i7 Wanted: New motherboard?

Chips · 23 Apr 2012

I've got an i3 540 dual core processor. If I want to upgrade to an i7 quad core does this mean having to get a new motherboard too? If so which board do I need to get?

paulpicks21 · 23 Apr 2012

What motherboard do you have?

Edit: If you don't know, download this program - http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html download links on the right of the page.

Once downloaded run it and select the "mainboard" tab

ignatzatsonic · 23 Apr 2012

I think the i3 540 requires a socket 1156 motherboard.

Most i7 processors require a socket 1155 motherboard. Some earlier generation i7 processors used socket 1156 and some used socket 1366.

The current generation of i7 does NOT use 1156, so you would need a new motherboard for any of the current generation.

James7679 · 23 Apr 2012

paulpicks21 said:

What motherboard do you have?

Edit: If you don't know, download this program - CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting download links on the right of the page.

Once downloaded run it and select the "mainboard" tab

This is very important to be able to give you an educated answer. Also https://www.sevenforums.com/profile.php?do=extra

If we were to say that you could get away with only the new processor, your choices are going to be limited at this point. Newegg has none in inventory. Tiger Direct only shows one model at limited quantities. Intel CPUs / Processors LGA1156 Processor Interface ,Core i7 Processor Class at TigerDirect.com

Chips · 23 Apr 2012

Yep, it's a 1156. So, it's the socket I should be looking at? Just been looking at an i7 3820 Sandy Bridge and it uses a 2011! They all seem to use different motherboards! Man, this all comes across like a Chinese puzzle!

paulpicks21 · 23 Apr 2012

With 1156 socket the only i7 that springs to mind is the 860 but I imagine its pretty hard to find one now. Amazon or ebay maybe?

ignatzatsonic · 23 Apr 2012

Chips said:

Yep, it's a 1156. So, it's the socket I should be looking at? Just been looking at an i7 3820 Sandy Bridge and it uses a 2011!

Yes. The socket is critical. There have been several i7 sockets, 2011 being the newest. If you want a 3820, you have to buy a socket 2011 board. You can't put a round peg into a square hole, without a hammer.

James7679 · 23 Apr 2012

Chips, please help us help you. If you would like any further advice, please fill in your system specs and give an estimated budget.
Also, what will be the PCs primary use? Gaming? Media? Coding?

Chips · 23 Apr 2012

James7679 said:

Chips, please help us help you. If you would like any further advice, please fill in your system specs and give an estimated budget.
Also, what will be the PCs primary use? Gaming? Media? Coding?

CPU: i3 540 dual core
Motherboard: 1156 LGA
4Gb DDR3
GeForce GT320

For Skyrim plus graphic upgrade mods. Heard it needs LOADS of juice, much, much more than my lowly computer has! I know practically everything needs upgrading except maybe my RAM.

Just thought, what about i5s?

DeaconFrost · 23 Apr 2012

Chips said:

Yep, it's a 1156. So, it's the socket I should be looking at? Just been looking at an i7 3820 Sandy Bridge and it uses a 2011! They all seem to use different motherboards! Man, this all comes across like a Chinese puzzle!

It's very easy as long as you treat the motherboard as the primary component, instead of the processor. All other decisions are based off of the motherboard. Sockets change ever couple of years, so it doesn't change as often as it may seem. Socket 1155 has been on the market for a good while now, and has already technically been replaced as the "latest and greatest".

The decision really comes down to cost. Likely, the motherboard would be the only thing needing to be replaced, should you decide on a new processor. So, weight the costs of getting just a new proc, versus a new i7 and maybe a 1155 board to run it on. You might be looking at something like a $75 to $80 difference...where it is worth the motherboard swap. Only you can determine that.