Need help with Motherboard & CPU upgrade for Gaming

kayper · Oct 10, 2014

I have been having some issues with my computer slowing down so i'm thinking its time to upgrade some hardware. I currently have an Asus M5A97 MB, FX-4100 CPU, with GTX 660ti GPU. I believe my graphics card will have to do for now because i don't believe my CPU can handle much more, so i'm looking to upgrade MB and CPU and need some input on which way to go. I don't really have a preference towards AMD or Intel so i'm open to all suggestions that will give me the best performance for under $500. Thank you in advance for all your help.

TheDualshock · Oct 10, 2014

I'd suggest to get a i5 4690k, one of the best price to performance CPUs out there. In Gaming, it's almost as strong as an i7 4790k. Here it is on PCPartPicker:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k

As for motherboard, I'll look into it.

frag06 · Oct 10, 2014

kayper :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($177.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $345.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-10 11:07 EDT-0400

Something like this would be great for gaming. If you plan to overclock your CPU, then that could be upgraded to a 4690K. There are also cheaper motherboards, but Z97 is worth it if you are OK with spending a few extra dollars.

I assume you will need a CPU cooler too, so I put one on the list. You don't want to use the stock cooling if you are stressing the CPU, but if you already have an aftermarket cooler, you probably don't need the EVO.

kayper · Oct 10, 2014

wow that was fast, and extremely helpful. So judging from my system specs would you agree that this is my best upgrade choice at the moment and stick with the GPU i currently have?

TheDualshock · Oct 10, 2014

That 660Ti is still a good GPU, it's a little faster than the R9 270X which a good 1080p high/ultra performer.

kayper · Oct 10, 2014

i was originally thinking that it was the problem because i would get random display adapter crashes and some bottlenecking during gaming, but someone told me that this is most likely caused my my under powered CPU struggling to keep up with the GPU. as for the MB i fugured it's kind of old, so i might as well replace it with the CPU.

kayper · Oct 10, 2014

thanks for the help guys. I ended up going with
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JYckgs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JYckgs/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.95 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)

kayper · Nov 9, 2014

i actually ended up having to buy something different because Outletpc.com put up a UPS tracking number, but never sent my items.. then after a week of no movement with my tracking number i contacted them. Their story at this point is that they accidentally sent my parts to someone else in North Carolina, and they had given him a tracking label to send me my items and assured me that he had just talked to the person who received them and he had already shipped the package. After a huge effort on my part they finally agreed to give me the new tracking number. This number also never showed any movement, so i contacted UPS with both tracking numbers and they informed me that Outletpc.com had never in fact shipped the first item and up until then the second shipment had also not been sent. So i demanded my money back which they reluctantly agreed to. I checked the two tracking numbers out of curiosity and they still have not been shipped... a month later. Long story short i ended up on Amazon.com and purchased
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k I5-4690k
and because they were out of the original motherboard i was going to get i went with an upgraded model and got
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusviihero Asus Maximus VII Hero
And i love both of them.

kayper · Nov 9, 2014

On a side note "STEER CLEAR OF OUTLETPC.COM AT ALL COSTS" they did nothing but lie to me for weeks. I believe the reason was because the day after i purchased my items the MB went out of stock and they were simply going to lie to me and BS me for as long as necessary until the MB was back in stock and they could actually ship my items. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND MY WORST ENEMY TO THIS SUPPLIER

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