Where to from z77? (upgrade advice)

[GrunkaLunka]

Im looking to upgrade my aging gaming rig (or rather replace) in the near future as the 780Ti just don't quite do it anymore.I have being going round in circles trying to figure out the best direction to head.
Initially I looked at the 7700k / z270 and thought: 'that's it' - it seems to dominate the gaming side of things and is about the upper limit I'd like to spend on a CPU. But I'm not so sure of the future usefulness of the z270 platform which won't support any new gen cpus afaik. im sure the 7700k will stay strong for a while but obviously the newer platforms like b350/AM4 might be a better option. And maybe higher core counts will start to become a big plus with games in next the year or so. It would be a shame to go 7700k only to see the 6C and 8C accelerate ahead with new titles. So I've started looking at ryzen 1600 and 1700 options but I'd be spending about the same amount of money as going for the 7700k for notably less gaming performance.
What are peoples thoughts? what direction would you take and why?

This purely for gaming at 1080p 144hz right now. 4K hasn't really caught my eye but would like to go 1440p 144hz ultrawide in the near future. perhaps that will be on the christmas list this year if I can find a buyer for my left kidney.

I will be getting a 1080 or 1080Ti and putting a waterblock on it. This will consume a large amount of my budget. but obviously if im considering a 1080Ti at all then there is a decent budget. Id just rather spend as little as possible in total I'd be open to opinions on other graphics cards but everytime I look at something lower like a 1060 I think 'a bit more for a 1070' then 'a bit more for a 1080' then 'if im getting a 1080 might as well get a 1080ti'. so $600 quickly turns back into $1000. maybe a second hand 980Ti but people are still wanting AU$500+ for those

As a side question - will my current rig be able to make use of a 1080Ti well enough that I could probably hold off a platform upgrade for perhaps another 12 months? Or is that just pointless without a platform upgrade? the 3770k does alright with a modest overclock but certainly not as good as what I'm seeing on 7700k benchmarks (comparing to 3770k with 1080Ti). And I do wonder if ddr3-1600 is just too slow nowadays, but at the same time would rather not spend money on faster ddr3 that I can't carry over to a new platform. thoughts?

Current system:
z77
i7 3770k Watercooled
2x 780Ti Watercooled
16GB ddr3-1600
Corsair AX860

Thanks for reading!

 

[MaikuTech]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/65n4lh/would_an_i73770_bottleneck_a_1080ti/
No it shouldn't bottleneck with your 3770k, no disrespect but are you that hell bent on getting 1080 gtx ?
Hold off on getting a new gpu and start looking more into a newer cpu/mobo/ram build.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N11KVI8/?tag=httpwwwtechsp-20
See that if you have amazon prime you could get that for under 550 bucks.
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-7600K-vs-AMD-Ryzen-7-1700/3885vs3917
Look at the specs closely you are right amd raisen chips do lack a little bit in gaming.
I would recommend going for 7600k it costs less than both chips but you are still getting your moneys worth for the next 5 years.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRRPPQS/?tag=httpwwwtechsp-20
Go with gigabyte mobo the z170 chipset depending on which mobo you get from gigabyte.
They are really good at overclocking and reliable if it breaks the technical support team is pretty solid about fixing it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XKVM9JL/?tag=httpwwwtechsp-20

So there you have it I suggest you sell off your parts first on ebay or your local newspaper.
Use that money from the sales you get and aim for the mobo and cpu.

 

[Jollyriffic]

An i7-3770k with 4.8ghz overclock is pretty much a i7-7700k at least from my benches with things like 3dmark.
When reviewers say that intel wasn't really giving us anything new, they weren't lying.
had my i7 not got water damage and fried, I wouldn't even had been looking into a new rig. all I wanted was a new gpu as I was still on a gigabyte wf3 7950.
One of the worst things in your system is the ram. 1600 is pretty slow, I was running g.skill 2133 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231661
BUT, I wouldn't invest into new ram with that old of a build.

If gaming is all you're doing, and you're still on 1920x1080 I wouldn't bother with much of any upgrades to the system.
First thing I would do is upgrade the monitor. You'll see less fps, but I wouldn't think it would be too drastic. my guess is you'll be sitting around 80fps with high/ultra for most games.
if thats not enough, then sure, jump to a 1080 or 1080ti

Now if you plan on streaming these games, an upgrade is worth it. More cores = slower preset.
for gaming and streaming there's not going to be much that will beat the ryzen or even threadripper.
I'm personally shooting for the threadripper 1950x, I actually have $1,390 saved, that's enough for the motherboard and cpu. Still need the cash for a gpu. but I've marked the vast majority of my items on ebay down to 5.99 and 9.99. With something like 110 items to sell, I should be able to snag a gpu pretty easy.
After that, I want to finally get on a full custom water loop, so down the road as more stuff sells, I'll be doing that upgrade.
Thankfully crucial sent me out 16gb of ddr4 for the build, that came today.
I run a decent sized group for streamers on facebook along with website, so that's why they chipped in, but finding others to throw in gear for doing videos like hardware unboxed, jayz2cent, linus, and gamers nexus, but targeted at streamers/gamers only has been sort of a challenge.

Back to the topic, so really what we need to know is what other than gaming do you do, or do you want to do?
You do any content creation? any 3d rendering? video/photo, batch file editing, game creation, or other cpu intensive stuff?
when asking for future proofing yourself, it's good to think about what you do other than just gaming

 

[GrunkaLunka]

I wouldnt say im 'hell bent' on getting 1080 buuut in saying that I just pulled the trigger on a 1080ti and wb today... so maybe I was just hell bent on emptying my bank account. I really just wanted the best and something that will last a while. I'm not so sure the 1060/1070 range will last as I inevitably start gaming on higher res and hz monitors.

I can't get my 3770k any higher than 4.6 without issues (temperature not being an issue). but you have a good point. In many tests the 3770k holds up fine. And yeah, that ram is a bit of a turtle. It'll be interesting to see how the 1080ti goes when it arrives.

The main use is gaming and occasional (ie from holidays, trips etc just personal stuff) 1080p video editing.
I do get about 60-80fps with the 780Ti sli but unfortunately some games im playing perform worse with sli (such as fractured space) so I end up running single GPU mode most of the time.

I've come across a guy with an aorus z270x gaming 7 board with 7700k that he will sell to me for AU$520 plus about 15-20 shipping. So about $420 USD total. Not really sure if you can compare prices Australia to US but from what I've seen locally and compared to retail it's a pretty decent price. This exact bundle retails for AU$800 (in the one place I've seen it) and similar z270+7700k bundles for AU$650-700. So thats something to ponder. no future in z270, but great for right now. And I could probably get a couple hundred selling the z77 3770k combo.

You make a good point about the monitor so perhaps I will put the money there for now and look at a system upgrade a little further down the line as long as the 3770k and ddr3-1600 dont complain too much with the new card incoming.

Id love to follow suit with a 1950X build but at AU$1400 for just the CPU it's a little outside my capacity to save!!

Thanks for taking the time fellas

 

[erickmendes]

Nice options... Still with the 3770 or get the second hand z270 bundle... I personnally would go with the second hand z270 bundle... It's a incremental upgrade, you know what you are going to get, and would be a nice stopgap while we wait to see where AM4 and the new Intels head.
You would save some nice cash (as you already turned the money afterburn getting a 1080TI) and still get a new platform that would give you at least 2 more years.