Best time in 2014 to buy a new rig

[hlx]

hi all,

here is the issue I'm having right now:

My current PC is now 4yo with an upgraded GFX - I want to get a new one this year. Generally want to get it before next warcraft expansion hits.
What I am aiming for is a machine to handle AAA games for the upcoming years with an option to modify parts of it.

With that in mind I worry about getting new PC and locking myself out of future upgrades. With the DDR4 and I think new CPU coming our way I wouldn't want buy a mobo when a completely new one comes out next month.

So the big question is should I just go and buy now or wait for something in particular to come out in the near future (ddr4 compatible mobo would be one thing) What do you guys think?

[n0cturnal]

End of the year you will have the new generation of GPUs as well as Broadwell on the market.

[Deleted]

End of the year you will have the new generation of GPUs as well as Broadwell on the market.

Yeah maxwell GF 800 series is behind the corner, however broadwell won't be here until 2015. Anyway I'm also replacing my gaming laptop this year (Q2 or Q3 of 2014) because my Dell is almost 6 years OLD ! !! !1111

[n0cturnal]

Yeah maxwell GF 800 series is behind the corner, however broadwell won't be here until 2015. Anyway I'm also replacing my gaming laptop this year (Q2 or Q3 of 2014) because my Dell is almost 6 years OLD ! !! !1111

Oh yeah I forgot that it just got delayed, only laptop Broadwell will get released this year with desktop models in Q1 2015.

[hlx]

while there is always something right behind the corner I would be more worried about locking myself out of future upgrades.
for example I wont be buying gtx790 for 1k. Im leaning towards 770 right now, but in a bit I can switch the GPU. However buying a MoBo now will lock me out of ddr4 in the future - question is: is it worth the wait for it?

[n0cturnal]

while there is always something right behind the corner I would be more worried about locking myself out of future upgrades.
for example I wont be buying gtx790 for 1k. Im leaning towards 770 right now, but in a bit I can switch the GPU. However buying a MoBo now will lock me out of ddr4 in the future - question is: is it worth the wait for it?

RAM speed is such a small factor for Intel CPUs right now I wouldn't put too much value in that.

[Ripox]

while there is always something right behind the corner I would be more worried about locking myself out of future upgrades.
for example I wont be buying gtx790 for 1k. Im leaning towards 770 right now, but in a bit I can switch the GPU. However buying a MoBo now will lock me out of ddr4 in the future - question is: is it worth the wait for it?

DDR4 at the start won't be much better than high-performance DDR3 and will take 1-2 years before it matters

[hlx]

interesting, so in other words - buy now?

[Ripox]

Yeah RAM should be the least of your worries.

CPU won't be replaced for a while

Important Maxwell will take a while, I think, too

Just buy now and don't look back

[Vargur]

Wait for the GTX 790 if you have the money. The card itself is probably going to be over $1,000 of course. But should handle for the next 5-10 years on ultra ALL games.

Otherwise, I'd build now, as there's nothing else really worth waiting for.

What? A 6800 Ultra or FX5900 XT can't handle anything these days...
I'd wait a few months for the new Intel CPU's, yeah, and definitely Z97 mobo.

[hlx]

I'd wait a few months for the new Intel CPU's, yeah, and definitely Z97 mobo.

can you give me a ballpark when new CPUs and Z97 should be out? and what price range can we expect?
currently leaning towards Intel Core i7 4771 3,50 GHz so not sure if the gain vs money spend will be worth the wait.

[neuk]

I'd buy now. Hardware worth waiting for is a long way off.

[chazus]

Haswell Refresh is ~6 months out. DDR4/Broadwell are some time next year for desktops.

DDR4 doesn't have any real benefits to wait for. It's just the new type being used.

Haswell Refresh... might be worth it? Either way, Z97 board is needed for it. Haswell Refresh cannot be used on Z87.

I'd just get a 4670K and 770. Skip the 4770, 4771, or any i7 unless you actually need it.

[n0cturnal]

Haswell Refresh is ~6 months out. DDR4/Broadwell are some time next year for desktops.

DDR4 doesn't have any real benefits to wait for. It's just the new type being used.

Haswell Refresh... might be worth it? Either way, Z97 board is needed for it. Haswell Refresh cannot be used on Z87.

I'd just get a 4670K and 770. Skip the 4770, 4771, or any i7 unless you actually need it.

Haswell refresh works fine on z87, all you need is a BIOS update. Source
Haswell refresh got moved up and are likely to be released during April.
DDR4 will be supported by Haswell-E and x99 chipset which is slated for a Q3 release this year still.

[Vargur]

can you give me a ballpark when new CPUs and Z97 should be out? and what price range can we expect?
currently leaning towards Intel Core i7 4771 3,50 GHz so not sure if the gain vs money spend will be worth the wait.

http://www.kitguru.net/components/mo...pset-revealed/

And i7 4790K.

I'd buy now. Hardware worth waiting for is a long way off.

I actually agree, but there's always a carrot on a stick. On the other hand, there's no point in buying half way through a products life cycle, instead of waiting a bit more and buying a new line when it launches.

[chazus]

Ehh... Haswell being supported on specific boards per manufacturer isn't exactly.. 'supported'. And almost nobody will buy Haswell-E/x99.. Just like not many buy the current ones.. So DDR4 is still some time next year for...pretty much everyone.

[n0cturnal]

It is supported on all boards, but so far only ASUS and MSI has gone out with the info. http://www.techpowerup.com/197954/ms...rocessors.html

[hlx]

wow thanks for all the help - I'll probably will get around creating a proper help-with-build thread tomorrow but for now can I get a primer on choosing ram? do I want to get above 1600MHz? or getting CL9 is more important? going for 16GB (if that changes anything)

[chazus]

It really doesn't matter. 1866 is apparently slightly better? But it's all unnoticeable in the end. I would just get whatever is cheapest.

- - - Updated - - -

It is supported on all boards, but so far only ASUS and MSI has gone out with the info. http://www.techpowerup.com/197954/ms...rocessors.html

I actually just now read the article.. and the comments are kind of right. The article gives absolutely no info as to what exactly they're talking about. Obviously it means Haswell Refresh but.. utter lack of info is eh.

Personally, I'm the kind of person to believe.. Until its out on the shelf, it's just PR.