Upgrade my i5 3350p to a new 3xxx, or shell out for the new motherboard and get a 4xxx?

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GeekoSuave

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Nov 8, 2013
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As newer "next-gen" games come out, more and more often it's my processor holding my system back. I have a GTX 760, 8 GB of RAM (that'll be upgraded soon as well.), and a 750w Corsair Bronze PSU.

With this thread I was hoping to come to the conclusion whether it'd be more beneficial to drop 300 between a new mobo and processor I can overclock later with liquid cooling, or if I should just use the full 300 on a new i5/i7 3770k (or stronger, near that $300 price point?)

One last thing I'd like to know is if I change out the motherboard, does that nullify my copy of Windows?

Thanks for the help, if you need any additional information just let me know.
 
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herrwizo

herrwizo

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There is no way your CPU is holding you back. Intel has barely improved in CPU speed department over the past 5 years, you have almost nothing to gain from upgrading to a 4xxx series unless if you prefer to overclock and get a K series CPU. If anything, your graphics card is holding you back. I would upgrade it to GTX970 or R9 290. Your PSU could also use an upgrade to a better quality model from Seasonic/XFX/Antec (HCG)/EVGA B2/G2.

Changing the mobo usually results in Windows reactivation, yes.
 
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GeekoSuave

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I should have mentioned before that I wanted to stream and play newer games. So at the same time I'm playing, it's also encoding. Would it still be preferable to get a new GPU in that case, or would that be the situation where I need a better CPU after all?

The only reason this situation ever arose was because both my buddy and I stream and his CPU is a better one than mine (his video card isn't as good.), and he has no problem streaming 1080, whereas if I go past 720 it says basically that it's having trouble encoding. I'd tell you the exact error but I'm working and can't get home until later. I was basically thinking of getting a 3570 or 3770 and overclocking it with liquid cooling down the line.

One other thing, I didn't realize my video card was already so far outdated, but I've been stuck on that too, and was gonna ask at a different time when it became financially viable, but I have an R9 270X in another PC and was curious if it'd be better to snag up another 270X and crossfire them, or should I just get a better card and single it? (or crossfire the 270x with a better card if that's possible?) I'd SLI but this was the first PC I ever built and I chose a motherboard that it isn't possible with -_-

Sorry for all the questions and that I got off-topic but since you guys clearly know what you're talking about as far as GPUs go I figured I'd drop a line.
 
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GeekoSuave

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I'll be totally honest, I thought Xeon was a laptop processor, not as a mid-to-top-tier PC processor. Anyone else concur with this? Also what did you mean by "It's basically an i7 without the GPU?"

Anyway, yes I use OBS, and I had no idea that you could put the work off onto the GPU. I've messed around with a lot of the options in there and didn't see anything like that. I'll research it more when I get home because that's very likely exactly what I need, because I haven't been playing very gpu-intensive games.
 
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rolli59

rolli59

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Xeon E3 4 cores 8 threads = I7 4 cores 8 threads. The one I linked to 1230 V2 is Ivy bridge and has the Intel HD GPU module disabled on die, they are as well Available with GPU then the last digit is 5 (1235). http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu/#k=14&s=26&sort=a7&page=1
It is supported by any desktop lga 1155 board and operates clock by clock the same as I7!
XEON is Intel server CPU line.
 
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GeekoSuave

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I didn't mean to pick that as solved. I thought it was the reply button because I wasn't paying attention. So the GPU enabled in a processor is a hindrance if I'm using my own GPU or are those two acronyms actually not related at all?
 
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rolli59

rolli59

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Unselected BA above.
The thing is if you are using your discrete GTX 760 you do not need the Intel HD on the CPU, it is not a hindrance but just sits there idle.
 
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GeekoSuave

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Okay. I'm going to wait it out and see what anyone else says if they post here, because I'm about to stop in at our next job, it'll be an hour or so before I'm able to write back again. I'm just curious what everyone else will say about the Xeon as far as gaming and all, because I don't know anyone that's ever used one in a gaming rig. Just something I'd like more than one opinion on.

Also, back to the GPU real quickly, even with the price difference would it definitely be better to pick up a 970? Or would the difference between that and the 2 Crossfired R9 270X's be negligible considering the price paid between both (anyone new to the thread keep in mind I'd only need 1 R9, as I already have one handy.)
 
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LucoTF

LucoTF

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If you're happy playing on medium to high, stick with the gtx 760.

Nothing wrong with using a xeon for gaming :)
 
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Montblanchill

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If you're unsure about the Xeon being used in gaming builds, check out pcpartpicker and you will be able to see completed builds that people have used a Xeon in, and they usually do a write up on each one describing their experiences.

Long story short, they're essentially an i7 with the onboards graphics disabled and a few instruction sets added for professional use. At the equivalent stock speed an i7 and Xeon should perform exactly the same. The big plus at the moment is you can grab a Xeon of the same clock speed for less money, since the i7's are considered Intel's brand leading device so they garner a premium on price.

Realistically however, the i5 you currently use should not hold you back. If you start to stream on high settings, with multiple things going on in the background then you would start to see a benefit with a Xeon or i7, otherwise the i5 will cope just fine. Your GPU is holding you back at the moment in terms of performance.

I would personally stay away from a Crossfire or SLI setup when streaming, since any stuttering becomes even more noticable over a stream since the FPS is often restricted. This may become noticable to viewers, and you'll also have to start considering cooling options within the case etc.
 
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