Honestly the only reason why im getting a new pc once zen comes out (ill wait and see if i stick with intel or switch to AMD) is that my current X58 motherboard doesn't have M.2 or proper USB3 and SATA3 (i mean it has them, but they run considerably slower in benchmarks then same SSD's on newer platforms) If i didn't want to grab a new M.2 SSD and get all the other newer features a current generation motherboard has i would just grab a GTX 1080 and be done with it for another 2-3 years.

maybe we need an i9 🙂

i6 is free, hopefully in more ways than one 😛

Honestly the only reason why im getting a new pc once zen comes out (ill wait and see if i stick with intel or switch to AMD) is that my current X58 motherboard doesn't have M.2 or proper USB3 and SATA3 (i mean it has them, but they run considerably slower in benchmarks then same SSD's on newer platforms) If i didn't want to grab a new M.2 SSD and get all the other newer features a current generation motherboard has i would just grab a GTX 1080 and be done with it for another 2-3 years.

pff just 2-3 years? I just had to replace my CMOS battery, so 5 more years to go :P

Better get a i7 now if you must go with another 4core.. I bought mine now 3.5yrs ago and by really cpu intense games it does make a noticeable difference 🤓

This. Some games are really sensitive to dropping below 60fps (on a 60Hz display) especially when CPU limited, like Project Cars. ie mildly CPU limited makes for worse stutters than mildly GPU limited. Project Cars is really bitchy because it needs a lot of CPU and there is no room for missing frames. Since then I've encountered a few more games that an i7 helps like Tomb Raider, GTA V, Witcher 3... There are more, brain is slooow. I have more cores to make up for it so all is good 😛 I've read a few articles that knock i7s for gaming because there are problems with having more cores than threads. It is a genuine concern with some software. Around Sandybridge and maybe Ivybridge this was a minor problem for gaming but Intel seem to have improved because I dont see this issue with gaming on Skylake, having owned a 6600K and am now on a 6700K. This is using DX11 or below, I dont have the ability to use DX12 which is where more cores "should" further shine. Therefore its a definite hardware improvement. I'm on Win7-64. I assume its not a worse situ on newer OS versions, I cannot vouch for those. If HT was a problem on Skylake I would be disabling it for some games because I'm quite sensitive to stutter.

The graphics should be about 25% or so faster though, but it seems almost nobody on the forums care about that in the slightest.

Why would we care about a feature we're not going to use? Where are you getting this 25% figure from anyway? Intel never pushes for big gains on desktop iGPU.

still not sure, is it time to upgrade yet?

still not sure, is it time to upgrade yet?

Wait until you are sure.

I really want a new CPU but I don't know if this will be it. Might be. Yeah, I've been waiting for a year or two already and I really want the benefit of everything modern platforms offer. The 2500k is no slouch, for sure, but a 7600 would do somewhat better in games I tend to play (mmos, arpgs, racing sims).

I'm sure it would. There is also the difference of going to almost 2x the memory speed, with a newer platform. On the other hand, I would wait for Zen and see what Intel does about that. Whatever it is (lower prices or a new CPU), it's good for us. Also going from a quad to another quad seems a bit foolish to me at this point. Unless you don't want to hold on it at least 2/3 of the time you held the 2500k. My 2600k seems to have really paid off. HT really matters for a lot of games the last couple of years, especially in frame times and smoothness.

what have they been doing all these years????...just pocketing it...making money

Companies don't work like that. Unless you invest what you're pocketing, you eventually fall behind. Look at Xerox. I'm not sure you even know them like anything beyond some obscure photocopier company. Yet they basically invented the modern computer concept. UI, Ethernet, proper mouse controls, everything. They didn't invest it properly and everyone else went around them. It can happen to any company.

Looking at game console i don't see the need for more that 8 cores for PC gaming. As for Intel not having anything left to give in the CPU department. I believe that you are very wrong!!! They are making only power savings and few improvements because they are using a lot of resources to developmet, planing for the future while AMD is struggling to keep up. I think that if AMD will release a competitive CPU in max 1 year Intel will release a CPU that will leave AMD in the another run to keep up. My opinion about Zen is that the best thing aboit it will be the new motherboards and not the CPU.