Upgrade from Phenom II x4 965
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jeffredo
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- Nov 15, 2008
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Late last summer I retired an FX-6300 @ 4.5 in favor of an i5-4690k The Intel is noticeably faster and smoother using the same video card. My secondary rig had a Phenom II X4 980 BE @ 4.1 Ghz and while it was actually a bit better than the FX in many games it's still no contest for the i5-4690k at stock speeds. Not to mention my computer room is cooler while gaming. Basically, yeah, its a worth switch.
Creme
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Yes, an i5 would be good for your needs, or even a highly clocked i3. If the Phenom is not holding up, there's not nothing in AMD worthwhile upgrading to for gaming.
Have you tried overclocking? That might hold you until an upgrade is really needed.
Have you tried overclocking? That might hold you until an upgrade is really needed.
-Fran-
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- May 3, 2007
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The best replacement for *all* of the good things the venerable 965 does for you, would be any post-Sandy i5: 2500K up till 4690K and beyond. If you have extra money, going with any i7 is a good alternative as well. As long as you stick to Z-boards, it shouldn't be so expensive to get great OC for cheap with a Hyper 212 (or any from the pinned topic).
I'm rocking an i7 2700K that I had the chance to get in Microcenter with a *great* discount when looking for a replacement for my 965, so yeah.
If you're not into OC, then a locked i5 with any MoBo that can handle it will fit your needs as well very nicely.
Cheers!
I'm rocking an i7 2700K that I had the chance to get in Microcenter with a *great* discount when looking for a replacement for my 965, so yeah.
If you're not into OC, then a locked i5 with any MoBo that can handle it will fit your needs as well very nicely.
Cheers!
- Oct 17, 2011
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http://anandtech.com/bench/CPU/1107
Your Phenom is going to be just a bit behind the FX-8350 in there...and since the the top i7 on that list paired with a GTX 770 (like your GPU) only outperforms by a bare 3 FPS at 1080p, I really doubt you'll see significant improvement.
Nor should you get an FX CPU, unless your Phenom is running into physical issues. The FXs (8320, 8350, etc.) are only 1 tier above your Phenom, & Tom's doesn't recommend upgrading for a single-tier upgrade.
Yes, going with an i5 (4590, 4670 or 4690, with or without the "K") would be a 2-tier upgrade. But, you have to balance that against having to not only buy the processor but also a new motherboard...and therefore having to reinstall Windows from scratch. Even if you can get to a local Micro Center & get a bundle, you're running at least $250-300 USD...and, at least for BF4, that's a lot for a very minor uptick in performance. Same with GPU; your 770 is near the top (5th-tier), & you'd have to get an R295 X2 or a GTX 980 to meet the "2-tier-minimum" upgrade recommendation.
If your CPU is giving you lots of problems or is on its last legs, your cheapest bet would be to get an FX-6300. It would be brand-new (thereby lasting longer), performs slighlty better than your Phenom (http://anandtech.com/bench/product/699?vs=102), & Tom's currently gives it Honorable Mention as an entry-level gaming CPU (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-2.html) due to its low price. Whether or not you do that, though, you can start saving up to plan for either a Skylake upgrade, or to see if AMD releases anything later this year/early next year.
Your Phenom is going to be just a bit behind the FX-8350 in there...and since the the top i7 on that list paired with a GTX 770 (like your GPU) only outperforms by a bare 3 FPS at 1080p, I really doubt you'll see significant improvement.
Nor should you get an FX CPU, unless your Phenom is running into physical issues. The FXs (8320, 8350, etc.) are only 1 tier above your Phenom, & Tom's doesn't recommend upgrading for a single-tier upgrade.
Yes, going with an i5 (4590, 4670 or 4690, with or without the "K") would be a 2-tier upgrade. But, you have to balance that against having to not only buy the processor but also a new motherboard...and therefore having to reinstall Windows from scratch. Even if you can get to a local Micro Center & get a bundle, you're running at least $250-300 USD...and, at least for BF4, that's a lot for a very minor uptick in performance. Same with GPU; your 770 is near the top (5th-tier), & you'd have to get an R295 X2 or a GTX 980 to meet the "2-tier-minimum" upgrade recommendation.
If your CPU is giving you lots of problems or is on its last legs, your cheapest bet would be to get an FX-6300. It would be brand-new (thereby lasting longer), performs slighlty better than your Phenom (http://anandtech.com/bench/product/699?vs=102), & Tom's currently gives it Honorable Mention as an entry-level gaming CPU (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-2.html) due to its low price. Whether or not you do that, though, you can start saving up to plan for either a Skylake upgrade, or to see if AMD releases anything later this year/early next year.
I'm not necessarily into OC'ing, BUT it will probably happen in the future especially if I get the i5. I have around 500 to invest, so going with a new processor and motherboard isn't too much of a deal as I set aside the money just for this. I have a friend running a 760ti and an i7 4790k and he is absolutely crapping on me when it comes to performance in the games we play -_-
-Fran-
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Then...
You can play with those and have some extra for a good HSF to play with OC if you like. Or even more RAM if budget allows.
In particular, I'm a some-what Asus fanboi, so the Asus is my recommendation, but the ASRock has good reviews and is fairly cheap. In any case, you have great options with your $500 budget
Cheers!
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