Computer investmant plan (long term)

DirectorGunner · Dec 6, 2017

There's too many variables and also not many specifics such as budget from your end to give you a good answer imo.
DDR5 is coming, however intel optane 3D xpoint NVM tech might become a market displacer if it hits ram speed as expected.
So we may see DDR5 as the very last iteration of standard ram memory modules if that happens with 3D xpoint technology.
Which would be great so long as mobile devices stick to using DDR4 for a while. The mobile BS demand is the main reason DDR4 has more than doubled in price.

For GPU... Volta, especially TI versions, isn't likely to happen till toward of end of next year or the year after. Based on previous release history... but never know there.

A lot is going to change soon (2 to 4 years) with PC computing I think.
So imo, an 8700k with a 1080ti hybrid and 32GBs of DDR4 and a SSD or Optane drive is going to stay a great gaming machine for at least a year from now.

I'm using a 7700K (I upgraded from 6700K) on a gigabyte Z170x gaming G1 mobo with 64 GB DDR4 (I bought before the price hikes) and two 1080ti EVGA hybrid FTW3.
Paul's Hardware was doing a livestream and I a super chat donation to ask when I should upgrade my mobo and CPU since this is the last CPU I can use with this mobo... and I let them know I do blender and gaming. They said I'd be easily good for another year (from now).

intel and AMD are coming to market with higher core count faster clock CPUs.
However, benchmarks need to happen and consumer testing to be sure what's the best buy for gaming once those new CPUs hit market.
Don't rely on leaked benchmarks to plan for purchases is what I'm trying to say, and wait for real data and non-synthetic benchmarks.

It's been absolutely nuts the amount of new tech releases we've had recently. It used to be you could dump $4K into a high end rig and be good for 2 to 4 years.. and nothing too exciting would release to warrant a new build. Threadripper I think changed all that. And well.. I think 2018 - 2019 is going to be nuts for having plenty of reasons to build a new rig... except for the fing highway robbery for ram prices.

Just my speculative 2 cents.

DirectorGunner · Dec 6, 2017

Michael said:
So i would limit my budget to 1300€ for the next year in total...
....I'm not sure if and how much CPU SC will need.

BTW thx for this guide https://robertsspaceindustries.com/spectrum/community/SC/forum/50172/thread/how-to-start-modding-existing-star-citizen-assets (CGF is currently running)

NP about the guide! the PTU build can take a LONG while to convert. I ran mine overnight.

SC will benefit from more cores, but also fast clocks.
And a beefy GPU.

For 1300€ you're right on the line of settling for okay gear.. when if you save up another 400€ to 800€
you can get great gear.
Remember, RAM prices are ridiculous right now so will eat up your budget, and since you have DDR3 now you likely won't be reusing your ram.
If you really want to maximize your money and current gear...
(You punched a I5-4690k from 3.5 to 4.5.. nice)
You could try to find a used i7-4790K and a used 980ti or a used 1070, for maybe around 400€.
And maybe find a used DDR3 32GB ram kit.
That would hold you over at 1440p or 2K gaming in ultra settings for a while.
Not so much for 4K.

I had two 980ti's in SLI... and it wouldn't get great frames in 4K in SC 2.6.3 or in other heavy graphics games. Games like R6S and other FPS optimized games did well though for close to or at 60FPS (being my 4K monitor can only do up to 60fps).

4K, at 60fps, needs a lot for games in ultra settings.
I wouldn't expect to build a great rig for 4K gaming for less than $2K tbh.
Linus tech tips did some recommendations for a $2K build

And here's another suggestion for a $2K build
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RHgLhq

But doing 4K gaming, for less than $2K.. you'll be hard pressed for new parts unless you get extremely lucky for lightly used parts.

just more of my 2 cents.

Whi7key · Dec 6, 2017

Anyone know if the msi Titan is worth having?

Sirus7264 · Dec 6, 2017

DirectorGunner said:
NP about the guide! the PTU build can take a LONG while to convert. I ran mine overnight.

SC will benefit from more cores, but also fast clocks.
And a beefy GPU.

For 1300€ you're right on the line of settling for okay gear.. when if you save up another 400€ to 800€
you can get great gear.
Remember, RAM prices are ridiculous right now so will eat up your budget, and since you have DDR3 now you likely won't be reusing your ram.
If you really want to maximize your money and current gear...
(You punched a I5-4690k from 3.5 to 4.5.. nice)
You could try to find a used i7-4790K and a used 980ti or a used 1070, for maybe around 400€.
And maybe find a used DDR3 32GB ram kit.
That would hold you over at 1440p or 2K gaming in ultra settings for a while.
Not so much for 4K.

I had two 980ti's in SLI... and it wouldn't get great frames in 4K in SC 2.6.3 or in other heavy graphics games. Games like R6S and other FPS optimized games did well though for close to or at 60FPS (being my 4K monitor can only do up to 60fps).

4K, at 60fps, needs a lot for games in ultra settings.
I wouldn't expect to build a great rig for 4K gaming for less than $2K tbh.
Linus tech tips did some recommendations for a $2K build

And here's another suggestion for a $2K build
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RHgLhq

But doing 4K gaming, for less than $2K.. you'll be hard pressed for new parts unless you get extremely lucky for lightly used parts.

just more of my 2 cents.

im with gunner on this one to run 4k you will need a strong machine

Whi7key · Dec 6, 2017

This what I’m using at the moment

Printimus · Dec 6, 2017

I would save your money and get a new mobo/cpu combo when you upgrade your GPU.

DirectorGunner · Dec 6, 2017

Whi7key said:
Anyone know if the msi Titan is worth having?

Titans are not worth it for gaming imo. They have more vram which is useful for machine learning.
You'd get better performance out of two 1080ti's in SLI with a high bandwidth bridge AFAIK, and not to mention you'd still save some money too.

Michael said:
Thats why i'm hoping for next year. A normal strong Volta (1180?) will be good hopefully. Also i realized that turning off Anti Aliasing helps a lot and imho you might not notice any big difference on a normal sized 4k screen (27" here)

i7700k looks appealing to me

The only issue there is by the time we see Volta... your 7700k is no longer the best bang for buck based on newer CPUs getting more cores at the same or faster clocks. The rumors about i9-9700k are pretty nuts. 8 unlocked cores with hyper threading at 4.7Ghz without OC.

Waiting sucks... and it's not an ideal time to build a new rig... but... if you must have 4K.. you'll need ~$2k worth of hardware either way.

maynard · Dec 6, 2017

nothing that's sure to depreciate qualifies as an investment

you're not buying Steve Wozniak's Apple One prototype here

BUTUZ · Dec 6, 2017

The words "computer investment plan" don't go together at all.

You'd be better off coming up with a "computer haemorrhage plan" in my long long experience.

Bambooza · Dec 6, 2017

Michael said:
My parents have been on holiday and all they have got for me was this stupid thread title

I realized i’m a litte bit not up to date with current computer tech development and this question is explicitly targeted at playing Star Citizen

too or do you think it should handle well for SC?
Have you realized any performance increase using SSDs? (vs HDD, lets forget about loading times etc)

The best plan for SC is to put into a savings account to be used for when SC is in beta or close to release. Any purchase of computer upgrades or a new system for the alpha build will not return any worth while results. Now if there are other games you are wanting to play or are playing then build a system to its requirements. Trying to build a system to max frame rates and graphics for SC at the moment typically leads to frustrations as no matter what the speed of your system it has little impact on load times, frame rates and overall experience.

DirectorGunner · Dec 6, 2017

Well if you're mining... computer + investment do go together :P

btw, if you count "return" as enjoyment from entertainment value/utility... a computer then is still kind of an investment.

Lorddarthvik · Dec 6, 2017

Another video fresh from LTT, not sure if relevant as I haven't watched it yet but the title says something along the lines of your original question.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUtH6Z8l8w4

Takeiteasy · Dec 6, 2017

I have a GTX 1080 already and a 1080p monitor so I'm putting off 4k as long as possible.

It's like £300 for a decent monitor and other upgrades to avoid bottlenecking but I'd like to think my GTX 1080 would handle 4k but it would be a push running SC on max. I'll wait.

DirectorGunner · Dec 7, 2017

Michael said:
whoops? (wanted to check if the new bitcoin price is making mining profitable again here in germany)
https://www.nicehash.com/profitability-calculator
View attachment 8425

Yea.... I lost my nicehash wallet balance just like everyone else
https://testsquadron.com/threads/nicehash-hacked-possibly-62-6-million-in-bitcoin-stolen.12308/

Computer investmant plan (long term)

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