Is it worth going for 4790K in the very beginning?

[explorer]

I was told that the early batches of Intel CPUs are the best overclockers. I may not build a system in the next few months but considering the above is it worth to go for it?

[KeyboardDemon]

This is what Tiny Tom Logan had to say on the matter.

[explorer]

I am currently running an Asus B75 board with an old Intel Pentium processor. I could sell the board and a processor for a pocket money and get a new Z97 rig with a new processor using the old memory which is good or I can buy an 3570K or 3770K and use the old board. There doesn't seem to be much difference between the boards to motivate the splurge but on the other side I do not want to be bottlenecked by the old technology if I decide to game. So what would you do if you were in my shoes?

[jim]

Given that the two questions are so closely related, I've merged your threads - hopefully someone more clued in than me will be able to offer some advice.

The key though is what you want to achieve. Why do you want a more powerful machine and what do you expect your main uses of it to be? And do you have a budget in mind? It's easier to take a more holistic approach to your upgrade rather than deal with each aspect in isolation.

[Agent]

I was told that the early batches of Intel CPUs are the best overclockers.

By who?

[explorer]

Given that the two questions are so closely related, I've merged your threads - hopefully someone more clued in than me will be able to offer some advice.

The key though is what you want to achieve. Why do you want a more powerful machine and what do you expect your main uses of it to be? And do you have a budget in mind? It's easier to take a more holistic approach to your upgrade rather than deal with each aspect in isolation.

What I would like to achieve is a build that I would like to last approximately 3 years without loosing too much of its capability while staying away from splurging too much money on it. The main use is a workstation but I was thinking of gamig at some point in the future. The budget is 300-350 but I may go a bit over if it is worth it.

By who?

By a person who I believe is more experienced in this subject than me and whose advises have been useful so far.

[Agent]

It's simply the luck of the silicon. Some of the best overclocking chips have been historically towards the middle / end of that chips life-cycle. I've no idea why anyone would think early samples are 'better', as there isn't any evidence to back this up as far as I can see. Certainly with modern chips.

[KeyboardDemon]

It's simply the luck of the silicon. Some of the best overclocking chips have been historically towards the middle / end of that chips life-cycle. I've no idea why anyone would think early samples are 'better', as there isn't any evidence to back this up as far as I can see. Certainly with modern chips.

It's described by a few people as the silicon lottery.

[jim]

IIRC the Q6600 got so much better after the second stepping that people were paying more for later models (and retailers were advertising them as such).

I have B3 and G0 in my head but both are probably wrong.

[Jonj1611]

Yeah the G0 was the one I had, the one people really didn't mind paying a bit extra for.

[Domestic_Ginger]

Don't think you can OC on a b75 so not much point getting a k series chip. The i5 or xeons may be available for good prices especially second hand. Without knowing what games you will be playing or your screen size its debatable whether a GPU would be a better investment. Checking out benchmarks may be worthwhile.

If you haven't got an SSD; i would spend £50 on a 120gb drive.

[Xlucine]

IIRC the Q6600 got so much better after the second stepping that people were paying more for later models (and retailers were advertising them as such).

I have B3 and G0 in my head but both are probably wrong.

I recall D0 i7's on LGA 1366 being a big thing

[explorer]

Don't think you can OC on a b75 so not much point getting a k series chip. The i5 or xeons may be available for good prices especially second hand. Without knowing what games you will be playing or your screen size its debatable whether a GPU would be a better investment. Checking out benchmarks may be worthwhile.

If you haven't got an SSD; i would spend £50 on a 120gb drive.

That is why I am considering both options. But if the latter versions of the CPU just get better there would be no need to hurry with the decision.

I was considering an ssd purchase considering the falling prices but I remember back in time they were unreliable and that has put me off. I might reconsider though.

I was thinking of buying the new version of Starcraft if I get some free time this autumn.

[Agent]

Most people will tell you a SSD is absolutely worth it, and I agree. Certainly with a new, faster system.

If you want reliability, go with a Crucial / Samsung (take your pick, both are pretty similar in real world situations - check reviews for minor differences).

[explorer]

Most people will tell you a SSD is absolutely worth it, and I agree. Certainly with a new, faster system.

If you want reliability, go with a Crucial / Samsung (take your pick, both are pretty similar in real world situations - check reviews for minor differences).

I am considering this option especially with the current prices for Crucial MX100. And since I may not go for a mobo and CPU at the moment this conclude the upgrade for now. Anyway I am still a bit concerned about the reliability of these drives. Have they improved the reliability or not yet?

Also there is currently a Toshiba SSD 512GB deal going for 136sh but I am not aware of how do they do vs. Crucial and Samsung.