I'm currently using a locked ivy-bridge i5 and i was thinking of upgrading to the haswell refresh unlocked i5. Would the jump make sense? I'm getting new architecture and supposed better overclocking potential, so i was thinking it was a good idea. What do you guys think?
I wouldn't upgrade anything that is i5-2500 and above. The difference is just not worth the money.
unless your current processor isn't performing to where you'd like, the real world performance increase probably won't be worth the minimum $300 upgrade cost
do not bother its going to be like a 10-15% increase for alot of money.
Overclocking brings marginal performance gains in most circumstances. You should consider a GPU upgrade, first of all.
I'm gaming at 1080p and using a 7970. I won't need a new gpu for another 6 months or so. The money is not an issue.
If you're gaming, you won't see much of a difference. Maybe consider an SSD, a monitor upgrade, MOAR FANS
So what pick up a cheap 1440p korean monitor and an ssd? How will the 7970 perform at such a jump in res? I can max out most the games i play with full aa and such @ 1080p.
The 7970 can handle 1440p. Can handle most games on ultra textures with good frames. Less AA is required at 1440p, because of the pixel volume. The 280x is a up-to-date 7970. And I know for a fact that the 280x can play BF4 on ultra presets with 50FPS+. Maybe 45+ if the map is particularly demanding.
So, very acceptable performance, in my opinion. Just lower some of the post processing, and keep the textures looking great. You should get 60FPS under those circumstances.