How much difference will this upgrade make?

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

I am finding that my PC is struggling with games more and more. At the moment I can play Battlefield 3 at medium at around 60 FPS. My current specs are an Intel Pentium G2020 at 2.9 GHz , 4gb 1333 MHz RAM and a GTX 660. I am planning on buying an AMD Fx 6300 black edition and 8gb 1833MHz ram. What kind of gains can I expect? (I am keeping the GPU)

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

You'll need to buy a new motherboard, too.

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

iLiftFood :

I am of course buying a new motherboard, as well as a new PSU and case.

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

What's your budget? I might be able to squeeze something better in for the same price.

digitaldoc · Feb 14, 2015

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-G2020-vs-AMD-FX-6300

While the FX6300 is faster, and a 6 core part, the difference is not all that dramatic. I would go for an i5 or an FX8350 for gaming needs if you want more CPU.

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

iLiftFood :

I'm looking about £270 or just over $400.

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($138.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $396.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-14 16:41 EST-0500

coozie7 · Feb 14, 2015

What's the motherboard? The G2020 is an 1155 part, you should be able to source a much faster CPU that will drop into the existing motherboard for a lot less than your budget and it'll give the GTX660 a chance to show its full potential.

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

coozie7 :

Is an i3 a reasonable upgrade oe do you think I should spend the extra for an i5? I have the i5 3570k in mind.

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

iLiftFood :

I put all these parts on Amazon.co.uk and they ended up over $500 (things are much more expensive over the pond). Even with PC part picker I could only get it down to about $450.

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

You do know I linked PcPartpicker, right?

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

iLiftFood :

I changed your specific list to UK and it comes in at £350. That's $548.

coozie7 · Feb 14, 2015

Go for the i5, it's a full 4 core part and will take your system to far higher level. The i3 is good, don't get me wrong, but it's still only dual core and Hyperthreading can only do so much when faced with a game that wants 4 or more physical cores.
If the motherboard supports overclocking, go for a 'K' series chip, otherwise stick with a non 'K' version, BUT...Prices vary wildly for these 'old' parts so if you can pick up a 'K' cheap, even if the MB supports limited overclocking you can run the rig stock for a while then kick in the OC later to extend its life.
There's not a huge difference between the i5 3670K and my own i5 4690K and, trust me, that is a monster of a CPU.

And either i5 will be far superior to the AMD FX6300 and in many cases the FX83XX.

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

You said $400, I gave $400. Not my problem currencies suck major balls

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

I just did some looking on Amazon and I,ve come up with this. Intel core i5 3340, 8gb Kingston HyperX RAM, Fractal design core 1000 and an Antec 550w 80 plus gold PSU. That's the best I could find for the budget.

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

PSU: Good. Although an XFX 550W is of equal quality and probably cheaper (less efficient though, bronze.) RAM: Good (I'm assuming, unless it's like 1333/CL10 RAM or something stupid) CASE: Cheap, extremely hard to build in. Good luck with cable management in that thing. CPU: Meh. Outdated somewhat. How much cheaper is it compared to the i5-4440/4460.

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

iLiftFood :

The i5 4440 and 4460 don't fit my mobo (Socket 1155). Can you recomend any other case? The RAM is 1833MHz. Would a modular PSU help with cable management?

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

My bad, forgot about the socket. For cases, it depends on your budget. I'd recommend either: the Z3 Plus (the fans+controller basically makes the case free as the fans + controller are worth the price of the case as it is) the Source 210 (nothing special, cable management may be a little bit of a struggle but I think NZXT cases come with a sh** tonne of zip ties to make it easier. Or the 200R (most expensive of the 3, probably the best cable management wise.) I'd recommend the Z3 plus though. A modular PSU will help MASSIVELY with cable management, yes. Although a fully modular PSU is quite a bit more expensive. A semi-modular PSU is your best bet to stay in budget.

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

iLiftFood :

I found an equally priced Corsair PSU that is fully modular. I picked that case because I wanted to keep my PC reasonably small (Have a tiny desk - no room under it) and it seemed like the best for the price. The others were generic case's which are far worse (I have one at the moment-no room inside). Shouldn't the modular PSU make cable management easier?
*Edit - The Z3 Plus is twice the price of the Core 1000.

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

The only difference between fully modular and semi modular is that semi modular has the main cables still connected. The main cables (for motherboard and what-not) will ALWAYs be used. The only reason people buy fully modular PSUs is if they are custom sleeving cables.
Both are equally good for cable management. Only non-modular PSUs leave unwanted cable behind.

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

iLiftFood :

The Antec wasn't a modular powersupply at all. I most definitely don't want all those cables in a Micro ATX build.

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii620bronze
This is one of the best power supplies you can buy. Comes at a cost, though

I'm assuming you've found the RM series Corsair PSUs on Amazon. They're not the best, but not the worst. The RM series power supplies will suffice.

LouisGordon123 · Feb 14, 2015

iLiftFood :

This is the PSU I was contemplaiting. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ALK1GFC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

iLiftFood · Feb 14, 2015

That PSU is known to have longevity issues as well as poor capacitors. It's not exactly bad, but I tend to avoid the CX builder PSUs.

sora · Feb 14, 2015

coozie7 :

This, something as an i5 or i7 will go great with your build OP. Also, the Corsair CX series uses poor capacitors. Get a power supply manufactured by XFX or Seasonic.

How much difference will this upgrade make?

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