Completely Lost on CPU Upgrade

[TheyCallMeGunny]

     I haven't touched a computer in 27 months and 2 days. I used to consider myself informed on all of this. Now, I'm too far behind the loop to even have a clue about hardware.

     I want to upgrade to an i-series intel, and I wondered if you guys could recommend some (and maybe even point out why certain revision are desirable to others.)

 

I do livestreaming in 1080p and occasionally have to edit and render recorded video (not as often as pure streaming, though.) I also host a multitude of small servers for my LAN- my family isn't very technically inclined, so I need room for the overhead. My streaming is done with 3 monitors, though only one is used for gaming- I keep video chat, utilities, resource monitors and media on the other monitors while streaming.

As I have to switch out my motherboard (I have AMD at the moment), I would also like a board recommendation that can support dual PCI-E x16 slots, for an anticipated upgrade in my GPU.

I stream in OBS, which is relatively lightweight. But I would like to be able to use more intensive programs in case it is eventually dethroned.

     I appreciate the help guys!

PS- I may have a GTX 760 coming soon, so please ignore the potential bottleneck of my existing GPU in considering the options to recommend.

My budget for the CPU/GPU Mobo combo is up to $600 total. I could push a little past it, but would prefer not to if I won't see a very notable performance increase: Diminishing returns on personal satisfaction beyond that pricepoint.

Edit: I won't need dual GPU. Also, I've been doing a VERY heavy amount of video editing and rendering, so that is a consideration. If no one is able to convince me otherwise, I've developed a craving the i7-4790k. I know it's $100 more than the 4690k, but I spent the last 34 hours on a single render and only got 90 minutes of sleep on a keyboard lol- so i think the money's worth it with my new usage habits.

Edited August 25, 2015 by TheyCallMeGunny

[bp9801]

Sounds to me like you would benefit from an i7, especially if you're doing a bunch of streaming. The extra room HyperThreading allows for would be beneficial to you, so something like an i7 4790K and a Z97 motherboard would work. However, if you can wait a tiny bit longer, the Skylake series and Z170 motherboards arrive in a couple weeks, most likely to coincide with Gamescom. Those should be a nice bump over what Haswell provides and would be the ones to consider, based on what kind of performance increase is offered.

[TheyCallMeGunny]

Appreciate the input. Several of the other streamers I've spoken to since making this post have also recommended the 4790K. As for waiting on the Skylakes, I try to stay away from brand new due to the price premium.

I guess this post is solved, i7 4790K it is- It's what everybody seems to be recommending so far. Thank you for your time!

[potatochobit]

you dont need a skylake

keep in mind, prices of older CPUs should drop also once it starts hitting store shelves 

but any modern CPU is a good choice

sounds more like you need google fiber

[WarWeeny]

Most Intel chips do not drop in price when a new revision is released, at least not by much (20 dollars or so).

Not here in the Netherlands at least, no idea for second hand market or 'Murica stores.

Most of the time, intel is always a premium in price, but you get the performance for it as well.

[El_Capitan]

Used is also great. Cheapest I've found an i5-3570K for $110, and an i7-3930K for $220. Hard to beat those prices for the performance. Also, if you can find used X58 motherboards that support XEON processors, some good overclocking hexacore XEON's around the $50 range.

[get_saif]

Most Intel chips do not drop in price when a new revision is released, at least not by much (20 dollars or so).

Not here in the Netherlands at least, no idea for second hand market or 'Murica stores.

Most of the time, intel is always a premium in price, but you get the performance for it as well.

 

Intels track record proves no significant price drops around. The processor just gets faced out with similar price price brackets.

Unless AMD drops some surprises!

[TheyCallMeGunny]

Used is also great. Cheapest I've found an i5-3570K for $110, and an i7-3930K for $220. Hard to beat those prices for the performance. Also, if you can find used X58 motherboards that support XEON processors, some good overclocking hexacore XEON's around the $50 range.

How does XEON work in video rendering? I use Blender/Cycles (only recently learned it, but already using it daily) and Sony Vegas Pro 13. I kinda think the XEONs might be unecessary and overkill, but heck what do I know.

[El_Capitan]

 

Used is also great. Cheapest I've found an i5-3570K for $110, and an i7-3930K for $220. Hard to beat those prices for the performance. Also, if you can find used X58 motherboards that support XEON processors, some good overclocking hexacore XEON's around the $50 range.

How does XEON work in video rendering? I use Blender/Cycles (only recently learned it, but already using it daily) and Sony Vegas Pro 13. I kinda think the XEONs might be unecessary and overkill, but heck what do I know.

 

There's no real performance difference, other than nowadays you can't really overclock a XEON CPU like you could back in the LGA1366 days. They're expensive new, and used mainly for servers due to being able to run with ECC RAM. For video editing, all you want are real CPU cores, and lots of memory. Having a graphics card doesn't really matter. For photo editing, same thing with real CPU cores, you don't need as much memory, but you want a good professional graphics card and a calibrated IPS monitor.

 

You've got two great options for a Motherboard/CPU combo in the used market.

1. 3930K and an X79 motherboard. You could find a 3930K for maybe $300, and an X79 motherboard for $125. If you get lucky, you could get both for around $400.

2. I got my X5650's for $30 each. Most X58 motherboards are at least $100. You can overclock to at least 4.0GHz, if not 4.2GHz with 6 cores and 12 threads, for $130 if you're lucky.