Upgrading CPU and MoBo.

Gobby · 20 Jan 2013

Hey there.
I'm not overly knowledgeable when it comes to whats better than what.
I'm looking to upgrade my CPU and Motherboard from what I currently have.
I recently purchased a GeForce GTX 680 but I am seeing minimal improvement from my previous GeForce GTX 480, and have come to the conclusion its my CPU holding me back.

Current specs -
OS - Windows 7 Home
CPU - Intel i7 930 @ 2.80GHz
Motherboard - Gigabyte X58A-UD5

I have been told in the past I cannot replace one and not the other due to my CPU/Motherboard being 1366 pin which is no longer in make.

Basically I am looking for suggestions for upgrades without spending a ridiculous amount.
I am upgrading my entire rig by the end of the year, so it is mainly to hold me over before then.

Thanks,
Gobby.

Britton30 · 20 Jan 2013

How much money do you want to spend? If you're going to upgrade the whole system anyway may I suggest you wait instead of doing a stop-gap upgrade. There's no way to do it on the cheap.
It is probably your mobo causing the problem and not the CPU, which is a good one.

What is your main use of your rig?

Gobby · 20 Jan 2013

Thanks for the reply but I think I sorted out my problem.
I was looking to overclocking my CPU, only to find my CPU was on 'Fail-safe default' and underclocked to 2.00GHz.
I loaded 'Optimized defaults' and it is back to running at 2.80GHz.
I can already see a performance increase.

Thanks,
Gobby.

Britton30 · 20 Jan 2013

Cool good to hear. You may be able to run the CPU up to 3.4GHz or so. I'm not familiar with overclocking the 1366, but I believe you can raise the BCLCK or FSB, which will OC the RAM too so you'd have to make the proper adjustments there.