Upgrading My CPU to something compatible with graphics card

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Kandiell

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Mar 13, 2013
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so ive got a pretty decent computer, here are the specs:

FOXCONN 2aB1 (yes my motherboard is a chinese piece of crap)
AMD athlon II X4 645 proccesor, 3100Mhz
6gigs of RAM
AMD radeon HD 6900 series

now my issue is that even though i run small-world, high end graphic games like BF3 on ultra at 60FPS, i run open-world games like GTA4 and planetside 2 or arma 2 at like 15 FPS at the best, maybe even down to less then 10 if a lot is going on, and i know this is becauce of my CPU, wich is mediocre. i was wondering if anybody had good upgrade ideas? a good CPU, something around 200$, give or take 100 that would be compatible with my graphics card. also, would it be a good idea to replace my motherboard AND my CPU, or just either one? either way suggestions for both good motherboards and CPU are appreciated, thanks!

also, side question: can my CPU change brands? like its an AMD now, could i switch it to an intel without my computer exploding?
 
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hero1

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You need to replace your motherboard and CPU to gain better FPS. AMD CPUs are not expensive and neither are their boards so you should be fine grabbing a CPU like AMD FX-8320 and a mobo as combo for a good price.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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I doubt that you could profitably replace just your cpu with a significantly stronger amd cpu. The intel 3570K is about the best gaming cpu you can buy today at any price. Particularly with a conservative overclock.It will be about $220.
You will have to replace your motherboard with a Z77 based motherboard, about $120 or so.
If your ram is 1.5v ddr3 ram, that will work. Otherwise budget $50 for a 8gb kit.

There is no conflict between a amd graphics card and an intel cpu.
If you change motherboards, you may need to reinstall the os and your games.
 
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Outlander_04

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The iPhone is also a Chinese peice of crap made by foxconn . Just saying .

You can check your mb 's page for a cpu support list . A more powerful Phenom may improve things . You can check that first by overclocking the athlon . If performance increases then you have a cpu bottleneck


If you change to an intel you also need a new motherboard and probably RAM , and if yo have an OEM version of windows you need to change that too because it cant be transferred to a new motherboard

What is the RAM set up BTW? is it 2 x2 gig and 2 x1 gig , or is it 3 x2 gig?
If its the 3 x2 gig option then take one stick out and have the others set for dual channel and your gaming performance will INCREASE
 
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hero1

hero1

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Good points all in all. However, I think people need to remember that you can actually transfer your OEM windows to another motherboard. I did exactly this since I owned a latptop before I went back to tower pc. All I did was use the license and it worked. I had to phone in and I was activated without a question. So the OP can try that before he spends money on a new copy of windows if he has OEM copy.
 
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Wisecracker

Wisecracker

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It is not legal to transfer an OEM Windows license to a different motherboard. Period.

If you are running 6GB of RAMs, it is likely not running in dual-channel, which could easily ding your memory performance 5%+.

The Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ at $95 would be a good candidate to do that with your Propus quad, with a system clock at 3.75GHz or so with decent air.

That should make a nice difference.



You should be able to raise your IMC/NB from stock 2000MHz to 2400-2500MHz. For each 10% raised above stock, your memory bandwidth is increased 3-4% and your latency is reduced 3-4% (a bit more on the AthlonIIs).





 
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hero1

hero1

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Legal or not, MSFT staff did it for me and I can't complain. So I gave a suggestion to OP if he has OEM. You will be surprised at how willing and helpful the Customer Support people are. It worked for me doesn't mean it will work for him/her.
 
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Outlander_04

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[/quotemsg]

Legal or not, MSFT staff did it for me and I can't complain. So I gave a suggestion to OP if he has OEM. You will be surprised at how willing and helpful the Customer Support people are. It worked for me doesn't mean it will work for him/her.[/quotemsg]

I have not even seen a laptop that shipped with a windows disk for about 20 years .


 
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Kandiell

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Mar 13, 2013
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thanks for all the quick answers, as for the question about RAM: i ran CPU-z on my computer and it said my RAM is

DDR3 dual, 6144Mbytes

now im going to be honest: im a bit of a new guy stumbling his way through building his first computer. what i basicly did is bought a basic model at future shop then changed the graphics card, and power input, and shoved all of that into an antec 900 case, i have no clue what OEM is, and i truly appreciate the fast responses, but i need things to be dumbed down a bit, links to models i could use (to the best of your knowledge) would be appreciated immensely

so as i understand it my best bet here is to change both my CPU and motherboard? alright. and someone mentionned something about combos? do they often sell as a pair, or did you just mean grab a cpu and motherboard from the same company?
 
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