What CPU should I get?

[Constipated Crow]

Hi there,

 

I recently built my own computer (about 6-7 months ago) and here are my specs:

 

-Intel Core i3-3220 3300GHz 3MB Cache Socket LGA1155 Desktop CPU Box

-XFX FX-777A-ZNF4 Radeon HD 7000 Series; AMD; Radeon HD 7770; 1000 MHz; CrossFire; 2048 x 1536 pixels; 2560 x 1600 pixels (FX-777A-ZNF4)

-Corsair CMX8GX3M1A1333C9 XMS3 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1333 Mhz CL9 Performance Desktop Memory Module

-MSI LGA1155 u-ATX Motherboard (Intel H61, 2x DDR3, GBE, LAN)

-LiteOn IHAS124-04 24x SATA Half Height Internal DVDRW Drive

-500 WATT ATX POWER SUPPLY QUIET 20-24 PIN with SATA

-Fractal Design Core 1000 Series Micro ATX Case

-Seagate Barracuda 3.5 inch 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB 6GB/S Internal SATA Drive

 

Okay, so I mainly play Minecraft on my PC, and I get decent FPS (about 100 with high settings), however, when I join a densely populated server with many buildings around me, I lose some fps and go down to about 40-50 fps. I want to upgrade my CPU, as Minecraft mainly uses processor power for the game. My budget is around £250 max (less if possible) and I want to get a good CPU for Minecraft for which I can get a lot of performance. I am aware that it might bottleneck my GPU, however, I do not mind at the moment, as I mainly play Minecraft (like I stated earlier), which doesn't use a lot of GPU power. Also, I will be upgrading to a GTX 970 soon anyway.

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Cheers!

 

[Swegly]

Keep in mind that you have to change motherboards when upgrading CPU. If you want to upgrade it would be worth going with an i5 4690(k) or an FX8350. They will be powerful for years to come and will cause no bottlenecking with your gtx970.

[Vek1313]

Hi there,

 

I recently built my own computer (about 6-7 months ago) and here are my specs:

 

-Intel Core i3-3220 3300GHz 3MB Cache Socket LGA1155 Desktop CPU Box

-XFX FX-777A-ZNF4 Radeon HD 7000 Series; AMD; Radeon HD 7770; 1000 MHz; CrossFire; 2048 x 1536 pixels; 2560 x 1600 pixels (FX-777A-ZNF4)

-Corsair CMX8GX3M1A1333C9 XMS3 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1333 Mhz CL9 Performance Desktop Memory Module

-MSI LGA1155 u-ATX Motherboard (Intel H61, 2x DDR3, GBE, LAN)

-LiteOn IHAS124-04 24x SATA Half Height Internal DVDRW Drive

-500 WATT ATX POWER SUPPLY QUIET 20-24 PIN with SATA

-Fractal Design Core 1000 Series Micro ATX Case

-Seagate Barracuda 3.5 inch 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB 6GB/S Internal SATA Drive

 

Okay, so I mainly play Minecraft on my PC, and I get decent FPS (about 100 with high settings), however, when I join a densely populated server with many buildings around me, I lose some fps and go down to about 40-50 fps. I want to upgrade my CPU, as Minecraft mainly uses processor power for the game. My budget is around £250 max (less if possible) and I want to get a good CPU for Minecraft for which I can get a lot of performance. I am aware that it might bottleneck my GPU, however, I do not mind at the moment, as I mainly play Minecraft (like I stated earlier), which doesn't use a lot of GPU power. Also, I will be upgrading to a GTX 970 soon anyway.

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Cheers!

Idk EU prices for it now but does the i5 4690k fit in to that budget? If it is at least close you should just add some money to get it.

[Vek1313]

Keep in mind that you have to change motherboards when upgrading CPU. If you want to upgrade it would be worth going with an i5 4690(k) or an FX8350. They will be powerful for years to come and will cause no bottlenecking with your gtx970.

No, just no... The FX won't it is already outdated and bottlenecks a 970 or 290x for both sides of GPUs.

[Swegly]

No, just no... The FX won't it is already outdated and bottlenecks a 970 or 290x for both sides of GPUs.

I guess I should have been more clear, the FX8350 would be better for the budget. And no, its not outdated.

[Luke4efc]

Minecraft (like I stated earlier), which doesn't use a lot of GPU power.

 

 

Yes it does! It uses far more GPU power than CPU!

 

Buy another 4gb stick of RAM

Buy an i5 4670k and an LGA1150 board. I got a 4670k for £150, it's now around £180. You should be able to snag a Gigabyte z97-ud3 for £70. (It's on Sale at Scan for £61 atm). The board can also support the new i7 processors too.

[techguru]

technically you don't need anything other then a new cpu and more ram

tho that H61 board is bottom of the barrel junk

tho it would work

[flipped_bit]

I don't see much point in changing your platform (socket 1155) as others are suggesting.  I'd just upgrade to a higher-end 1155 CPU, like the 3570/3570K or 3770/3770K.  Only get a K processor if your board supports overclocking.

[Constipated Crow]

 

Yes it does! It uses far more GPU power than CPU!

 

Buy another 4gb stick of RAM

Buy an i5 4670k and an LGA1150 board. I got a 4670k for £150, it's now around £180. You should be able to snag a Gigabyte z97-ud3 for £70. (It's on Sale at Scan for £61 atm). The board can also support the new i7 processors too.

 

Really? I'm pretty sure Minecraft mainly uses CPU power, unless you use a texture pack above 64 pixels per block, or if you use shaders. I currently use a 64x64 pixel texture pack, and MSI Afterburner shows that my GPU never surpasses around 70-80% usage. I also read on many forums that Minecraft uses up mainly CPU power. Could you send me a link on where you got the GPU thing from, because I might be wrong. Thanks for the reply though!

 

Cheers!

[Constipated Crow]

technically you don't need anything other then a new cpu and more ram

tho that H61 board is bottom of the barrel junk

tho it would work

I heard somewhere that if you change motherboards, your entire PC's data gets erased if you don't have a compatible one or something like that. It might be one of those PC myths though. Although, I don't really understand how motherboards work, could you explain why I would need to change motherboards if I want to get a current gen, high end CPU? Note that I am a complete newbie when it comes to motherboards, I simply followed a build on of my friends did.

 

Cheers!

[Constipated Crow]

Keep in mind that you have to change motherboards when upgrading CPU. If you want to upgrade it would be worth going with an i5 4690(k) or an FX8350. They will be powerful for years to come and will cause no bottlenecking with your gtx970.

I do not understand a thing about motherboards, since I followed a build one of my friends did. Could you explain what I need to know about motherboards, and why I would need to change mine if I want to buy a high end CPU? Thanks!

 

Cheers!

[Constipated Crow]

technically you don't need anything other then a new cpu and more ram

tho that H61 board is bottom of the barrel junk

tho it would work

I don't understand a thing about motherboards, could you explain what I need to know? I just followed a build on of my friends did. Thanks.

 

Cheers!

[techguru]

no Im saying all you really need is a new 3x00 cpu and more ram

however the motherboard is junk...but it would work

[Constipated Crow]

I don't see much point in changing your platform (socket 1155) as others are suggesting.  I'd just upgrade to a higher-end 1155 CPU, like the 3570/3570K or 3770/3770K.  Only get a K processor if your board supports overclocking.

I don't understand what the socket 1155 means, could you explain? Because I don't know a single thing about motherboards, because I just followed a build on of my friends did. Thanks!

 

Cheers!

[Constipated Crow]

no Im saying all you really need is a new 3x00 cpu and more ram

however the motherboard is junk...but it would work

What does the 3x00 cpu mean?

 

Thanks!

[techguru]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

[Constipated Crow]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Would this be compatible with my motherboard, or will I have to change it? Thanks.

[techguru]

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-3470-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B0087EVHVW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1432647120&sr=8-4&keywords=i5+3570

[techguru]

Would this be compatible with my motherboard, or will I have to change it? Thanks.

no you don't have to change it

add more ram as well

[runit3]

What does the 3x00 cpu mean?

 

Thanks!

i5-3570, i7-3770, & the K variants, think he forgot the non-variable 7...but they are both LGA 1155 CPU's which would simply slot into your current hardware, no need to change out the board, which really is the best solution to all of this.

 

You would be far better off getting an i5 or i7 on 1155 and upgrading your RAM, hell even throw in a new SSD, than going out and dropping $400+ on hardware you simply don't need to run Minecraft...of all things... Even your current i3 should be running it flawlessly, I would bet you're capping out your RAM at 4GB.

[flipped_bit]

I don't understand what the socket 1155 means, could you explain? Because I don't know a single thing about motherboards, because I just followed a build on of my friends did. Thanks!

 

Cheers!

 

The motherboard socket is where the CPU is installed.  A given motherboard typically only supports one socket type.  In your case your motherboard supports Socket 1155, which is compatible with Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs.  These CPUs are one generation behind the current best-of-breed Haswell CPUs, but still very good.  While you can't install a Haswell CPU into Socket 1155, there are better Ivy Bridge CPUs than your current Ivy Bridget CPU that will fit.  I don't see much point in getting a Haswell CPU when the performance difference between CPU generations is very minor, and it means you'd have to buy a new motherboard and possibly a new OS as well (since OEM Windows is tied to the motherboard).

[Constipated Crow]

i5-3570, i7-3770, & the K variants, think he forgot the non-variable 7...but they are both LGA 1155 CPU's which would simply slot into your current hardware, no need to change out the board, which really is the best solution to all of this.

 

You would be far better off getting an i5 or i7 on 1155 and upgrading your RAM, hell even throw in a new SSD, than going out and dropping $400+ on hardware you simply don't need to run Minecraft...of all things... Even your current i3 should be running it flawlessly, I would bet you're capping out your RAM at 4GB.

Hi there, thanks for the reply, it helped a lot for me to understand.

 

I only have a couple of questions. Firstly, what can you tell me about this CPU? 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-I5-3470-Processor-3-20GHZ-Socket/dp/B0087EVHVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432647490&sr=8-1&keywords=Intel+Core+i5-3470+Quad-Core+Processor+3.2+GHz+4+Core+LGA+1155+-+BX80637I53470

Since it's a 1155 socket processor, it will work with my motherboard right? And will it work with all my other components as well? Also, does it have HT? Because it doesn't say anything about hyperthreading on the product details.

 

Secondly, is this generally a good CPU for the money, or should I look at other ones? I'm not too sure if this would be the best bang for my buck, and I don't know if I want to go with this one or a better i7 one. I could maybe spend another £50-75 more to buy a better CPU, but does this one seem plenty good? If this one seems good enough, then there would be no need to buy a different CPU.

 

Cheers!

[techguru]

any 1155 will work

tho just make sure you upgrade your bios before hand

[Constipated Crow]

The motherboard socket is where the CPU is installed.  A given motherboard typically only supports one socket type.  In your case your motherboard supports Socket 1155, which is compatible with Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs.  These CPUs are one generation behind the current best-of-breed Haswell CPUs, but still very good.  While you can't install a Haswell CPU into Socket 1155, there are better Ivy Bridge CPUs than your current Ivy Bridget CPU that will fit.  I don't see much point in getting a Haswell CPU when the performance difference between CPU generations is very minor, and it means you'd have to buy a new motherboard and possibly a new OS as well (since OEM Windows is tied to the motherboard).

Thank you, that post was very helpful to understand motherboards better.

 

Do you have any suggestions as to which Ivy Bridge CPU is good bang for buck? How about this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-I5-3470-Processor-3-20GHZ-Socket/dp/B0087EVHVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432647490&sr=8-1&keywords=Intel+Core+i5-3470+Quad-Core+Processor+3.2+GHz+4+Core+LGA+1155+-+BX80637I53470

 

Would that be compatible, and also, I wouldn't mind spending about £200-250 on a processor (the one I lonked is about £160). Thanks.

[Constipated Crow]

any 1155 will work

tho just make sure you upgrade your bios before hand

How would I go about doing that? Do I just change some settings (which I can look up), or do I have to buy new components. Sorry if I come out as a noob, as I'm really new to the self-building part of PCs. Thank you for your patience and understanding though.

 

Cheers!