No idea what processor to buy, HELP! (among other things)

[ThomasHunt]

So I'm looking to upgrade my PC. I'm wondering if:

A. What processor should i get?

B. Would there be enough power if i added another gtx 970?

 

Thanks

Processor:    AMD fx 6350 black edition

GFX:             Nvidia geforce gtx 970

Power:          Corsair CXM 500W (modular)

Mobo:           ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0

RAM:            16Gb kingston hyperX DDR3 1600Mhz

HDD:            WD caviar green 2Tb

 

May have went a bit overboard with all the info but better than none at all, i guess!

 

EDIT: this is my current build and i want to upgrade it but im not sure where exactly. Sorry for any confusion folks. ~£300 budget

[SeanAngelo]

So I'm looking to upgrade my PC. I'm wondering if:

A. What processor should i get?

B. Would there be enough power if i added another gtx 970?

 

Thanks

Processor:    AMD fx 6350 black edition

GFX:             Nvidia geforce gtx 970

Power:          Corsair CXM 500W (modular)

Mobo:           ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0

RAM:            16Gb kingston hyperX DDR3 1600Mhz

HDD:            WD caviar green 2Tb

 

May have went a bit overboard with all the info but better than none at all, i guess!

get an i5 4460 and h97 board

[JefferyD90]

So I'm looking to upgrade my PC. I'm wondering if:

A. What processor should i get?

B. Would there be enough power if i added another gtx 970?

 

Thanks

Processor:    AMD fx 6350 black edition

GFX:             Nvidia geforce gtx 970

Power:          Corsair CXM 500W (modular)

Mobo:           ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0

RAM:            16Gb kingston hyperX DDR3 1600Mhz

HDD:            WD caviar green 2Tb

 

May have went a bit overboard with all the info but better than none at all, i guess!

Why are you getting a 3 year old platform?  And a mid ranged version of that platform at that?

[Senzelian]

So I'm looking to upgrade my PC. I'm wondering if:

A. What processor should i get?

B. Would there be enough power if i added another gtx 970?

 

Thanks

Processor:    AMD fx 6350 black edition

GFX:             Nvidia geforce gtx 970

Power:          Corsair CXM 500W (modular)

Mobo:           ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0

RAM:            16Gb kingston hyperX DDR3 1600Mhz

HDD:            WD caviar green 2Tb

 

May have went a bit overboard with all the info but better than none at all, i guess!

In your case I would straight up upgrade to Z97. That has the advantage that you can keep your RAM.

An i5-4690k should give you a really nice upgrade over the old AMD stuff.

I wouldn't upgrade the 970 yet and first see if the upgrade is already enough for your needs. The 6350 is probably bottlenecking the 970 quite a bit.

[_JohnB330ci]

Yeah, I do switch away from AMD, I didn't and I regret it, the upgrade path is useless, go for an I5 anda H97 board, then get another 970.

[Senzelian]

get an i5 4460 and h97 board

Why do you think that this is a good idea? Do you think he doesn't have enough money for something better than that just because he was running an FX CPU?

 

 

Why are you getting a 3 year old platform?  And a mid ranged version of that platform at that?

Maybe because his PC is 3 years old? I don't think he just bought it...

[ThomasHunt]

Okay so based on the responses i think im going to hold back on the 970 and get a new processor to see how things go due to bottle necking, Also one user was talking about a platform? what's that?

[JefferyD90]

Why do you think that this is a good idea? Do you think he doesn't have enough money for something better than that just because he was running an FX CPU?

 

 

Maybe because his PC is 3 years old? I don't think he just bought it...

Wait, is that his current PC or what he wants to upgrade to?

[ThomasHunt]

Why do you think that this is a good idea? Do you think he doesn't have enough money for something better than that just because he was running an FX CPU?

 

 

Maybe because his PC is 3 years old? I don't think he just bought it...

You're right, im only 16 i dont have a lot of money and i was strapped for cash at the time of building so i compromised on the motheroard.

[ThomasHunt]

Wait, is that his current PC or what he wants to upgrade to?

Current, want a new processor.

[SeanAngelo]

Why do you think that this is a good idea? Do you think he doesn't have enough money for something better than that just because he was running an FX CPU?

well if he would have told us what his budget is then i could've suggested a better processor, right? right.

[JefferyD90]

Current, want a new processor.

Okay, then you should choose if your going to go with the A88X platform or the Z170 platform.  Then we can figure it out.

[ThomasHunt]

well if he would have told us what his budget is then i could've suggested a better processor, right? right.

Sorry, budget is around £300 but that's cutting it fine.

[Senzelian]

well if he would have told us what his budget is then i could've suggested a better processor, right? right.

Without a budget you cannot recommend anything. Not even a lower end i5.

You can only tell him what would make the most sense.

In his case an i5-4690k because it gives him the most performance for gaming without chaning the RAM.

That should always be the priority. Reusing as much parts as possible, while giving him the most performance without wasting money. That's why an i7 or an i5-4460 don't make much sense as long as we don't know his budget.

 

Wait, is that his current PC or what he wants to upgrade to?

That is his current PC. He wants to upgrade to something else.

 

You're right, im only 16 i dont have a lot of money and i was strapped for cash at the time of building so i compromised on the motheroard.

Okay, so what's your current budget?

I still think an i5-4690k with a Z97 makes the most sense, but if you can afford more than you might aswell jump on Z170 and get a Skylake CPU.

[ThomasHunt]

Without a budget you cannot recommend anything. Not even a lower end i5.

You can only tell him what would make the most sense.

In his case an i5-4690k because it gives him the most performance for gaming without chaning the RAM.

That should always be the priority. Reusing as much parts as possible, while giving him the most performance without wasting money. That's why an i7 or an i5-4460 don't make much sense as long as we don't know his budget.

 

That is his current PC. He wants to upgrade to something else.

 

Okay, so what's your current budget?

I still think an i5-4690k with a Z97 makes the most sense, but if you can afford more than you might aswell jump on Z170 and get a Skylake CPU.

Budget is about £300

[ThomasHunt]

Without a budget you cannot recommend anything. Not even a lower end i5.

You can only tell him what would make the most sense.

In his case an i5-4690k because it gives him the most performance for gaming without chaning the RAM.

That should always be the priority. Reusing as much parts as possible, while giving him the most performance without wasting money. That's why an i7 or an i5-4460 don't make much sense as long as we don't know his budget.

 

That is his current PC. He wants to upgrade to something else.

 

Okay, so what's your current budget?

I still think an i5-4690k with a Z97 makes the most sense, but if you can afford more than you might aswell jump on Z170 and get a Skylake CPU.

Would i have to change my ram with the Z170?

[EpicAdom]

Budget is about £300

Going with Devil's Canyon is much more cost effective while getting Skylake is paying much more money for not much more performance. You can keep your RAM with Devil's Canyon while with Skylake you will need to purchase DDR4. It also depends upon whether or not you want to overclock. If you don't want to overclock, then definitely get Devil's Canyon. If you do want to overclock, Skylake would probably be better.

 

EDIT: Yes, if you get Skylake (Z170) you will need new RAM.

[App4that]

Going with Devil's Canyon is much more cost effective while getting Skylake is paying much more money for not much more performance. You can keep your RAM with Devil's Canyon while with Skylake you will need to purchase DDR4. It also depends upon whether or not you want to overclock. If you don't want to overclock, then definitely get Devil's Canyon. If you do want to overclock, Skylake would probably be better.

 

EDIT: Yes, if you get Skylake (Z170) you will need new RAM.

If they're not going to overclocked I'd save the 20-30 bucks and get the 4690. No reason to pay for the unlock it you won't use it. But it is nice to have that option later as long as you get the right motherboard.

[Senzelian]

Would i have to change my ram with the Z170?

Most likely. There are motherboards in the Z170 lineup that support DDR3, but because the performance difference isn't that large between Skylake (Z170) and Haswell (Z97) I wouldn't use one. Either jump all the way on Z170 with DDR4 or safe yourself some money and get a Z97 board.

This is what I would upgrade to:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/b00kprwb9g/geizhals07-21/ref=nosim?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/b00k8kodyq/geizhals07-21/ref=nosim?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

~ £280

[ThomasHunt]

Okay, thanks! I will keep digging cause I didn't realise I should be upgrading my mobo, you guys have been a huge help!

[ThomasHunt]

Okay, thanks! I will keep digging cause I didn't realise I should be upgrading my mobo, you guys have been a huge help!

[EpicAdom]

If they're not going to overclocked I'd save the 20-30 bucks and get the 4690. No reason to pay for the unlock it you won't use it. But it is nice to have that option later as long as you get the right motherboard.

Agreed.

 

Most likely. There are motherboards in the Z170 lineup that support DDR3, but because the performance difference isn't that large between Skylake (Z170) and Haswell (Z97) I wouldn't use one. Either jump all the way on Z170 with DDR4 or safe yourself some money and get a Z97 board.

This is what I would upgrade to:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/b00kprwb9g/geizhals07-21/ref=nosim?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/b00k8kodyq/geizhals07-21/ref=nosim?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

~ £280

That's incorrect. There will be Skylake motherboards that support DDR3L. That is very different from DDR3. They use the same underlying technology but they operate at different voltages. DDR3 runs at 1.5 volts while DDR3L runs at 1.35 volts.

[Senzelian]

That's incorrect. There will be Skylake motherboards that support DDR3L. That is very different from DDR3. They use the same underlying technology but they operate at different voltages. DDR3 runs at 1.5 volts while DDR3L runs at 1.35 volts.

There are already boards that use DDR3L and Skylake. That's what I said.

But still I wouldn't use a Z170 board with DDR3. You pay the premium for almost nothing. And the board will most likely look like garbage and don't tell me aesthetics aren't the most important thing for any PC gamer right after performance, which are obviously messured in FPS, cause the average Joe doesn't care about 1.25 - 1.35V DDRL or BCLK overclocking.

And Skylake CPUs aren't mostly even available. Not even here in Germany.

[App4that]

The advantage to a Skylake CPU is that your MOBO will have a 1151 socket. If all you do is game. Imagine the price of a 4790K i7 in 2 years. What will the 6600K cost? Could there be game that make use of the new CPUs not yet made, heck yeah. I'm not sold that means much when the 4790K is as strong as it is.