System Overhaul? Please help

Hotshot258 · Mar 28, 2013

I currently have my desktop opened up right next to me, and I'm trying to determine if i need a new motherboard or not. Here are the numbers it said to list on the video:

MSI Motherboard
MS-7267 VER:4-2 and it also says below that 945GCM5 V2

It has a Crucial 2GB DDR2 DIMM UNBUFF RAM 240 pin, so im obviously looking at an upgrade for ram, even though i only see two 240 pin ports on my motherboard

I'm also using a ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card

Processor is some old 1.8 Ghz, but i want to upgrade to this as it's pretty cheap on amazon right now.

Amazon.com: AMD Phenom II X4 965 AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB 45NM 125W 4000MHZ: Electronics

So what I'm asking is how much and what type of RAM can this motherboard handle, and will this processor be compatible? Or do I need to get a new motherboard that is compatible with both my graphics card and the processor I'm looking at?
Any help is appreciated, thanks a ton guys.

dish_moose · Mar 28, 2013

Looks like it is an Intel mobo - need to look at socket 775 Intel cpus - or consider a cpu/mobo/ram upgrade.
http://www.msi.com/product/mb/945GCM5.html#/?div=Basic
-Bruce

bignastyid · Mar 28, 2013

Yes, you'll need a new board for that cpu, your current board is for socket 775 Intel processors.
http://us.msi.com/product/mb/945GCM5-L-V2.html#/?div=Basic
Youll need a socket AM3 for the Phenom x4 965
Whats the budget for the upgrade?

geofelt · Mar 28, 2013

Your motherboard is a 945 socket 775 motherboard. You can only upgrade the cpu to something like a Intel Q6700 quad.
I do not recommend that, the line is 3, going on 4 generations old. And... DDR2 ram is more expensive than newer DDR3 ram, so that would cost extra also.

The Phenom X4 is also getting a bit aged too. It would require a amd motherboard change. If you are going to change the motherboard, I would go ahead and buy new technology.

What do you want to use this upgrade for, and what is your budget?

Hotshot258 · Mar 28, 2013

My budget is around $200-$300, but I would like the most bang for my buck. I'm using the desktop mainly for gaming, mostly WoW, but i would like to be able to play Team Fortress 2 or possibly Planetside 2, but I know that might be a stretch. I'm really just looking for a cheap upgrade for gaming needs.

Hotshot258 · Mar 28, 2013

I'm doing a little researching right now, and the AMD A-series seems relatively good for the price. Suggestions?

bignastyid · Mar 28, 2013

Intel upgrade
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ILF1
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ILF1/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ILF1/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8B75-M LX PLUS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $282.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-28 19:49 EDT-0400)

bignastyid · Mar 28, 2013

AMD upgrade
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MTvT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MTvT/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MTvT/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.15 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $262.12
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-28 19:55 EDT-0400)

bignastyid · Mar 28, 2013

If your going strictly for gaming I would go for the Intel upgrade, I just wanted to show Intel and AMD options.

geofelt · Mar 28, 2013

A cursory look at WOW benchmarks and cpu core scaling tells me that WOW is one of those games that can only use two cores. The faster the cores, the better. Here is one older benchmark showing that even older Intel duo's do a good job in WOW cataclysm. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/world-of-warcraft-cataclysm-directx-11-performance,2793-9.html

If that is you predominant game, then a strong ivy bridge dup would be a great upgrade.
Microcenter sells a i3-3220 for $99 if you live near one. http://www.microcenter.com/product/398007/Core_i3_3220_330GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor About $125 elsewhere.

A B75 motherboard will be $50-$60 : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157356
a 8gb kit(2 x 4gb) of ddr3 1.5v 1600 ram will be about $50.
That brings the upgrade down to the lower range of your budget.

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System Overhaul? Please help

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