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I'm completing the hardware list for desktop unit, which will be used for programming (60%), data analysis & AI (15%) and gaming (15%), the rest beeing internet browsing.

Budget: 1200$.

I want to go with a setup that could be extended in the future and last for years, and it's my primary objective.

The absolute must-have:

  • PCI-E v.3.0
  • USB 3.0
  • couple of SATA III interfaces

Nice to have:

  • SLI
  • DDR4 support

I'm pretty convinced, that I'll go with GeForce GTX 960, 1x8GB RAM, 256GB Adata SSD, and then, when upgrading I will:

  • add more drives (SSDs are fast, but having 2+ SSDs in RAID 0 is faster)
  • add more RAM
  • if SLI is present, add second 960 GTX
  • buy better processor

Now the question is: is the above logic sound (1) and about the main board and processor (2):

Should I go with a more cost effective, and 100% satysfying my current needs AMD FX-8320 (I'ts actually top 50 best value on CPU-benchmark) sacrificing extensibility, or some cheapest, but still extremly not-cheap, LGA2011-v3 processor, like i7-5820K (or maybe some Xenon?) to have the shiny LGA2011 platform, DDR4 support & and all the goodies of MSI X99 SLI plus?

The disk, memory and graphic card would be same for both AMD and Intel, and cost for all 340$, which leaves about just enough for used i7-xxx and new msi-X99 sli plus, or AMD 8 core (8320/ 8350/ 9590?) + motherboard and 3xx $ in pocket.

What do you think, what would you choose? Am I missing something?

EDIT: this question is about chipset, so it may be treated as a question about motherboard. The difference between ex. AMD 9590 and i7-5820K are not of interest, as long as they do not impact ex. DDR memory, SLI etc.

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  • If you post the rest of the build, I can suggest the most appropriate CPU.
    – Roboter
    Commented Nov 14, 2015 at 19:24
  • Hi Piotr, we aren't able to accurately recommend anything if you ask about two computer components in the same question. It would benefit you greatly to split this question into two, one for the CPU and one for the motherboard.
    – Adam
    Commented Nov 14, 2015 at 19:31
  • I would disagree, because the CPU depends on the Motherboard and Vice-Versa
    – Roboter
    Commented Nov 14, 2015 at 19:33
  • @Roboter I plan on posting the cpu specific question, when I'll decide witch socket I'll go.
    – Piotr Falkowski
    Commented Nov 14, 2015 at 19:58
  • 1
    Since the time SLI was on the market, many people thought "hey, I'll get a second 6600 GT when needed", but in fact it was always a better choice to simply buy a more powerful single-chip card.
    – lukfi
    Commented Nov 15, 2015 at 12:40

1 Answer 1

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I would actually not recommend either of the platforms that you had in mind, and go with the LGA 1151 Skylake Processors. These require DDR4 RAM and are the newest CPUs that Intel has released. For what you are doing, I would recommend the i7-6700K, that costs $350. Also with 1x8GB of DDR4 RAM would be expandable and enough for now. The Motherboard that I would recommend is the Z170 PRO GAMING, as it would allow for major overclocking when paired with a CPU Cooler, such as the EVO 212. If you do not want to overclock, I would recomend the i5-6500 or the i7-6700 with a H170 Mobo.

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  • Wow I wasnt aware of this socket capabilities, as it turns out.
    – Piotr Falkowski
    Commented Nov 14, 2015 at 19:58
  • I agree with this, but I would suggest 2x4GB RAM for the dual channel.
    – DeviLFisH
    Commented Nov 16, 2015 at 1:29
  • Dual Channel does not make a large difference in performance.
    – Roboter
    Commented Nov 16, 2015 at 1:51

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