[ZuesL]

Predicament:
Able to upgrade from 955 to 2500k right now.

I go off to University next September.
I am going to buy a netbook/laptop during that summer for notes and general usage (no gaming), but will take the desktop with me.
I do not want to buy a desktop upgrade and a laptop at the same time, so that would mean waiting until summer 2013 to upgrade.

I will use the PC for general use, gaming and photo/video editing and whatever a degree in CompSci will need me to do.

Will my current setup last for another two years or should I upgrade now?

Side-question, I need help with a motherboard. I want to spend no more than £100 on it. Was recommended this by a friend but I want a second opinion.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-p...-%28x16%29-atx

Thanks so much in advance. I am indebted to this forum

 

[Bobotheklown]

Honestly now is prime time to upgrade imo.

2500k's performance for the money is amazing.

Plus you'll be ready for the modern games coming out.

However waiting til later (next year sometime?) you will get to go up to ivy bridge, which is supposed to be a decent sized step up.

 

[ZuesL]

Cheers for the reply. The issue is that I really don't want to have to buy a new laptop and a new cpu/mobo at the same time.

So you think I should upgrade now?

 

[Bobotheklown]

I'd say upgrade now then.

The 2500k should get you through the next year or two easily.

Plus it looks like all you need is a mobo and the cpu. Not to shabby

 

[accskyman]

2500k is crazy fast get it now.

I've been tweaking mine for the past few days and currently at 1.36v ~4920mhz (48x102.5) running prime95~ hitting 65c with an h80.

 

[SSJVegeta]

I'm waiting 6 months for Ivy Bridge.

 

[critical46]

Unless you're interested in Sandy Bridge-E, why not upgrade? Ivy bridge will be compatible with your motherboard if you get a 2500k. I say do it.

 

[httuner]

Just wait, your Phenom II will still serve you good, I bet it probably does everything you ask of it at this moment, I say upgrade the cooling on it and push it to 4ghz if you want more juice from it_

Go with the Corsair H-series water cooling setups(Or go all out fullloop watercooling) and push that Chip to its limits(You will have fun with it, the cooler you keep it the higher you can push it) My AMD 955x4 is still pushing hard at 4.2ghz and I'm just using a H70 to cool it. my AMD Phenom does everything I need it to do and more that I feel my i72600k machine was a complete waste of money to build(except for the sheer enjoyment of POWER!) Haha sorry, I know I'm being a little silly but if I was you, I would rather get that new Laptop (It just seems like a no-brainer, the laptop just seems more useful according to your situation)

Please note this is just my personal opinion* =] Goodluck with whatever you choose

 

[Jtmarch86]

Right now is a great time to upgrade. The 2500k is an awesome cpu, and it will help you work faster and more efficiently in school.
Having a hundred tabs open, playing your music, researching, writing reports, will all be faster.
And not to mention it will play any game out there very very well.
It also overclocks like a champ.

But seriously, now is a great time to upgrade, I personally would go ahead, that way you have a nice tool to help you at school.
When its time to grab a laptop, just grab a 2nd gen sb also (I just got my mom a i3 laptop with 4 gb ram, 500gb hd, 15" screen, all the goodies, and only paid 399$ brand new)

Also, for those saying to wait for Ivy bridge, if you get a motherboard with P67 or Z68 from someone like Gigabyte, Asus, or MSI, you'll be able to just drop an Ivy Bridge cpu right in, and sell the 2500k to make up the difference. So its fairly future proof as well.
I say go for it bro, you won't regret it.

 

[Velathawen]

The 2500K being excellent value has zero relation to the current performance of your 955. Unless you are unhappy with your 955 and find it falling behind in the things you do,keep your money.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

 

[nekromantik]

I would say get it now as 2500k will last you long time.
as for netbook, you dont really NEED that.
I went through uni this last 4 years without one so just upgrade your rig.

as for motherboard, get this as its better spec for £1 over budget
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-p67a-gd53-(b3)-intel-p67-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-20-(x16)-atx

 

[Jtmarch86]

Another route:
you could just go grab a 128gb SSD like the crucial M4 for a system drive, and pop in a GTX 570 to help in your gaming for now.
That way you'll increase your system speed and help it keep up with what you need it to do until you upgrade completely. Then just transfer those parts over.

But, it's still my opinion that now is a great time to upgrade, and the 2500k is the golden area for price/value/performance.
However, still, grab that ssd if you can. It's the one thing I wish I had done sooner. It speeds up everything you do. It also makes it desperately obvious how much hard drive disks are bottle-necking our systems.
At the very least, grab a 32gb ssd and a z68 motherboard, and set it up for SRT (Intels SSD caching)
Which will improve system performance all around.

I hope some of this helps in your decision

 

[UberN00B]

Unless your seriously unhappy with your 955, do not upgrade.

i went from a Q6600 to a 2500k and I would say it's not worth spending $350+ on. I don't do video editing but I use photoshop extensively, and I am studying comp sci w/ a minor in networking. For gaming it would help push a couple extra FPS, but other than that don't bother.

I don't necessarily agree with the SSD either, get a second spinpoint and raid them for optimal performance. Sure it will load your apps faster, and your OS faster, but it's still very expensive. For example, my computer can boot up in 15seconds with my vertex 2. But that doesn't matter when im going downstairs to grab some water or taking a leak.

 

[Jtmarch86]

Maybe thats because a Q6600 is a lot closer to a 2500k than his 955.
Also, raid is great yes, but when using raid 0 data loss if more likely, and I'm sure he can''t afford to lose his paper the night before its due.

SSD's are finally coming down to reasonable prices. You can grab a 32gb Patriot for a srt drive for 45$ after rebate...
so I would think thats worth it.
And the 2500k will be a cpu you can keep for years and years to come. Also being able to overclock it to 5.0ghz on air (most of them) is just awesome, and I'm sure it will keep with the required system specs for any games and apps coming in the next 5-6years easily.
Especially considering how well it overclocks (even with minimal effort)

 

[Heazy]

This thread nearly pushed me over the edge to go ahead and upgrade to the 2500k. Then Ubernoob came along and made me second guess myself, and I have to listen to him cuz he has a GSP avatar

 

[Jtmarch86]

lol wow, never realized an avatar could have such a huge impact.... maybe bcuz thats insane? lol
anyways
I do have to say I understand where he is coming from.
Some people say not to upgrade unless it will give you 50% more performance.
And in this case, it won't but it will provide quite a bit, and it will be very noticable.
And anyone who says it won't isn't using their cpu to their potential.
It all comes down to money.
If you have it to spend, and it won't impact you much, I would go ahead and upgrade.
However, if it's a stretch to do, and it will take you a while to come up with that amount of money again, I might just upgrade your current system in ways that can carry over to your final build later.
Like video cards, memory (hoping u use ddr3 now), ssd's, another hdd to run in raid 0, and definitely a better cooler. Or grab an H80 if ur case can fit it, that way you can go water without the hassle, while still keeping the ability to move it.
Try to future-proof your purchases.
And even though this is a bit expensive, I highly recommend the ssds. If at least for srt, if not a 128 for boot and system. Hell, a 64gb M4 would still work.
Prices have come down enough to make it doable. Even if you have to go with a Sata II ssd, it will still be a big improvement.

Just keep in mind, you won't need to spend over $400 on your laptop to be satisfied for a school pc, and even less if going for a netbook.

The 2500k is just a wonderful piece of hardware, and it is honestly the best, smartest, and most satisfying purchase I have made in a very very long time. (and I didn't quite have the money, but did it anyway)
I know that it will last me a very long time.
I hope you get to experience that too.

 

[nekromantik]

im going from a q6600 to a 2500k and first time someone said they did not notice a big improvement. I know quite a few people who gone from a 6 series chip to 2500k and all of them said its quite a improvement and very noticeable.

maybe going from a q9550 to 2500k will be less of a improvement.

 

[UberN00B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jtmarch86;15305242
lol wow, never realized an avatar could have such a huge impact.... maybe bcuz thats insane? lol
anyways
I do have to say I understand where he is coming from.
Some people say not to upgrade unless it will give you 50% more performance.
And in this case, it won't but it will provide quite a bit, and it will be very noticable.
And anyone who says it won't isn't using their cpu to their potential.
It all comes down to money.
If you have it to spend, and it won't impact you much, I would go ahead and upgrade.
However, if it's a stretch to do, and it will take you a while to come up with that amount of money again, I might just upgrade your current system in ways that can carry over to your final build later.
Like video cards, memory (hoping u use ddr3 now), ssd's, another hdd to run in raid 0, and definitely a better cooler. Or grab an H80 if ur case can fit it, that way you can go water without the hassle, while still keeping the ability to move it.
Try to future-proof your purchases.
And even though this is a bit expensive, I highly recommend the ssds. If at least for srt, if not a 128 for boot and system. Hell, a 64gb M4 would still work.
Prices have come down enough to make it doable. Even if you have to go with a Sata II ssd, it will still be a big improvement.

Just keep in mind, you won't need to spend over $400 on your laptop to be satisfied for a school pc, and even less if going for a netbook.

The 2500k is just a wonderful piece of hardware, and it is honestly the best, smartest, and most satisfying purchase I have made in a very very long time. (and I didn't quite have the money, but did it anyway)
I know that it will last me a very long time.
I hope you get to experience that too.

I agree to some extent, if you have the money go for it. A CPU upgrade for me wasn't the biggest 'performance leap' that I've seen personally, it would probably have been a vid card.. Plus raid 1 is very fast, I have personally never had any of my raid drives fail on me for the past 3 years.

 

[LuckySe7ens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Velathawen;15304314
The 2500K being excellent value has zero relation to the current performance of your 955. Unless you are unhappy with your 955 and find it falling behind in the things you do,keep your money.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

Being a college student I agree with this statement. If your current hardware fulfills your needs then save the money for books or something.

Sent from my HTC Evo 3d using Tapatalk

 

[james_ant]

If you have the money then go for it. Personally I'm holding out till next fall before I make any decisions. I am choosing to spend my money elsewhere. The 955 is still a nice CPU, better than my Q6600 at that speed and you have DDR3 and a more modern chipset. Really your rig is not all that bad, just because you can get a 2500K doesnt mean the improvement will be all that huge.

IMO wait to upgrade till you can double your cores and get a decent 8 core or 6 core (not bulldozer though).