It becomes outdated after approximately 2 years of regular use.
It becomes outdated after approximately 2 years of regular use.
It's unusual, isn't it? Typically a PC lasts a few years before major upgrades become necessary to keep it top-notch. I haven't changed my CPU since January 2014... It seems like it might fail soon, though that might not be accurate... I'm feeling the same way. I don't see a clear reason to update right now...
I don't upgrade just because it's necessary; you can explore my recent log here. I didn't really need to upgrade the i7 6700 + TITAN X Maxwell since it worked fine for my needs. However, I had the time and chance, so why not? I did it mainly for fun and to use the money I saved. That's part of being a hobbyist and excited about it. Some people invest in cars, bikes, guns, etc., but we focus on desktop computers instead.
The 7900X seems like an unnecessary expense for a gaming PC... Yet I understand from a hardware standpoint... I haven’t felt ready to invest that much in a CPU.
Threadripper and EPYC share similarities but have distinct tuning needs, especially for overclocking. AMD consistently offers ECC support on servers and many of their mainstream CPUs, though the Ryzen 8 series is more widely available. The 6-core Haswell platform stands out as a more advanced option, while pricing reflects its higher performance focus.
I have reservations about TR4 and Ryzen for gaming, particularly after my 4930k. I believe using SMP/HT might be better with an 8-core CPU or more, since my tests showed some games prefer a single high clock over HT. The issue arose when running two 1080 processors—performance would drop in certain titles without HT. My average and low FPS improved in some games, but others gave me a very choppy experience. It seems 4 cores work well for one GPU, but adding more cores from SLI or CrossfireX really helps.
Typically, games prioritize high CPU frequency over additional cores. For optimal gaming performance, a mainstream i7-8700K on the Z370 platform works best. With only two GPUs, 16 PCI-E 3.0 lanes are enough. The i7-8700K keeps your six-core, twelve-thread design, offering better IPC, stronger IMC, and higher achievable CPU speeds. Scaling up cores or threads usually leads to lower frequencies (e.g., on the X299 platform). The significant improvement in IPC between the 4th and 7th generation has been modest, likely due to AMD not challenging Intel until recently with Ryzen and Threadripper.
Ice lake offers 8c/16t options and performs well with a binned chip. Upgrading the 4930k seems sensible, especially since its age is a key concern. Personally, I prefer avoiding the risk of a build failing due to age before an upgrade. The 4930k will be around six years old when Ice Lake launches.