I have a PC build from 2010 or so that I'm looking to upgrade so it can play current games at decent settings. Ideally I'd like it to roughly equal PS4/XB1 specs.
One of the problems I ran into is that my Mobo has an AM3 slot and I'm really not sure I have the time and money to rebuild around a new Motherboard.
I was looking at AM3 processors, mostly Phenom chips, and I did notice there were some that were a year or so newer than the one in my machine and up to 2.5 times faster, which again puts it roughly on par with the CPUs in modern gaming consoles(though I'm aware CPU isn't their strong point either).
I have a PCIe slot for graphics, so that should be fine. My main worry is that if I get a top of the line Phenom chip from back in 2010/11 it might not be very power efficient.
Is this upgrade worth it or should I just wait until I'm prepared to rebuild? Also, where is the best place to get a hold of older CPUs? I've seen a few on eBay, I just want to make sure they're unused etc.
One advantage to getting an X6 too, is that it while it's an older processor, it'll be more future proof compared to the average quad core - when games start to use more cores, I should see a significant boost in performance that might improve longevity for a year or so.
I have so many games to catch up on that I don't really need something uber that will smoothly play games 4 years from now(but can still potentially handle them on lower settings).
One of the problems I ran into is that my Mobo has an AM3 slot and I'm really not sure I have the time and money to rebuild around a new Motherboard.
I was looking at AM3 processors, mostly Phenom chips, and I did notice there were some that were a year or so newer than the one in my machine and up to 2.5 times faster, which again puts it roughly on par with the CPUs in modern gaming consoles(though I'm aware CPU isn't their strong point either).
I have a PCIe slot for graphics, so that should be fine. My main worry is that if I get a top of the line Phenom chip from back in 2010/11 it might not be very power efficient.
Is this upgrade worth it or should I just wait until I'm prepared to rebuild? Also, where is the best place to get a hold of older CPUs? I've seen a few on eBay, I just want to make sure they're unused etc.
One advantage to getting an X6 too, is that it while it's an older processor, it'll be more future proof compared to the average quad core - when games start to use more cores, I should see a significant boost in performance that might improve longevity for a year or so.
I have so many games to catch up on that I don't really need something uber that will smoothly play games 4 years from now(but can still potentially handle them on lower settings).
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