gaming then #2 all the way.

[austin541]

If it's solely for gaming then #2 all the way.

the other problem is i don't know if dayz standalone has a sli profile, and if arma 3 has a good sli profile,

[MegaDave91]

the other problem is i don't know if dayz standalone has a sli profile, and if arma 3 has a good sli profile,

DayZ currently does not (it is in alpha stage afterall), but there are workarounds for sli support. As far as Arma III, I haven't played it so I couldn't tell you.

[The Crazed Child]

With a Z-series board it will allow you to overclock 400mhz higher than max. Turbo Boost frequency even on a locked SKU (Not sure if it applies to Ivy Bridge, only tried on Sandy). The CPU isn't much of an issue, just get a cheap Hyper 212 from Cooler Master.

[austin541]

With a Z-series board it will allow you to overclock 400mhz higher than max. Turbo Boost frequency even on a locked SKU (Not sure if it applies to Ivy Bridge, only tried on Sandy). The CPU isn't much of an issue, just get a cheap Hyper 212 from Cooler Master.

i do have it overclocked base clock is 3.6ghz and i get 3.8ghz on 4 cores and 4.0ghz on 2 cores. 

[Imabigmac]

Second 770 and a ssd.

I still don't quite see a good reason other than editing, 3d work etc, and heavy multitasking to justify an i7 over a still viable i5.

[austin541]

DayZ currently does not (it is in alpha stage afterall), but there are workarounds for sli support. As far as Arma III, I haven't played it so I couldn't tell you.

what are the work around? and do you think sli will give more performance that a cpu upgrade?

[austin541]

Second 770 and a ssd.

I still don't quite see a good reason other than editing, 3d work etc, and heavy multitasking to justify an i7 over a still viable i5.

the thing is also i have to buy a new motherboard to do sli, and the the ssd part i run my computer solely on a 120gb ssd, and a 256gb ssd.(ssd masterace).

[Ren]

The Z97 Gaming 5 or UD3H from Gigabyte are good, one of the ASRocks are pretty good so don't leave them out and I'm sure at least the Sabertooth is ok for overclocking from Asus. MSi I really don't give a damn about since they kind of let me down with Z97 compared to others.

 

Most of the Z97s aren't terrible but if you wanna take VRMs into consideration, less than half are actually "good" and most of the high-end boards are about equal in overclocking potential to that of the more mid-priced ones. The thing that will separate one from another is feature set (SLI, PCI-E lanes, # of USB, and so on). Personally, I'd go with a Gigabyte board that has a decent audio controller.

 

 

The 2nd GTX 770 will probably help the most but honestly, you'd probably be better off selling your current and buying two non-reference R9 290Xs for $200-$300 each on ebay and underclocking them slightly to help with fan curves if you're worried about noise. It'd still be more performance than the 2nd GTX 770.

 

There's not a "slew of issues" that come from a second card that I can complain about and I really don't like the thought of spending close to $500 on a CPU + mobo that probably won't help a lot. That gives me no real argument against the 2nd 770.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I had to give a realistic suggestion, wait until Haswell-E and buy a 5820k + X99 motherboard for close to $500-$550. If the X99 trend is anything like that of Z97 and FM2+, the motherboards should only be getting cheaper from manufacturers (~$220 to $600 in this case), while the CPU is roughly the same cost as the last generation ($340 or less for i7-X820's). I think you could afford it and it'd be better than going with a 4790k for roughly the same cost.

[MegaDave91]

what are the work around? and do you think sli will give more performance that a cpu upgrade?

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=205916418

 

This is the guide I found when I first searched for SLI support.

[Imabigmac]

the thing is also i have to buy a new motherboard to do sli, and the the ssd part i run my computer solely on a 120gb ssd, and a 256gb ssd.(ssd masterace).

my bad I didn't read properly nor did i read your sig.

Save up more do sli, new mobo and cpu. If you ain't into that then maybe just don't do anything.

[Thebman712]

since you have that tri monitor setup i think another 770 would be best 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($164.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card  ($359.98 @ Amazon Canada) 

Total: $524.97

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

[austin541]

 

since you have that tri monitor setup i think another 770 would be best 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($164.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card  ($359.98 @ Amazon Canada) 

Total: $524.97

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

i currently have a ivy-brige cpu.(z77).

[austin541]

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=205916418

 

This is the guide I found when I first searched for SLI support.

thanks, still undecided but if i get another sli i will use this.

[Thebman712]

i currently have a ivy-brige cpu.(z77).

oh, well as long as it is lga 1050 you  will be fine i belive

[VMaxMuffin]

oh, well as long as it is lga 1050 you  will be fine i belive

Ivy Bridge/Z77 is LGA1155. @austin541 If you can find a decent Z77 motherboard for sale that supports SLI, then I'd go the new motherboard and second 770 route. Otherwise, you'll probably be forced into the CPU upgrade anyway in order to SLI in the future...

[austin541]

oh, well as long as it is lga 1050 you  will be fine i belive

its lga 1155

[austin541]

Ivy Bridge/Z77 is LGA1155. @austin541 If you can find a decent Z77 motherboard for sale that supports SLI, then I'd go the new motherboard and second 770 route. Otherwise, you'll probably be forced into the CPU upgrade anyway in order to SLI in the future...

i found a asus mobo for 130   http://www.amazon.com/Asus-P8Z77-V-LK-Intel-Motherboards/dp/B007RIFKTY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1405207576&sr=8-3&keywords=z77+lx

[VMaxMuffin]

i found a asus mobo for 130   http://www.amazon.com/Asus-P8Z77-V-LK-Intel-Motherboards/dp/B007RIFKTY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1405207576&sr=8-3&keywords=z77+lx

 

If you don't mind the god-awful colour scheme, then I'd say that would be fine. Having a quick look on Amazon though, there are some nicer looking boards (unless you REALLY don't care).

[austin541]

If you don't mind the god-awful colour scheme, then I'd say that would be fine. Having a quick look on Amazon though, there are some nicer looking boards (unless you REALLY don't care).

what other motherboards have you seen that look good and a decently cheap?

[VMaxMuffin]

what other motherboards have you seen that look good and a decently cheap?

Actually I just noticed some of the ones I saw were used only... that's why they were such good deals!

This is the only one I could find new and not too much more than the Asus you linked...

ASRock Z77 Extreme4: http://www.amazon.com/LGA1155-CrossFireX-Motherboard-Z77-EXTREME4/dp/B007KTY4A6/

Otherwise then I guess you're stuck with the Asus.

EDIT: And, of course, buying a used motherboard would probably be a little risky...