Intel CPU + Mobo Combo under $200 (maybe $300)?

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karmasblade

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Oct 6, 2012
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Does anyone have a good Intel combo under $200? If that isn't practical then how about $300? I would really like it under $200 though. Also, will this combo be better than an AMD Phenom X4 II 955 B.E because I don't want to pay $200 for the same or worse.
 
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Any intel combo would probably give a slight performance boost over the phenom 955BE. Under 300$ you're most likely looking at a non overclocking build, if you care for that.

If you're okay with a locked cpu, one of the most cost efficient would be:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $264.97

The motherboard doesn't really matter, because it is a locked CPU, you could go with a H97 or z97 depending on your needs.

If its no huge rush, and you feel like you could ride out your cpu, get an aftermarket cooler...
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Calnin

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Dec 28, 2013
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Any intel combo would probably give a slight performance boost over the phenom 955BE. Under 300$ you're most likely looking at a non overclocking build, if you care for that.

If you're okay with a locked cpu, one of the most cost efficient would be:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $264.97

The motherboard doesn't really matter, because it is a locked CPU, you could go with a H97 or z97 depending on your needs.

If its no huge rush, and you feel like you could ride out your cpu, get an aftermarket cooler and overclock it if you haven't already.
 
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robax91

robax91

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Dec 26, 2012
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If you live near a micro center you can get great deals. They sell processors up to $60 off and most have a motherboard combo they will add that gives 20-40 off the board. That's how I got mine. I suggest getting an i5 and a Z board for $300, then you won't have to worry about upgrades for a long time.
 
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karmasblade

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Oct 6, 2012
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I already have it OC to 3.6 GHz but just put it back to stock because I noticed that my mobo only supprots 95W TDP. Do you think I should just stay with my 955? Will the upgrade be that great? Also, is a 4590 any better than that one you posted?
 
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Calnin

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The 4590 is a higher clocked i5. There's no real difference other than the extra few Mhz I believe. It's not going to give a huge performance difference.

As for your OC, if it was stable, there really wouldn't be a huge problem with it.

The i5 will have a better performance in almost every aspect. If you feel like spending the money on it, it'll give a boost in performance for sure.
 
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karmasblade

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Thanks. I know my CPU is outdated but do you think it can handle modern games and keep up at least on medium? My GPU is GFX 570. I don't really want to spend money unless it is necessary.
 
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Calnin

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You might be able to ride it a little bit further, if you're willing to. If you're going to upgrade, I suggest just upgrade everything all together. It all depends on when you're ready to upgrade. Again, it all depends on whether you want to or not. If you do upgrade, I think a gpu upgrade would probably do better since you could probably use that in a future build if you want to.
 
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karmasblade

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I thought the GTX 570 was capable of handling modern games. I know it is outdated but can you tell me the advantages of upgrading my GPU into a newer one if it is just old but capable?
 
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Calnin

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Better power efficiency. A bit stronger and more vRAM for textures and what not. More stream processors/Cuda cores for processing power.

I still standby my statement: If you're willing to ride it out a bit further, might as well do it and see how long you can go before you feel like you'll need that upgrade.

But when you do upgrade, you might as well go big.
 
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karmasblade

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Oct 6, 2012
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Alright thanks for your help. I have DDR2 4GB, should I at least get 8GB DDR3 if I'm not gonna upgrade everything? Or just ride it out like you said? Will I see a big performance difference in it?
 
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karmasblade

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I'm on a 64 bit. Would you even call this a gaming rig? Haha.
 
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