Yes, MSAA can be a ressource hog but not that much, at least for me with a GTX 970. Honestly, the difference between 8x and 16x is minus in term of performance, but look way better with 16x...also it depend on the width screen, 16x don't look the same on a 24'', 27'', or a 32'' at 1080p. I have two screen at home, a 1080p 32'', and a 4k 40''. 4k/40'' is stunning, 1080p/32'': i would say MSAA 16x is not sufficient, it feel choppy, but that's my opinion. For Skulleader, you can overclock this I7, it's a very capable processor and you will notice the difference immediatly.