Future Proof Computer ?

[TheNightMaster]

Hello, 

Few years ago, I was conned by someone who sold me an i3-540 build even though the Third Generation series was available.

I was still new to computers and had no clue about any of it.

But, Soon enough I plan to build a rig by myself, I know Future proof computers don't exist.

Still, I'm worried what with all the rumored cannonlake series coming out, 

I don't want to make the mistake of buying a kabylake processors only to find out that a new 10nm architecture is out. 

So any ideas as to how much of an impact it would be ?

Should I go for the kaby lake Processors once they come out or wait for the cannon lake.

Upgrading later is not an option, it's only a one time investment, and i plan to make it run at least 3-4 years.

So do I wait for the kaby lake series or wait for the cannon lake ? ( Don't suggest Sixth Gen because i'm not building it right now, a few months down the line)

Thanks in advance  

[Kickflapper]

What are you using you computer for?

[TheNightMaster]

1 minute ago, Kickflapper said:

What are you using you computer for?

This will be used mostly for gaming and household stuff. 

[Kickflapper]

To be honest you should find the best CPU you can find for the money when you decide to built. I just upgraded to 4790k which is behind skylake, but I got a really good deal on it and OC'd it performs as good or better. I went from a i7 860 and for everyday use I really don't see much gain in the newer generation. The newer CPU are faster enough to keep up with just about any GPU's now. The GPU is where you will see the most performance increase. There are people who are still rocking 2600k for gaming. I wouldn't get fixated on the generation necessarily, because there will always be something new around the corner. Find the best CPU for the money at the time of your purchase.  

[TheNightMaster]

Thanks  

It's just that when i realised i could've done so much better than an i3-540 it just pissed me off.

So i would really like to take whatever is the latest at the time

But anyways, Time will tell what i end up buying  

[NumLock21]

Buy a usb type c and thunderbolt 3 card and your computer will be future proof.

[Zenedge]

buy a time machine, go the the future (year 3000 or greater), buy a pc, come back to the present. you now have a future proof pc

 

tbh, there's no future proof pc, because at some point in the future, there will be more later products.

just buy the best p[arts you can with what budget you have currently

[yenic]

On 4/22/2016 at 7:14 AM, TheNightMaster said:

I don't want to make the mistake of buying a kabylake processors only to find out that a new 10nm architecture is out. 

Just my opinion but I'm switching how I used to buy hardware. I used to always buy the first of a new node like 10nm. Starting with the 14nm gen and lower I'm buying the last of the current node. In the process->arch->optimize 3 year cycle Intel is doing, I'm going to try to buy on the 'optimize' release.

 

There is no free lunch on dieshrinks like the old days. Jumping on 10nm isn't just an easy "win". Reason is electromigration issues. Chips eating themselves up. With these tiny nodes, that is going to be an increasing problem. Buy Cannonlake if you want, it will be fine but if you keep it a long time it may have reduced lifespan over a chip made on a more mature process. Many desktop Broadwell CPUs were supposedly canceled because they had lifespan problems. Some overclocking results report that Skylake processor life suffers badly when overclocking is attempted. Intel has also stated that processor life on Skylake chips is reduced if all the low power modes aren't enabled, which is a telltale sign of electromigration. So my advice, buy when you NEED a machine but ideally, buy Kabylake. I'm following my own advice. After Kaby, my next machine will be Tigerlake (last 10nm release) at the earliest.

[TheNightMaster]

On 4/26/2016 at 10:21 AM, yenic said:

Just my opinion but I'm switching how I used to buy hardware. I used to always buy the first of a new node like 10nm. Starting with the 14nm gen and lower I'm buying the last of the current node. In the process->arch->optimize 3 year cycle Intel is doing, I'm going to try to buy on the 'optimize' release.

 

There is no free lunch on dieshrinks like the old days. Jumping on 10nm isn't just an easy "win". Reason is electromigration issues. Chips eating themselves up. With these tiny nodes, that is going to be an increasing problem. Buy Cannonlake if you want, it will be fine but if you keep it a long time it may have reduced lifespan over a chip made on a more mature process. Many desktop Broadwell CPUs were supposedly canceled because they had lifespan problems. Some overclocking results report that Skylake processor life suffers badly when overclocking is attempted. Intel has also stated that processor life on Skylake chips is reduced if all the low power modes aren't enabled, which is a telltale sign of electromigration. So my advice, buy when you NEED a machine but ideally, buy Kabylake. I'm following my own advice. After Kaby, my next machine will be Tigerlake (last 10nm release) at the earliest.

Wow , That was really very helpful of you. Thank you sooooo much

 

[yenic]

11 hours ago, TheNightMaster said:

Wow , That was really very helpful of you. Thank you sooooo much

 

No problem. You can see some of the source evidence from Intel themselves here. http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/core/6th-gen-core-family-mobile-u-y-processor-lines-datasheet-vol-1.html

Go to page 64-
Caution: Long term reliability cannot be assured unless all the Low-Power Idle States are enabled.

 

A very interesting statement to say the least and says electromigration. Essentially an admission that their Skylake or 14nm chips are not meant to be used at 100% all the time like older chips. They're meant to be intermittent usage only. The reason this problem isn't nearly as acute with servers is because servers usually have much better cooling than a laptop or average desktop. Intel doesn't advertise this issue for non-mobile SKUs, but I think the cat is out of the bag that this is a problem going forward for cutting-edge manufacturing processes in general.

 

I can't promise Kabylake will resolve this, it may just be the way things are done going forward (sacrificing chip longevity, gaining some built-in early failure to sell more chips, and in return get some added performance). But for new chips, the best bet is that last most mature node of 14nm or the last 10nm. The power savings won't be nearly as extreme as the drop in prior nodes anyway as the shrinks get smaller.
There's more issues with Skylake, NVME and low power sleep states if you run Linux too, which by Kaby's launch should be resolved.