Thinking of Upgrading and Need some Advice

[Spasticatedtoad]

Hi All.

I'm wondering if I may be able to get a little advice from some more knowledgable members on the forum, about upgrading my PC.

 

MY CURRENT SPECS ARE IN MY SIG.

 

I am looking to upgrade the Processor, Motherboard and Power Supply. Because of such a major change to my system, I already think I may have some registration issues with my DCS products. But with any option I pick, I think it will be the same thing.

 

The Power Supply is an easy fix, it's a 1200w Gold Seasonic Modular. Pretty standard there.

 

Where I am having trouble is picking a Processor and Motherboard.

 

I am looking at 2 processors :-

AMD 8 Core FX Series 8320 Black Edition 3.5Gig

( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285 )

 

AMD 8 Core FX Series 9370 Black Edition 4.4Gig

( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113346 )

 

PLEASE NOTE:- Links are for reference only. I'm not looking to buy it from there. Same with the links provided for the motherboards below.

 

The questions I have on these are not technical, more user related.

 

1. Does anybody here on the forums, have any experience with either of these Processors and using DCS?

If so, do you like it?

And do you make any DCS videos?

 

2. Is water cooling necessary with either of these processors? ( by necessary, I mean essential, not just recommended, but HAS to have it. )

If yes, then I need to research some more. :(

 

I have a very bad relationship with electricity/electrical appliances, and do not like the idea of adding liquid to the mix. :)

 

The motherboards I am looking at :-

 

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 (rev. 3.0)

( http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4455#ov )

 

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 (rev. 1.x)

( http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3891#ov )

 

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 (rev. 3.0)

( http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4658#ov )

 

1. Does anybody have any experience with any of these Motherboards?

 

2. And if possible ( in a brief explanation ) what's the deal with the -UD* part of the product code. Anything to do with performance? Or just an I.D code?

Being naive, I would assume a bigger UD number, would indicate a higher potential in performance or function. ( That'll probably make a few people laugh )

 

I know very little about Motherboards ( just general knowledge, no technical knowledge ) and would just like to know wether any of them is a decent board, or if there is a better alternative out there.

The one I have at this point in time is fine, nothing wrong with it ( other than being only SATA II and I need SATA III ). I would prefer to leave it as-is, but that severely limits the type of processor I could upgrade to. And it's really my processor that is having a problem.

 

 

The reason I ask all this is the usual reason....cost. It's going to cost me about $1100 to upgrade my PC. I don't want to buy a lemon, but I also don't want to go cheap. I have found in the past, if you go cheap, you'll be going cheap about every 6-12 months.

Go expensive and you'll get longer out of it and it will be more reliable.

I have also found that if it hurts to hand over the money, then it would want to be good. On my income, it doesn't take much before it starts to hurt.

 

So before I go and blow a heap of cash, I would like to know if there are some 'More informed' members on here who wouldn't mind offering a little advice, to help me get a little more bang for my buck. If I need to spend more.......I will, but won't be happy about it for a while after. But if the performance is much different to what I have now, then that will help to numb the pain a bit. :D

 

Any advice you all could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

 

P.S. I realize that Intel Processors are the preferred processor for just about everything as AMD suffer a bit. But I have been in the AMD groove for about 8 years and would need some convincing to switch to Intel and Nvidia. I have nothing against them other than I have no idea how to troubleshoot and manage an Intel and Nvidia, so if I went that direction, everything I have managed to cram in my grey matter about AMD's would be useless.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Spasticatedtoad

[cichlidfan]

I won't try to comment on the AMD stuff, since I don't use it. Regarding the registration issue's, as soon as you change the CPU (even if you changed nothing else) you will need a new activation. For that reason, alone, deactivate before taking the machine apart.

[Spasticatedtoad]

Cool. Excellent. Thats one good thing to hear so far. Thankyou. I was thinking I may have to email tech support and all that stuff, before being able to register again.

I keep forgetting about the Activations and Deactivations because once its installed, DCS isn't going anywhere. Last time I activated it was about 2-3 years ago, and I don't think the activation system was in place the time I upgraded before. DCS World didn't exist yet :(

 

But I'm glad to hear it should go smoothly on that part. :D

[aeliusg]

Good advice from cichlidfan.

 

For processors there's no real difference between AMD and Intel as far as maintaining things goes. Install your drivers in the usual order and you never have to worry about it again. On the GPU side, Nvidia has Geforce Experience which makes updating drivers a one-click affair, no restart needed.

 

For the price you may as well go Intel. AMD processors are, simply put, inferior. They might be a little cheaper but given your budget and what you've said about the value you expect from your hardware, I would spend the 50 USD over an FX-8350 to get an i5 4690K. The AMD does have 8 cores vs the Intel's 4, but like clock speed these things are not directly comparable anymore. In any situation that is actually limited by CPU performance an AMD processor is going to let you down big time (as much as 50% less performance). Some things like video encoding might give AMD's core count a tiny edge, but even then they barely make up for the low performance per core you get out of them, compared to an i5. There is no comparison with an i7, except you do get 8 cores for 150 USD as opposed to 300.

 

To be honest processor performance has been stagnant for the past couple of years, but where Intel gives you performance from 2 years ago, AMD gives you performance from 4 years ago.

 

You can get a good 10% OC out of an i5 easy, and on the stock cooler with good temps. AMD processors OC, but they're hot and what's the point in a high 25% OC if it's not going to make up for being 50% behind anyway.

 

Nowadays any motherboard is about as good any other. SATAIII is a given and USB 3.0 is standard. The more expensive ones typically give you more PCIE slots. Read the reviews for the individual board to make sure there aren't any standout quality issues, but reliability isn't going to be all that different between manufacturers.

[Spasticatedtoad]

Good advice from cichlidfan.

 

For processors there's no real difference between AMD and Intel as far as maintaining things goes. Install your drivers in the usual order and you never have to worry about it again. On the GPU side, Nvidia has Geforce Experience which makes updating drivers a one-click affair, no restart needed.

 

For the price you may as well go Intel. AMD processors are, simply put, inferior. They might be a little cheaper but given your budget and what you've said about the value you expect from your hardware, I would spend the 50 USD over an FX-8350 to get an i5 4690K. The AMD does have 8 cores vs the Intel's 4, but like clock speed these things are not directly comparable anymore. In any situation that is actually limited by CPU performance an AMD processor is going to let you down big time (as much as 50% less performance). Some things like video encoding might give AMD's core count a tiny edge, but even then they barely make up for the low performance per core you get out of them, compared to an i5. There is no comparison with an i7, except you do get 8 cores for 150 USD as opposed to 300.

 

To be honest processor performance has been stagnant for the past couple of years, but where Intel gives you performance from 2 years ago, AMD gives you performance from 4 years ago.

 

You can get a good 10% OC out of an i5 easy, and on the stock cooler with good temps. AMD processors OC, but they're hot and what's the point in a high 25% OC if it's not going to make up for being 50% behind anyway.

 

Nowadays any motherboard is about as good any other. SATAIII is a given and USB 3.0 is standard. The more expensive ones typically give you more PCIE slots. Read the reviews for the individual board to make sure there aren't any standout quality issues, but reliability isn't going to be all that different between manufacturers.

 

Thankyou very much. I have researched quite a lot about PC Hardware ( I barely stop and I still know nothing ), but my biggest problem is that have been intel/nvidia before and it was an extremely expensive lesson. The Graphics card was 2nd highest of its time ( admittedly, many moons ago ) and it cost me $937.....just for the card. The whole PC cost me just under $4000. It took me nearly 3 years to save for it and the card burnt out within 6 months. It was replaced with an AMD Card at $185 and it lasted the next 3 years.

 

That hurt a whole lot. :O

 

Ever since then, I have been hesitant to go intel/nvidia again as I have had 2 PC's since that time and they cost me One Third the price....but never quite ever hit the mark.

 

Having high performance for Rendering Large HD video files was really important to me, especially for making DCS video's. But I'm not sure about the price of the upgrade v's interest in my videos.

 

I'm not much of a gamer, but make a lot of videos and work constantly on improving quality and substance. DCS is really the only program I see pushing my system at all because the few games I do have, don't really push it much at all.

 

It's mostly just video rendering time that is my problem. For example, Taking a Sabre to the Enemy, took around 50-60 hours to produce.My other video P-51D Mustang Kickin Covoys. took in excess of 100 hours. If I was able to put some more action in my videos, they may get watched a little more. Better camera views, things like that.

 

But at this point, the few views I use, push my system and hitch and glitch it right up. I'm not game to create and custom views because FPS goes south real quick. ( my processor is the bottleneck ).

And if I reduce graphic settings to improve performance, I have to turn it all the way down to ugly, just to get stable FPS.

 

Most of my consideration, is not so much the gaming side of things, but more the rendering side of things. I am also looking to learn 3D modelling with 3DSMAX. So I am sort of wanting the best of both worlds, without buying the Best in the world.

 

Probably an impossible choice :)

 

Thanks for all your advice so far. you are helping me a lot. :)

[aeliusg]

I would go with the i5 then. You'll get way more FPS than the FX-8350 with DCS in its current state and only be slightly behind the FX-8350 in rendering. It'll still be much faster than your current processor. Nice videos, too.

[tintifaxl]

For video production and DCS I would go with an i7. DCS profits from the higher computing power per core on the i7 compared to the AMD and hyperthreading gives a performance boost over the i5 in video production.

 

Atm DCS works better on Nvidia cards, which might change when EDGE is released.

[Spasticatedtoad]

I would go with the i5 then. You'll get way more FPS than the FX-8350 with DCS in its current state and only be slightly behind the FX-8350 in rendering. It'll still be much faster than your current processor. Nice videos, too.

 

Thankyou very much for both the information and compliment. I wasn't fishing for compliments, but its nice to see someone other than my girlfriend likes my videos. I don't even like my videos by the time I have finished making them. I really only post about 5-10% of the videos I make. I think my videos can be a bit pale and limp in comparison to the True DCS experience. But it doesn't stop me trying :)

The first video I ever made on a PC was with Lock On. I never had internet, but that wouldn't matter much as there was no youtube. :D

 

MAN! I feel old all of a sudden :(

 

Its pretty hard to ignore benchmark results when comparing AMD to Intel. If the price to go Intel, would work out to be similar to going the AMD route I have in mind, I would dive for an Intel and bite anyone who tried to take it off me.

 

I just have to balance the costs of the parts I need, so they all fit within a budget I can handle.

By getting some Varied results here, so far, I have been able to narrow down some options which has helped a lot.

 

It doesn't help that Intel has about 20 i5 processors to choose from. And even more i7's :(

 

 

For video production and DCS I would go with an i7. DCS profits from the higher computing power per core on the i7 compared to the AMD and hyperthreading gives a performance boost over the i5 in video production.

 

Atm DCS works better on Nvidia cards, which might change when EDGE is released.

 

I have a hard choice. If I can only afford to add a little more Eye-Candy to my videos, then I would definately go for an AMD to get the better render speeds so those flat looking videos can be made a lot quicker. But if my budget stretches far enough, that I could add a decent amount of Eye-Candy to my videos, then I would be happy to wait all day for that render to come out. And I am not talking about wanting to run it at MAX settings.

Set at MAX, I would drool too much to get anything done.

 

I noticed you recommend the i7, but run on an i5 yourself. Just wondering if the i5 is letting you down in some way. And if there was a particular i7 Processor you have in mind as an example of what you think may be suitable for making videos in DCS.

I have looked up the i7's and i5's, as they seem to be the most common for gaming use. But because there are so many different versions of them both, it makes it hard to narrow down your choice, without just blind buying one and hoping for the best.

I could just buy the most expensive one in the list to guarantee it, but then it could be massive overkill and I could have managed a decent upgrade for $500 less.

 

I have been trying to research benchmarks and reviews to gain some perspective, but I find that many of them are either bias ( because the company paid them to write a positive simple review for people who want to access their emails ), or its gaming websites where liquid cooling and Liquid Nitrogen seem to be the minimum requirements for any new computer.

 

 

 

I very much appreciate everyones advice so far I thank you for taking the time to answer my niave questions. Hopefully something stands out to me soon as a winner, and I can start making videos that I might even like :)

 

All feedback is welcome.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Spasticatedtoad

[Mustang]

I'll keep it short and simple, skip the AMD CPUs and go for an Intel i5 or i7 (Haswell or newer) you won't regret it.

[Spasticatedtoad]

I'll keep it short and simple, skip the AMD CPUs and go for an Intel i5 or i7 (Haswell or newer) you won't regret it.

 

Lol. No need to ask you what your experience is. Definately a lot more than mine. :)

And your advice is very much appreciated. An i5 or i7 would be my choice too as the chipset architecture is reportedly much better than previous versions.

If I can convince my budget 'It can be done ' then I think that would be my choice. I like the sound of 'can't go wrong '. :)

AMD has been great for me, but for as long as I have owned them, I have been on an eternal quest for a good video. And so far, haven't found it.

Maybe the switch is what I need.

 

Thanks for your time. :)

[SkateZilla]

Agreed, Though I test for AMD and pretty much use them exclusively in my home, I can't continue to push their products onto others,

 

AM3+ is a Dying platform, Hardly supported by Board Manufacturers, and the next platform is likely still 2 years away.

 

Performance of the 8 Core FX-CPUs in games is nothing to write home about, you can get better performance using an i5 (and even an i3 in some cases).

 

I'm content with my system, but it's Far from "Default",

I've customized several BIOS, Memory and CPU Settings to get as much performance as I possibly can out of the Memory and CPU for Video editing,

And even then, most of the video processing (effects) are offloaded to the GPUs, and H.264 Compression is done with a Hardware Compression Card.

 

While My CPU can run DCS Fine, in Gaming it's about on par with an i5 that's running 2-2.5 GHz Slower and Consuming Significantly Less Power.

To Get my FX-8350 to perform on the level it is, I've overclocked the cats out of it, and it burns through nearly 300w by itself at full load (an i5 uses less than 130w),

Only 3 mainboards can deal with that kind of load without blowing up the VRMs, and 2 of them are EOL/Discontinued SKUs.

Edited September 4, 2014 by SkateZilla

[outlawal2]

I'll keep it short and simple, skip the AMD CPUs and go for an Intel i5 or i7 (Haswell or newer) you won't regret it.

 

Absolutely... And the only thing I will add is that if you were ONLY going to game with it I would say I5, but since you primarily use your machine for video editing then an I7 is really the best option bar none..

 

(I am currently gaming with an AMD 8-core and I have been happy with it, but I also knew going in that the Intels trounce it any way you want to measure them... I bought this AMD because I truly got a killer deal on it..)

 

My next DCS build will definitely be an I7...

If you can afford it, go I7...

 

DAMMITT: SNIPED AGAIN :O)

[Spasticatedtoad]

@Skatezilla and outlawal2. Thankyou very much. That's some very helpful testimonials from you both. I too have been worried about the future of AMD and have always supported them, partly because of pricing, and partly because I never had any problems with AMD.....until my last system upgrade which didn't yield the expected results.

After much head scratching and dirt kicking, I started to find out why AMD and Intel are so different. I was quite disappointed I didn't switch then, but that upgrade cost about $1300 and I just had to wear it. :(

 

I swore next time my PC became too old, I would look at switching. My PC is mostly still good, but just not going to be able to keep up for long. My processor is on the way out, so it was either buy another processor for my motherboard ( of the same age ), and just give up on making videos. Or find another answer.

I really enjoy making videos and I would hate to give that up. But I can't keep making videos that make DCS look flat and really quiet for a combat simulator.

 

Ironically, I have 1 video posted on YouTube, that I think is the worst DCS video I have ever made. It's hitchy, glitchy , the wrong resolution and bit rate and frame size, but years later, still gets more views in 1 day, than many of my more recent videos do in an entire week or lifetime.

Made with a garbage computer and all. If I remember rightly, it was a Dual Core Celeron.

 

I have been trying for a long time to undo that injustice I created with that video. :)

[outlawal2]

All I can add is that I too have tried both camps (Hell I still buy AMD if absolute performance isn't required.. I will probably continue to go with AMD for low to midrange builds simply because they are very cheap to build. Even the MOBOs tend to be cheaper...)

 

With that being said, if you are building a new machine with video as your primary function then I7 IS the only answer.. (Assuming you can afford one.)

 

There are very few things that I would consider a sure bet in today's day and age, but if you are working video and can afford I7 I will stick my neck out and state right now..

 

You will NOT regret that choice!

 

Compared to what you are running now, you will have a smile from ear to ear when you start encoding with an I7...

[Spasticatedtoad]

To start with, I would like to thank you all for your input. This time yesterday I was in full panic mode when I found that my processor is in the....er...process of failing.

I was hoping to be able to wait until EDGE is released before deciding to upgrade, so I could judge what sort of performance is needed v's how much I can afford.

 

After having to go to bed and sleep on it, I woke up fresh today and hit the net hard.

I soon found that what I can afford, really doesn't have much to do with it. No matter what I do, it's gonna hurt. So I may as well go for broke and get something that will impress me, rather than just buying the minimum requirement for my needs.

 

I think that that may be the key to why I could never get the Eye-Candy into my videos. I was buying the bare minimum and hoping for performance that just wasn't gonna be there.

 

After a fair bit of research and watching many video's, I have come up with a system upgrade that I think may meet my needs ( maybe even exceed them a little ).

 

( Again, links are provided for reference only. )

 

Intel Core i7 5820K 3300Mhz

( http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i7/Intel-Core%20i7-5820K.html )

 

Intel Motherboard DZ87KLT-75K Extreme ATX

( https://dstore.com.au/buy/intel-desktop-board-dz87klt-75k-extreme-atx-ddr3-1600-lga-1150-motherboard-boxdz87klt75k-16145364?utm_source=myshopping_AU&utm_medium=cpc )

 

Seasonic X-1250 80Plus Gold 1250W

( http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_972&products_id=18807 )

 

Corsair Hydro Series H110 280mm CPU Cooler

( http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_45&products_id=22790&zenid=5cfbe30b17235973913829600c8f207e )

 

So that would change my system quite significantly and I would be interested to see what you all think of the set up I have listed. Below would be my future System Stats if I go through with the above upgrade.

Can anyone spot anything askew?

Or just plain wrong?

Can anyone guesstimate if this set up would be a good match for what I require?

 

FUTURE SYSTEM SPECS

 

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Intel i7 5820K

12.00 GB 1600mhz 12800 Ripjaw ( most likely will reduce to 6 Gig due to less memory slots )

Intel Motherboard DZ87KLT-75K Extreme ATX

SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series 256Gig SSD

Western Digital 2TB HDD

AMD Radeon HD 7950 3Gig

Thrustmaster Warthog

Saitek Combat Pro Pedals

AOC V27m 27 inch LED Monitor.

Logitech G-15 V1 Keyboard

Razor Naga Mouse

Storm Scout PC Tower

TrackIr 5 + Trackclip Pro

Seasonic X-1250 80Plus Gold 1250W

Corsair Hydro Series H110 280mm CPU Cooler

 

I don't expect answers I could set in stone and hold you accountable for. I'm just trying to gauge by reaction, wether I have made some good choices, or if I need to be looking into this a lot further because I am misunderstanding how it all works.

 

When buying a new PC, I usually like to do what I call 'Futureproof' my PC. I usually try to get higher end parts with the latest technology so that it remains current technology, for as long as possible. But with my limited understanding, it's hard to pick

I feel that if the above combination is a winner, it would probably be my best candidate and will go ahead and shred my wallet. :)

 

All input is welcome, even if you have bad news. I appreciate all the advice offered so far, and hope that I, in turn, will be able to help you all out sometime.

Thanks for your time. I know I type a lot but I really try not to. :)

[Bewsher]

Youll need a LGA 2011-3 Board and quad channel ddr4 ram. That board wont work with that cpu. Also with quad channel youll end up with 16gigs. Oh and upgrade the os to windows 8.1 as it will recognise the usb3 ports by default.

Edited September 5, 2014 by Bewsher

[Flanker52]

Spasticatedtoad,

 

I'm in the same boat. Looking to buy a new CPU and Motherboard.

 

It would be great if you can post what you end up buying and what kind of FPS and performance you see on DCS.

 

Thanks!

[Spasticatedtoad]

Youll need a LGA 2011-3 Board and quad channel ddr4 ram. That board wont work with that cpu. Also with quad channel youll end up with 16gigs. Oh and upgrade the os to windows 8.1 as it will recognise the usb3 ports by default.

 

Dang! I really hoped to avoid something like that. I have $1100. The upgrade I was looking at pushed my budget to $1700. I really didnt want to replace my windows or ram. Even though they are not a major part of the expense, it's all the little dribs and drabs at the end that I didn't think of and they will end up pushing my budget over $2000.

 

On the side, I am looking to get my commercial RC Quad Heli clearance so I can work as an Ariel Photographer. I don't even have the Quad yet.

 

As I am on a low income, I sort of have to decide between one or the other. PC or RC? Not an easy choice. RC can earn me money and I have a lot of experience in RC, but 1 thumb-slip and it could cost me just as much or waaaaay more.

 

The PC can't really earn me any money ( I'm not very experienced ), but after the initial expense, it's hardly likely to cost me anything for a couple of years. RC is almost a daily expense. :(

 

Thanks for your help. I really glad you spotted my mistake with the board. I may have to either switch to a CPU that will match that combo. Or find another board as you suggest above. I'll have a good look and see what I find.

 

Thanks for taking the time to look into that for me. I really appreciate that.

 

Spasticatedtoad,

I'm in the same boat. Looking to buy a new CPU and Motherboard.

It would be great if you can post what you end up buying and what kind of FPS and performance you see on DCS.

Thanks!

 

Sorry to hear you are in the same boat mate. If this thread can be of some help, then I am more than happy to post that information and answer whatever further questions you may have. As you can probably tell, I am no expert so I may need a hand finding where all the new stuff is ;)

 

But I would be happy to help in any way I can. Maybe, if you find yourself a little ahead of where I am ( you upgrade before me ) please let me know how you went, if you have the time.

 

I am hoping to get the Upgrade done within the next 2-4 weeks, but I have some surgery coming up that may throw a spanner in the works. If I end up having to have surgery in the next week or two, it may be several weeks before I am back on deck. I am not sure of my recovery time at this point.

 

Thanks for taking an interest in this thread though, and if it ends up helping you in your decision, then cool. Glad I could help. :)

[Gloom Demon]

Any upgrade before EDGE arrives and, most importantly, is bug tested, is a gamble. Nobody knows how EDGE will be able to utilize multiple cores, so who knows - maybe 8 core will be better than 6... or not. I would wait till EDGE and then make my decision.

 

Another thing to note - it is said that AMD video cards have poor performance in DirectX 9 applications - but EDGE will support DirectX 11, so it is possible, that after EDGE, DCSW will start running faster even on the old computer.

Edited September 5, 2014 by Gloom Demon

[Bewsher]

Just get that board. Grab a 4770k and 16gig of dual channel ram an keep windows 7. Also keep this in mind its first gen ddr4 so your performance wont be much noticable to mid end 47xx cpus unless your going to benchmark it. Also you can use your ram on the 1150 board as you would only use 2 sticks giving you 8gigs ram. So that would save you buying ram too.

Edited September 5, 2014 by Bewsher

[Gloom Demon]

Another thing - we don't even know if the software, which is used by the TS, even supports Hyperthreading - what's the point of i7 if it doesn't?

Edited January 12, 2015 by Gloom Demon

[Bewsher]

Just grab that board use 2 sticks of your gskill to get you 8gigs and maybe buy a 4770k or 4790. No thanks necessary. Just what i do as a hobby.

[Spasticatedtoad]

Any upgrade before EDGE arrives and, most importantly, is bug tested, is a gamble. Nobody knows

 

how EDGE will be able to utilize multiple cores, so who knows - maybe 8 core will be better than 6... or not. I would wait

 

till EDGE and then make my decision.

 

Another thing to note - it is said that AMD video cards have poor performance in DirectX 9 applications - but EDGE will

 

support DirectX 11, so it is possible, that after EDGE, DCSW will start running faster even on the old computer.

 

Both of the facts you presented above have been weighing very heavily on my mind. As I am not strictly building a DCS

 

Machine, EDGE is only part of my consideration. And as you pointed out, with its potential performance being somewhat

 

unknown, I can't make any decisions based soley on that. I'm more looking to improve my performance in mutiple area's and

 

find a system that can, on average , cope with what I would like to do with it. Also, I am looking for a platform, that

 

once EDGE comes out, it will be a good foundation for any adjustments that may need to be made to make it more compatable,

 

without a rebuild.

 

And seeing as there is no set release date for EDGE at this point in time, if I were to wait, I would have to switch my PC

 

off and not use it until EDGE is released. My Poor old CPU is really sufferring high temperatures ( we are in winter here

 

) and is beginning to show some early warning signs that all is not well. I am sort of damned if I do, and damned if I

 

don't.

 

If I upgrade before EDGE I will have some time to get used to a new system and its average performance. That way, once

 

Edge is introduced, I will have some hope of knowing what is happening in my system if it all goes pear shaped But that

 

same action could doom me bad performance because I didn't wait. ( no offense intended E.D.I have total faith in you even

 

when things are not so great ).

 

The time factor is the major problem I have right now, but I am not gonna rush into making any hasty decisions.

 

 

Just get that board. Grab a 4770k and 16gig of dual channel ram an keep windows 7. Also keep this

 

in mind its first gen ddr4 so your performance wont be much noticable to mid end 47xx cpus unless your going to benchmark

 

it. Also you can use your ram on the 1150 board as you would only use 2 sticks giving you 8gigs ram. So that would save

 

you buying ram too.

 

Thanks for that advice. I am getting a really good basis to work from with information like you supplied. When you are

 

faced with so many choice's, its not easy to pick. But when you see common advice, you start to see a much clearer

 

picture.

Thanks for you advice.

 

 

Another thing - we don't even know if the software, which is used by the TS, seven supports

 

Hyperthreading - what's the point of i7 if it doesn't?

 

I am mostly only considering and i7 for HD video render capabilites as was advised by another member. After doing a fair

 

amount of research today, I was starting to agree.

 

Do you have any suggestions of a CPU that would be a much better alternative ? An i5 maybe? I'm open to any advice you can

 

offer.

 

 

Just grab that board use 2 sticks of your gskill to get you 8gigs and maybe buy a 4770k or 4790. No

 

thanks necessary. Just what i do as a hobby.

 

I'll thank you anyway, because your advice and help really does mean a lot to me. It may be simple knowledge to you and

 

you may not think much of offering that advice.

 

But to someone who needs advice like that.....it is GOLD.

 

You've suggested alternatives, that I am not knowledgeable enough to figure out on my own. Thats why your advice is

 

appreciated very much.

[NeilWillis]

I'd fish around for a processor compatible with your current system, patch it up and keep it going. Don't splash out on a new system until you are certain your money will be well spent.

 

I'd hate to see you get a big expensive upgrade only to find that it isn't optimum for the way Edge operates.

 

Having said that, if DCS isn't your only criterion, then perhaps just upgrading to as much power as your budget will allow will be your sole aim.

 

As for the AMD - Intel argument, I must agree, I have had far better experiences with Intel than AMD. I'll stick with Intel from here on.

[tintifaxl]

I noticed you recommend the i7, but run on an i5 yourself. Just wondering if the i5 is letting you down in some way.

 

I simply don't use multithreaded applications (like video editing and rendering or phtoshop), so I don't care about hyperthreading. My i5 is from 2011 and sadly I don't see any reason to upgrade it (yet).