Need a new CPU. :(

[dlock13]

Well, the time has come... My motherboard is finally dying on me, and I need to get a new one. However, I don't want to update to old technology so I'll need advice on what CPU to get and then possibly what motherboard to get.

I have a AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE with an ASROCK mobo. The motherboard's onboard audio has died and I have several USB ports that stopped working a couple months ago. Also, I'm thinking my videocard issues are a direct result thanks to this motherboard.

Can anyone recommend me a new CPU so then I can start looking for a new motherboard?

Thanks!

EDIT: Total cost I'm willing to spend on everything would be roughly 200-300$. Also, I'd love for it to last me 2+ years as this 955 has.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Few questions.

-When you say cost "for everything", you mean it literally for an entirely new system, or do you mean for core components like cpu, memory and mobo so because you plan to reuse parts?

-What do you use the computer for primarily (gaming, office, media center...etc)?

Since you are budget oriented, here are two possible suggestions

If you are using it just for office work and light gaming go with AMD A10. The integrated graphics are really good and you probably won't have to buy a gpu.
If you are planning to make a primarily gaming oriented machine fo with Intel Core i3 and buy a dedicated video card.

 

[postmortemIA]

i suggest you look this sticky thread in General Hardware.

 

[dlock13]

Few questions.

-When you say cost "for everything", you mean it literally for an entirely new system, or do you mean for core components like cpu, memory and mobo so because you plan to reuse parts?

-What do you use the computer for primarily (gaming, office, media center...etc)?

Since you are budget oriented, here are two possible suggestions

If you are using it just for office work and light gaming go with AMD A10. The integrated graphics are really good and you probably won't have to buy a gpu.
If you are planning to make a primarily gaming oriented machine fo with Intel Core i3 and buy a dedicated video card.

Thanks for the suggestions. I do plan to reuse my videocard as well as my RAM and HDDs. I just need to get a new motherboard and CPU. That is absolutely it.

I am willing to flex on my budget provided it'll be extremely beneficial to me. I game mostly and use my PC for media purposes. Essentially, I need performance that'll last me 2+ years. This 955 has lasted me 2 years now, and it's great, but the motherboard is dying so that means I need to either invest in old hardware or buy new hardware. I'd much prefer to use my money towards something new.

i suggest you look this sticky thread in General Hardware.

That's an awesome thread. Thank you for that. I'll check out those options that are presented.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Thanks for the suggestions. I do plan to reuse my videocard as well as my RAM and HDDs. I just need to get a new motherboard and CPU. That is absolutely it.

I am willing to flex on my budget provided it'll be extremely beneficial to me. I game mostly and use my PC for media purposes. Essentially, I need performance that'll last me 2+ years. This 955 has lasted me 2 years now, and it's great, but the motherboard is dying so that means I need to either invest in old hardware or buy new hardware. I'd much prefer to use my money towards something new.



That's an awesome thread. Thank you for that. I'll check out those options that are presented.

I would go for 2500 k or 3570k for gaming.

 

[infoiltrator]

Upgrade to an Asrock 970 or 990 motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157262

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157281


Asus 990
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131754

If you are happy with current CPU performance, there are new FX processors due, so you might catch an older one on sale or wait for the new ones' prices to fall

 

[Denithor]

Intel i5-3470 (Quad core, 3.2GHz / 3.6GHz turbo) for $200:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115234

ASRock H77M mATX motherboard for $70:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157303

These parts will beat the snot out of your current X4 while consuming less energy.

 

[ShintaiDK]

If you live near Microcenter they got great CPU deals. 190$ for a 3570K.

 

[infoiltrator]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1033223

http://promotions.newegg.com/Combo/12-3983/index.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1065489

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1081364

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Intel i5-3470 (Quad core, 3.2GHz / 3.6GHz turbo) for $200:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115234

ASRock H77M mATX motherboard for $70:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157303

These parts will beat the snot out of your current X4 while consuming less energy.

I recommend this

 

[dlock13]

Upgrade to an Asrock 970 or 990 motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157262

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157281


Asus 990
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131754

If you are happy with current CPU performance, there are new FX processors due, so you might catch an older one on sale or wait for the new ones' prices to fall

I do love the performance I have now, but with Windows 8 on the horizon as well as fall games coming up, I think I'd love to have even better performance. These motherboards are a good call, but the fact is I'll have to stick with this CPU, and I personally would love to go Intel.

Intel i5-3470 (Quad core, 3.2GHz / 3.6GHz turbo) for $200:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115234

ASRock H77M mATX motherboard for $70:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157303

These parts will beat the snot out of your current X4 while consuming less energy.

While this is a good call, I want something that'll be overclockable such as the 3570k, etc... Also, I'm not a fan of mATX boards, and I've been seeing those pop up everywhere as of late.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1033223

http://promotions.newegg.com/Combo/12-3983/index.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1065489

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1081364

These are great choices. I've been recommended the 3570k a few times.

Is that a good chip? Currently, I'm running Windows 8 64 bit with 12 GB of RAM and a 560 Ti videocard.

 

[ShintaiDK]

3570K is a fantastic chip. Remember you need Z77 board for overclocking.

And whats wrong with mATX beside sthat MiniITX is even better!

 

[Yuriman]

The 3570k is a fantastic chip. It's worth every penny, but it will probably push you out of your comfortable budget. The non-K chip can still be overclocked 4 bins (400mhz) on a Z77 motherboard which would give you 3.8ghz on 4 cores. Spending the extra cash on the K model will likely get you another 600mhz which is about 15%.

 

[Nawlins]

FYI if you do plan to get the i5-3570k, it's on sale at tigerdirect for $179.99 with promo code ZNW73639.

 

[dlock13]

3570K is a fantastic chip. Remember you need Z77 board for overclocking.

And whats wrong with mATX beside sthat MiniITX is even better!

Well, nothing is necessarily wrong with mATX. It's just the fact that it has less ports than a standard ATX board. I just don't see the benefit IMO.

Also, I knew I needed a Z77 board. Thanks for reminding me.

The 3570k is a fantastic chip. It's worth every penny, but it will probably push you out of your comfortable budget. The non-K chip can still be overclocked 4 bins (400mhz) on a Z77 motherboard which would give you 3.8ghz on 4 cores. Spending the extra cash on the K model will likely get you another 600mhz which is about 15%.

You're right. It will push me out of my budget, but when it's only a little bit more, I think it's worth it. I'd rather have a CPU I'm happy with for a long time than a CPU/mobo that might need upgraded relatively soon after purchase.

FYI if you do plan to get the i5-3570k, it's on sale at tigerdirect for $179.99 with promo code ZNW73639.

I noticed. Thank you for the reminder.

I realize this is the wrong place to ask, but any board recommendations? I've always been the one to tinker, and I wanted to install OSX on my computer but have always been AMD... If I recall correctly, it has to be UEFI capable or something of that sort? I don't remember.. Anyway, if we can find a board to go with this CPU that has the possibility of becoming a hackintosh, that'd be cool. If not, don't worry about it!

 

[blckgrffn]

Food for thought with that:

http://gigabytedaily.blogspot.com/2012/04/gigabyte-uefi-bios-perfect-fit-for.html

 

[dlock13]

Food for thought with that:

http://gigabytedaily.blogspot.com/2012/04/gigabyte-uefi-bios-perfect-fit-for.html

That's pretty awesome, and to be honest with you, I was checking out this motherboard before.

I just have one question with regards to the i7 CPUs. Is there absolutely any reason to pick one of those up over the i5s? I ask this with regard to performance as well as the actually use of hyper threading. Funny that hyper threading has been around for... what 10 years now, and from what I have read/heard, it's still not an integral part to computing performance or at least the PC gaming performance.

 

[blckgrffn]

That's pretty awesome, and to be honest with you, I was checking out this motherboard before.

I just have one question with regards to the i7 CPUs. Is there absolutely any reason to pick one of those up over the i5s? I ask this with regard to performance as well as the actually use of hyper threading. Funny that hyper threading has been around for... what 10 years now, and from what I have read/heard, it's still not an integral part to computing performance or at least the PC gaming performance.

Depending on what you do, HT can be significantly helpful, I see 20% or so better performance in some of the distributed computing stuff I do.

This isn't a good fit for you, because of your stated interest in a big OC, but a nice value CPU is:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&Tpk=1240%20v2

No on board video, though. OC's to 3.6 on all cores.

 

[ShintaiDK]

I realize this is the wrong place to ask, but any board recommendations? I've always been the one to tinker, and I wanted to install OSX on my computer but have always been AMD... If I recall correctly, it has to be UEFI capable or something of that sort? I don't remember.. Anyway, if we can find a board to go with this CPU that has the possibility of becoming a hackintosh, that'd be cool. If not, don't worry about it!

Only heard good about the Asrock Extreme4 boards. Cheap and good.

 

[Hacp]

300 bucks sounds like you need intel.

 

[infoiltrator]

Go Intel if you can.
3570K is the weapon of choice, motherboards are a matter of budget, overclocking ability and specific features.
Asrock Extreme4 is a favorite for many.

There is a lot of interest in mATX and smaller cases. personally I like the room to work, add on, and the expansion slots on ATX boards, especially when pricing is close.
Admittedly there are fewer reasons to fill your expansion slots for many people.

I am considering a Prodigy build (BitFenix mITX) just because..

 

[dlock13]

Depending on what you do, HT can be significantly helpful, I see 20% or so better performance in some of the distributed computing stuff I do.

This isn't a good fit for you, because of your stated interest in a big OC, but a nice value CPU is:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&Tpk=1240%20v2

No on board video, though. OC's to 3.6 on all cores.

I don't mind the onboard video though it could come in handy whenever I need to troubleshoot/warranty. Why did you suggest this CPU? I'm just wondering. I can get a 3570k for 180 right now, and this guy is above 200.

Also, is HT even needed in gaming whatsoever? I don't do anything intensive like distributed computing. I'm a media/gamer/surfer junky. I hardly do any work, and whatever work I do is usually Office related stuff.

Only heard good about the Asrock Extreme4 boards. Cheap and good.

I currently have an ASrock mobo, and honestly, I don't want to get another. There's a few things about the BIOS that upset me such as not being able to specify the fan/CPU temp settings. Also, this is the one that lost onboard sound as well as a couple of USB ports.

Go Intel if you can.
3570K is the weapon of choice, motherboards are a matter of budget, overclocking ability and specific features.
Asrock Extreme4 is a favorite for many.

There is a lot of interest in mATX and smaller cases. personally I like the room to work, add on, and the expansion slots on ATX boards, especially when pricing is close.
Admittedly there are fewer reasons to fill your expansion slots for many people.

I am considering a Prodigy build (BitFenix mITX) just because..

I understand. Lately, there's really no point for a huge portion of consumers to buy anything PCI-E/PCI related.

I'm really debating on a mobo either from ASUS or Gigabyte. Those are two of the top dogs in my eyes when it comes to reliability as well as features.

 

[Turbonium]

I think the real question here is whether or not the OP is willing to take an oldschool toaster, and mod it into a PC case housing a mATX board.

 

[FreeAtLast2012]

3570K + Extreme 4 would be great, but over budget. That'd be best recommendation for great gaming build.

 

[blckgrffn]

If you aren't going to do anything that takes more than four threads, then yeah, disregard the IVB Xeon and go for the 3570k and get some more clock speed out of it