What's A Good Upgrade For Intel i3 3220 CPU?

Well anything less than an i5 3570k would probably not be worth the upgrade as the 3220 is a pretty good processor already for the 1155 socket. The equivalent on the 1150 socket would be the i5 4670k I believe.

Edit: Also you don't need a new motherboard if you get the 3570k.

Yes I would recommend that if you want to see a noticeable improvement in CPU power.

Here's a good cheap motherboard with overclocking capability-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157370

Keep in mind though if you pick this one there is only room for one graphics card.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z87M%20Pro4/

This one should be fine as long as you don't plan on adding two graphics cards at once. It's also a small motherboard but that doesn't really matter as long as it has the features you want.

I recommend you weigh your options before making a decision.

#1. The performance increase at the same clockspeed is only on average 6% - 9% depending on who's website set benchmark results you want to believe. 6% is conservative and what I believe is the "truer" average performance increase to the Haswell generation.

#2. You already have a motherboard for an Ivy Bridge CPU; although the one you have does not allow you to overclock. Still you can save some money by simply buying an Ivy Bridge CPU like the Core i5-3570 which would be the most powerful core i5 CPU for your current motherboard... unless you really want to overclock.

#3. Assuming you want to overclock... Haswell CPUs do not seem to overclock as well as Ivy Bridge CPUs. More people have been able to achieve 4.7GHz with Ivy Bridge than with Haswell CPUs. However a Haswell CPU would only have to OC'ed to 4.43GHz to equal an Ivy Bridge CPU at 4.7GHz; assuming the 6% average increase in performance.

#4. Assuming you want to overclock and taking #3 into consideration, price out the cost of the i5-3570k plus whatever Z77 chipset motherboard versus the cost of the i5-4670k and whatever Z87 chipset motherboard you want. If there is a significant different in price (you decide what that is), then going with the
Ivy Bridge combo gives you better bang for your buck. If you do not think the price difference is significant, then go with the Haswell combo.

For example, in the US the Ivy Bridge Core i5-3570k can be purchased for $220 while the Haswell Core i5-4670k can be bought for $240. That $20 difference means the price difference between Ivy Bridge and Haswell is only 9%, there the price difference is not that big of a deal so I would be inclined to buy the Haswell CPU. However, you also need a motherboard and that is a more personal choice because you may want a specific set of features (SLI, Crossfire, it does not matter) and perhaps brand name (Asus, Gigabyte, MSI...) so picking a mobo for the two CPUs is not cut and dry like simply choosing the CPU itself. If the price difference between the two motherboards is not that much of a big deal, then go again go for Haswell.

For argument sake let's just say I buy the Haswell i5-4670k ($240) and the ASUS Z87-A LGA 1150 Intel Z87 ($145) motherboard which is a middle of the mobo in terms of features. It supports both SLI and Crossfire; at least that's what the features states. Excluding taxes and shipping that works out to $385. Now let's consider the Ivy Bridge Core i5-3570 for your current motherboard which costs $210 in the US. That is a price difference of $175, that's money that can be saved just buy sticking with your current motherboard.

Let's just say the i5-4670k can be overclocked to 4.4GHz and with the 6% average increase in performance figure, an i5-4670k @ 4.5GHz would be equal to an Ivy Bridge i5-3570k @ 4.66GHz. That is a 37% increase in raw performance compared to the Ivy Bridge i5-3570. Now the question is that 37% in performance worth spending the extra $175....


Hopefully the above can help you make the right decision whether to stick with Ivy Bridge and save money, but at the cost of loosing out on some performance (especially if you want to overclock). Or you want to go with Haswell for higher performance because:

A. God has given you the right to buy whatever you want, and so shall God be your witness in your holy quest for performance.

or....

B. Satan has damned you to lust after performance and nothing shall stand in your way from your inner desires as you make your way to the checkout counter (or website) like a bat out of hell.