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Upgrade CPU & Ram Worth it?

polycounter lvl 17
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chrismaddox3d polycounter lvl 17
Right now i am currently running a AMD quad core system.
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor
GIGABYTE GA-MA78G-DS3HP
MSI 8800GT 512mb

Thinking about a i5 2500k for $179 or a 2600k for $279 maybe if i can afford it.
Microcenter has both on sale right now here in town.
Also would love to upgrade to 16gb of ram.
May keep the current video card since nvidia is having issues with
there current 400 and 500 series with open gl, but would love to get dx11 soon if i can.

I use 3dsmax 2010 and UDK and Zbrush and sometimes Mudbox.
Just wondering if this upgrade is pretty solid and will keep me
from upgrading for another 2 to 3 yrs at least.
I got the AMD system back in January 2009.
Right now money is tight and not in a hurry if there is something better coming out soon.
Thanks

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  • EarthQuake
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    http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

    Your cpu: 3681
    2500k: 7437
    2600K: 10071

    I would say yeah, that would be worth it. Probably go for the 2600K though to get the most out of it. I think an I7 would be 3-5 years before you need to upgrade it.

    I would stick with your current video card too, for dev an 8800 is just fine, for playing the newest games you may want something better.

    Something better is perpetually coming out soon, if you can get the performance increase for a $$$ amount that is acceptable to you do it. You can't chase the proverbial "something better" with hardware, its always on the horizon.
  • EmAr
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    EmAr polycounter lvl 18
    How much ram do you currently have installed?

    Also, I am about to get a new system. I almost don't need to ask any questions as so many questions are already asked and answered by people like EQ. Thanks everyone :)
  • chrismaddox3d
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    chrismaddox3d polycounter lvl 17
    Thanks EarthQuake that is a big difference.
    If i can afford it now i will get the i7 2600k and
    if not maybe it will go down in price in 6 months or so.
    I have 4gb right now and is too little for udk and zbrush these days i think.
    Just want 16gb ram soon.

    I am torn going with ati or waiting out nvidia 600 cards and hoping
    they fix this open gl issue.
    I guess i can wait 6 months to a year if i have too.
    Just really wanted a dx 11 for udk pretty soon.
    On a side not i have not used intel since 1998 or something i think, but AMD just isnt doing great things any longer.
  • R3D
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    R3D interpolator
    will your motherboard support the new processor?

    Also http://www.tinyurl.com/falconguide
  • EarthQuake
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    Ryswick wrote: »
    will your motherboard support the new processor?

    Also http://www.tinyurl.com/falconguide

    He's switching from an AMD system, so no, it will not.
  • chrismaddox3d
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    chrismaddox3d polycounter lvl 17
    Another thing i forgot about is intel new ivy bridge coming this year.
    I am hearing in April they may come out.
    Wonder if they will bring down the price of the i7 2600k much.
    Would love to see it sale for around the $249 or less.
    How does ati cards work with UDK? i heard you are missing phys x is all.
  • EarthQuake
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    Yeah if you have no problem waiting 6 months, prices on just about everything are sure to fall, SSD prices are probably going to be even more attractive than they are now, HDD prices might level back out after the huge spike from the Thailand flooding. Ram is likely to still be dirt cheap.

    The 2600K might not drop too much, because honestly it is an excellent value as is. Its been $320 on newegg for a while now, $280 is actually a pretty good price.
  • chrismaddox3d
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    chrismaddox3d polycounter lvl 17
    Yep with microcenter having it for $280 its hard to not buy it.
    For a motherboard i was looking at
    GIGABYTE GA-Z68M-D2H LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
    Seeing its only $114 i think that is pretty cheap but its sold out right now.
    Not sure what other good motherboards i might want for a cheaper price.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128523

    For ram i was looking at
    G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
    It cost $74 on newegg and looks to work pretty good.
    I guess this upgrade won't cost me too much.
    Seeing i already got a 750 watt corsair ps on my current system now.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231312

    One other thing if i got the i5 2500k over the i7 2600k.
    Would i regret it later or would it run all the programs i listed just fine.
    I am just going back and forth on the whole issue right now.
    Have read the 2600k does have hyperthreading that is great for photoshop CS5 i use.
    Just gotta think about things.
  • Andreas
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    Andreas polycounter lvl 11
    I hear the difference between 2nd gen sandy bridges and ivy bridges isn't something to hold out over.
  • EarthQuake
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    Yep with microcenter having it for $280 its hard to not buy it.
    For a motherboard i was looking at
    GIGABYTE GA-Z68M-D2H LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
    Seeing its only $114 i think that is pretty cheap but its sold out right now.
    Not sure what other good motherboards i might want for a cheaper price.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128523

    For ram i was looking at
    G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
    It cost $74 on newegg and looks to work pretty good.
    I guess this upgrade won't cost me too much.
    Seeing i already got a 750 watt corsair ps on my current system now.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231312

    One other thing if i got the i5 2500k over the i7 2600k.
    Would i regret it later or would it run all the programs i listed just fine.
    I am just going back and forth on the whole issue right now.
    Have read the 2600k does have hyperthreading that is great for photoshop CS5 i use.
    Just gotta think about things.

    $114 seems like a good price for a MOBO.

    The thing with the 2600 vs 2500 is, well maybe the 2600 gets you another year or more of use out of the computer? Thats probably worth the $100 IMO. Certainly the 2500 is a good CPU, but if the 2600 lets you hold off on your next upgrade for a year or two longer I think thats worth it. Honestly I think the I7 is fast enough that it could realistically last you 5 years, unless some groundbreaking new apps come out that eat CPU for breakfast.
  • Saman
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    Saman polycounter lvl 13
    I upgraded my computer to a i7 2600k with 16gb ram just like you're planning last summer and I don't regret it one bit. I can now use photoshop with several 4k texture maps, zbrush, 3ds max and maya all running even while playing games(bf3 doesn't stutter one bit). I got a new graphic card too, a 460.
    This is what I bought;
    ASUS P8P67 PRO B3 - ATX / Intel P67 / DDR3 / 3xPCI-E / SATA 3.0 / USB 3.0 / Firewire - [HV]
    Corsair 120GB Force 3 Series SATA III 2.5" (SSD) NEW Version (CSSD-F120GB3-BK) - [HV]
    2 x Corsair XMS3 Vengeance 8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x4GB) (CL9) (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9) - [HV]
    Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 1GB OC (GV-N460OC-1GI) - PCI-E / 2xDVI - [HV]
    Intel Core i7-2600K 3,4GHz / 8MB / Socket 1155 (Boxed) - [HV]
  • chrismaddox3d
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    chrismaddox3d polycounter lvl 17
    Goraaz wrote: »
    I upgraded my computer to a i7 2600k with 16gb ram just like you're planning last summer and I don't regret it one bit. I can now use photoshop with several 4k texture maps, zbrush, 3ds max and maya all running even while playing games(bf3 doesn't stutter one bit). I got a new graphic card too, a 460.
    This is what I bought;
    ASUS P8P67 PRO B3 - ATX / Intel P67 / DDR3 / 3xPCI-E / SATA 3.0 / USB 3.0 / Firewire - [HV]
    Corsair 120GB Force 3 Series SATA III 2.5" (SSD) NEW Version (CSSD-F120GB3-BK) - [HV]
    2 x Corsair XMS3 Vengeance 8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz (2x4GB) (CL9) (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9) - [HV]
    Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 1GB OC (GV-N460OC-1GI) - PCI-E / 2xDVI - [HV]
    Intel Core i7-2600K 3,4GHz / 8MB / Socket 1155 (Boxed) - [HV]

    Does your GTX 460 have the open gl issues on 3dsmax or maya?
    I was looking at a
    PNY VCQ600-PB Quadro 600 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Workstation Video Card is $169 on newegg, does anyone else like these cards?
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133354
  • Saman
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    Saman polycounter lvl 13
    Does your GTX 460 have the open gl issues on 3dsmax or maya?
    I was looking at a
    PNY VCQ600-PB Quadro 600 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Low Profile Workstation Video Card is $169 on newegg, does anyone else like these cards?
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133354

    Do you mean the one Geexile is having here http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92072 ?

    No, I haven't had any problems with my gfx card at all. I only had problems with my SSD disk which I managed to fix after a while(I updated the firmware). I have several 3d apps running at the same time with seemingly large models in each scene, but I haven't had the problems Geexile speak of. I'm currently using the drivers suggested by Dice for bf3 and I haven't updated them since.
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