Looking to buy new motherboard & cpu & RAM

chris1neji · 20 Feb 2013

Well today I downloaded a game and was dissatisfy with the performance. There was two other computers in this room also playing this game (Star Wars The Old Republic). They were getting much better frames than I was. Even the ____ laptop that I have plays better running the game at 20fps. Anyways there is also many other games that I own that although they are playable there are few frame drops now and then. It's my slow ancient CPU. My CPU usage easily hits 50% mark just running my background task and yes I need them open for the most part. After loading games I easily hit the 90% mark. Using processor power is not a problem however not enough processing power to use is.

Anyways I am interested in a new processor that won't bottleneck the rest of my system more importantly my graphics card. I want my graphics card to run at it's best. I am not running dual GPU so I don't believe I need to spend much. I was thinking AMD AM3+ FX4100. AMD has been kind to me in the past because their future cpu models tend to be compatible with the previous motherboard socket. Also in the past AMD was better for energy efficiency/consumption. Can anyone prove me wrong? However as much as I would love to support AMD their latest processors aren't exactly the fastest, I am hoping that this processor will not bottleneck my GPU whatsoever.

Can you guys recommend a CPU that's more energy efficient, faster for the same or near price? Or how about a cheaper processor that will still keep up with the GPU?
Any suggestions appreciated I will need to buy a new motherboard so Intel and AMD suggestions are valid.

kbrady1979 · 20 Feb 2013

Arguably the best gaming CPU out there.........Intel Core i5-3570K.

Intel Core i5-3570K

chris1neji · 20 Feb 2013

I have no doubt that this processor would pretty much surpass just about most of AMD processors if not all

. However the price is quite high I was hoping to spend 250.00 in total. 100 cpu, 100 mobo, 50 ram.
Any other suggestions?

kbrady1979 · 20 Feb 2013

You are definitely talking AMD now.......I could recommend a good Intel Core i3 CPU, but motherboards for Intel processors are just so damn high. Let me look on Newegg and see if I can find something. Check back in shortly.

kbrady1979 · 20 Feb 2013

You could do something like this.

CPU: Intel Core i3-3225

MOTHERBOARD: Asus P8Z77-V LE

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB Kit

That comes to about $290 not counting the $20 Mail In Rebate for the Motherboard........and the 8GB of RAM is free with that particular motherboard. It is a good foundation for a nice system with an upgrade path if you feel like you want to upgrade to a better CPU later.

On the other hand, you could build a 6-core AMD system for roughly the same price. Unfortunately, I am not well versed on AMD's. This looks like an interesting CPU for a budget gaming build though: AMD FX-6300

Hopefully, one of the AMD fellas will come in here and be able to provide more information.

Kelly

chris1neji · 20 Feb 2013

I was looking at a AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX - Newegg.com
As far as performance goes by looking at benchmarks is about the same performance. I do not know about power consumption on this guy on power consumption is a big deal although not a deal killer. I really don't know what combination of motherboard to use I just confirmed that AM3+ motherboards can use both AM3 and AM3+ CPU as long as it's supported by manufacturer.

What do you think?
Get this IIx4 965 ? Whats your view on power usage, performance, good for multi tasking? Good for gaming?
What's not good for?

I been testing apps that I am working on for WP platform and emulating/debugging is slow

Erick Aguilar · 20 Feb 2013

You will do better with AMD. Prefferably the AM3+ socket for a safe upgrade path. In the future, you might be even able to upgrade to the newer, better and cheaper CPU's from them.

If you can't go up to AM3+ I am very damn sure the CPU you picked will not let you down whatsoever. And if you were to buy an i3 or i5, you would not notice any difference whatsoever besides placebo and outside of benchmarks. Your games will be equally playable.

One thing though.. Do -NOT- cheap out on the motherboard. Remember that the motherboard is the crib of all your system and therefore the single most important piece of hardware. If it dies or fails, it can take down the system with it.

.. and again.. when it comes to an upgrade path. I rather stay with AMD. Intel is blowing out too many rumors about having their CPU's soldered into motherboards coming 2014. I rather get it confirmed otherwise before I decide to buy or invest in an Intel system. And of course. I'm more than happy with AMD.

linnemeyerhere · 20 Feb 2013

chris1neji,
The 965be is a great chip and overclocks very well and can be had for a song. I agree in a perfect world if you want to stay with AMD then a FX capable mobo would be a good idea and that will lead you to 8 core FX chips later on. I've built systems around both and I can tell you bang for buck very hard to beat and nothing overclocks like an AMD....IMHO.

bobkn · 20 Feb 2013

If you get an AM3+ motherboard, I suggest avoiding the cheap ones based on an ancient NVidia chipset. One might work OK, but you can get a proper AMD chipset for little more money.

If you wanted to go Intel, An I3-3220 (Ivy Bridge) would be $130 (Newegg). A B75 based motherboard might cost you $10-20 more than a low-end AM3+ board. A Z77 board would be $90 and up. If you wanted to overclock, you'd want to spend $30 or so on a third-party cooler. (The Cooler Master Hyper 212 line is popular.) You might want a third-party cooler with the AMD system, as well.

My guess is that the I3-3220 would outperform the 965 in games, but not by much. If there's a benchmarking site that you trust, I suggest that you give it a look.

The 3220 is a 55W CPU, as compared to 125W for the 965. That's the downside to the old (2009) AMD chip.

I suppose that the upgrade paths for the AM3+ would be nice, but unless you're in that minority of people who upgrade CPUs rather than waiting to do a system-level upgrade, it's more of a virtual advantage than a real one.

The 965 is a good choice for the money. I had to counter the AMD fans, though.

chris1neji · 20 Feb 2013

What do you guys think of the AMD FX-4300 Vishera 3.8GHz (4.0GHz) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4300WMHKBOX - Newegg.com
It's past the budget that I had set for cpu, but it's either this CPU, or the 965. I am slowly working on 2 wishlist one for the intel and one for the amd.
How significant is the power usage by i3 3220 vs FX-4300
Now to a motherboard
What's a very important aspect of motherboards that often gets overlooked?