Not sure if upgrading to an i7-2600k is feasible.
Not sure if upgrading to an i7-2600k is feasible.
I purchased a rig from a friend for $300 a few months back. I upgraded to an RTX 2060 Super, which handles most games smoothly at ultra settings. I was wondering if upgrading to an i7-3770K or i7-4770K would be worthwhile. Right now, my 2600K is already overclocked by the Sabertooth Z77 BIOS, and I’m not sure what its actual speed is. Please let me know if I’ve mixed things up in my earlier post.
Seriously, consider waiting until you can afford a Ryzen. Even a 4770k would slow down a 2060 in many more CPU-heavy titles. The price tag for the 1151 motherboard wouldn’t be worth it.
It'll work fine with a 2060S and that CPU. The 4770k won't fit on that board. 3770k is the max you can get. I still use a 3930k with a 1080ti, and rarely run into bottlenecks. I plan to upgrade the 1080ti to one of this year's new GPUs while keeping the 3930k. The Sandybridge chipset is getting older compared to newer processors, but it's still solid for today's games.
Fair enough, but there's a decent chance he might want to play some game that'll bottleneck due to a 4770 in the future (many current to slightly-older AAA games would, assuming the performance target is 1080p 60fps at best possible settings). I'm sure you agree that going to haswell isn't worth the time or money, especially since legacy motherboards aren't cheap.
You're looking for affordable used Z87/Z97 boards under $50. The best you've found so far is a Z87P from Gigabyte, priced around $58 plus shipping. A 4770 board for about $100 seems reasonable, especially when compared to a Ryzen 3 3100 MSRP of $99. While it's not the absolute cheapest option, it's still a solid choice. You might also find a budget A320 board in stock for around £105, which is close to what you're considering. Plus, even though it's not perfect, a new A320 offers compatibility and future upgrades, along with modern features like M.2 NVMe support and faster USB speeds. Considering the need for a new DDR4 and the performance benefits of a Zen 3 over Haswell, it still seems like a better investment.
I located an ASUS Z97-A USB 3 for $50 CAD. I also acquired a fully prebuilt system with an I7 4770 non-K for $100 CAD, opting for the Z97 because the H110 in the prebuilt unit was poor. I've been using that setup for nearly two years. It was fortunate I bought it from someone selling their old PC cheaply. The motherboard I found on kijijji caught my eye; I was hoping to find something at a lower price until I saw this one. While it was a solid upgrade back then, with the recent Ryzen releases and upcoming updates, I think it's wise to hold off and consider waiting. Saving that money now could pay off later.