Upgrading a Prebuild

[MattO]

Current System Specs:
Case: Asus CM1745
PSU: 550w CoolerMaster
Motherboard: A85X-FCH
CPU: A10-5700
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4gb SSC ACX
RAM: 2x4gb ASint DDR3 800mHz
HDD: 1TB 7200rpm

Upgrades I'm Considering
CPU: A10-6800K
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo (I plan on doing some overclocking so this seems necessary) 
Case: Rosewill Galaxy 01
RAM: 2x8gb Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 1866mHz (OPTIONAL) 

Reason for upgrade:
Would like to see a minimum of 144fps in CS:GO at any graphics setting (I honestly dont care if its on min or max settings or anywhere in between). I currently get between 120-160fps with my current set up but if I plan on purchasing a 144hz monitor in the future I would prefer my system to be able to fully utilize the 144hz refresh rate at all times. About a month ago I upgraded the GPU and PSU to what you see above. Before I made that upgrade I knew the CPU would bottleneck my system, but I planned on doing a total rebuild in the near future. Now that I look at it, I could potentially invest $100-$200 (I will sell my old CPU to get a little money back) in my current system vs $800-$1000 in an entirely new build, and still get what I want out of my PC. 

What I want to know: 
Would this upgrade be a worthwhile, more affordable solution to what I want my current system to do? If so, would the RAM upgrade be necessary or even worth the money to achieve my goal? With just the CPU, CPU cooler, and new case (a new case is needed because I want more airflow and more room for the CPU cooler), would I be able to achieve my goal? Is there anything that would prevent this upgrade from even being possible? Are there any, better, alternative products to the ones I listed above?

 

My Location: Minnesota, USA

[Guest]

Honestly your better off buying a new motherboard and CPU. Check out the used market in your area. an i3 6100 and the cheapest skylake motherboard you can find should do the trick. 

[VintageSalad]

8 minutes ago, Bobby_Joe_90 said:

Honestly your better off buying a new motherboard and CPU. Check out the used market in your area. an i3 6100 and the cheapest skylake motherboard you can find should do the trick. 

Honestly A-10 apus are not worth the price. 

[MattO]

15 minutes ago, Bobby_Joe_90 said:

Honestly your better off buying a new motherboard and CPU. Check out the used market in your area. an i3 6100 and the cheapest skylake motherboard you can find should do the trick. 

I live in northern minnesota in a very rural area. The used PC market here is few and far between so picking up a used CPU and mobo would be quite difficult if even worth the time. If I were to order an I3 6100 online it would be roughly $120-$130 new. I havent looked into mobos yet, but im sure a skylake mobo is at least $50. So this suggestion is already $60-$70 more than my proposed upgrade (if you dont include the new RAM). Would this extra cost prove to be worthwhile though? Do you know if this would accomplish my goal of 144fps minimum in CS:GO? 

 

The reason I would prefer not to go this route is because my current mobo is still pretty decent. It has the ability to OC and the best CPU it can fit in the FM2 socket is the A10-6800K, which, by my research, doesn't seem to be a bad processor and a decent upgrade from my A10-5700.  

 

EDIT: researched the I3 6100 and discovered you cannot OC it so an OC capable mobo wouldnt be necessary. 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, MattO said:

I live in northern minnesota in a very rural area. The used PC market here is few and far between so picking up a used CPU and mobo would be quite difficult if even worth the time. If I were to order an I3 6100 online it would be roughly $120-$130 new. I havent looked into mobos yet, but one that would be able to OC the CPU would be at least $50. So this suggestion is already $60-$70 more than my proposed upgrade (if you dont include the new RAM). Would this extra cost prove to be worthwhile though? Do you know if this would accomplish my goal of 144fps minimum in CS:GO? 

 

The reason I would prefer not to go this route is because my current mobo is still pretty decent. It has the ability to OC and the best CPU it can fit in the FM2 socket is the A10-6800K, which, by my research, doesn't seem to be a bad processor and a decent upgrade from my A10-5700.  

CS:GO is CPU intensive and that GPU is fine for CS:GO at 144hz so I'd get a new CPU, maybe an i5 or i3 and then you wouldn't need to OC, get a new cooler, and stick with the current case for another few months.

[MattO]

8 minutes ago, VintageSalad said:

Honestly A-10 apus are not worth the price. 

Brand new in tray an A10-6800K is $99 on ebay. I find it hard to believe that the I3 6100 would easily out perform the A10 6800K after I OC it. 

[VintageSalad]

1 minute ago, MattO said:

Brand new in tray an A10-6800K is $99 on ebay. I find it hard to believe that the I3 6100 would easily out perform the A10 6800K after I OC it. 

oh you'd be surprised. 4 AMD cores are less powerful than 2 Intel cores. Look it up.

But in the meantime... http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GL3Vt6

A bit more than what you want but i think well worth it.

 

[MattO]

9 minutes ago, TheCovertCamper said:

CS:GO is CPU intensive and that GPU is fine for CS:GO at 144hz so I'd get a new CPU, maybe an i5 or i3 and then you wouldn't need to OC, get a new cooler, and stick with the current case for another few months.

If I were to go the route of a new CPU and mobo I can only assume it would be very hard for me to stay under a $200 budget. I looked into some I3's and I5's but they all range in the $100-$200 + mobo cost. Do you think that switching to intel would be far better than just upgrading my AMD set up? If the A10-6800K wont accomplish my goal then I would definitely make the switch. But if you look at the costs of each upgrade (new CPU and mobo vs just a new CPU) my original plan is much cheaper. For now, my only goal is reach to that constant 144fps+ for as cheap as possible. I plan on doing a totally new build within the next 1-2 years that would most likely include an Asus Z170 mobo and an I7-6700K (and I plan on OCing it, so an OC capable mobo is a must), so the mobo that I would get for an I3 or I5 wouldnt even go into the new build, nor would the CPU. 

[VintageSalad]

1 minute ago, MattO said:

If I were to go the route of a new CPU and mobo I can only assume it would be very hard for me to stay under a $200 budget. I looked into some I3's and I5's but they all range in the $100-$200 + mobo cost. Do you think that switching to intel would be far better than just upgrading my AMD set up? If the A10-6800K wont accomplish my goal then I would definitely make the switch. But if you look at the costs of each upgrade (new CPU and mobo vs just a new CPU) my original plan is much cheaper. For now, my only goal is reach to that constant 144fps+ for as cheap as possible. I plan on doing a totally new build within the next 1-2 years that would most likely include an Asus Z170 mobo and an I7-6700K (and I plan on OCing it, so an OC capable mobo is a must), so the mobo that I would get for an I3 or I5 wouldnt even go into the new build, nor would the CPU. 

If that whats you want then go for your build, but it does seem like such a waste to spend the money then upgrade completely soon after.

[MattO]

3 minutes ago, VintageSalad said:

If that whats you want then go for your build, but it does seem like such a waste to spend the money then upgrade completely soon after.

Im sure I am coming off as being difficult, and I apologize if I do. Basically I just want to reach that goal of 144fps+ in CS:GO. And I would like to know if the A10-6800K would even be capable of that, because it is a cheaper solution than the I3/I5 + new mobo option. If the A10-6800K cant accomplish my goal then I am sure I will go with a new CPU+mobo combo, and probably with one that was suggested above. Thanks for your time and knowledge! 

[VintageSalad]

3 minutes ago, MattO said:

Im sure I am coming off as being difficult, and I apologize if I do. Basically I just want to reach that goal of 144fps+ in CS:GO. And I would like to know if the A10-6800K would even be capable of that, because it is a cheaper solution than the I3/I5 + new mobo option. If the A10-6800K cant accomplish my goal then I am sure I will go with a new CPU+mobo combo, and probably with one that was suggested above. Thanks for your time and knowledge! 

CS:GO is more CPU intensive than GPU intensive. Meaning you would probably get higher framer ates with the i3 than the A-10.

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, MattO said:

If I were to go the route of a new CPU and mobo I can only assume it would be very hard for me to stay under a $200 budget. I looked into some I3's and I5's but they all range in the $100-$200 + mobo cost. Do you think that switching to intel would be far better than just upgrading my AMD set up? If the A10-6800K wont accomplish my goal then I would definitely make the switch. But if you look at the costs of each upgrade (new CPU and mobo vs just a new CPU) my original plan is much cheaper. For now, my only goal is reach to that constant 144fps+ for as cheap as possible. I plan on doing a totally new build within the next 1-2 years that would most likely include an Asus Z170 mobo and an I7-6700K (and I plan on OCing it, so an OC capable mobo is a must), so the mobo that I would get for an I3 or I5 wouldnt even go into the new build, nor would the CPU. 

I got a Pentium G3258 and motherboard for $100. You could then get an i3 up for like $150 total. The AMD setup is currently lacking, IMO. You'd see a much bigger jump with an i3. 

[MattO]

So, Im still weighing my options. But if I were to go with a new CPU/Mobo combo I think this is what I would get! Keep in mind I already have the PSU, GPU, and probably wont buy that SSHD immediately. I just added in all those extra parts to make sure it would all be compatible. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/M3fYpg  I also opted for a mobo with the Z170 chipset and LG1151 socket so if I do end up purchasing an OCable CPU in the future I wont have to buy a new a motherboard. 

 

What are your thoughts on this build? Will it achieve my goal of 144fps+ in CS:GO at all times? 

 

Side question: How much demand do you think there is for a F2A85X-M mobo and A10-5700 CPU? I was thinking I could sell them on ebay and maybe get around $100 back in total? Or would I be better off just pulling the PSU and GPU from my current build and putting it in the new one (I am putting the GFX card in the new build either way), reinstalling the old PSU and selling the old pre-built system the same as when I bought it new? 

Edited April 17, 2016 by MattO
additional clarification for mobo pick and additional question