Upgrade Processor and RAM Without Replacing Motherboard?

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CDDogg

CDDogg

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Aug 20, 2015
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Is there any way I can easily get a new processor and upgrade my RAM beyond max without getting a new motherboard? I want better processing capabilities for gaming and I need more than 4GB of RAM but what bothers me is I have a 64-bit motherboard and cant add more RAM.

What I have:
CPU: AMD Athlon II x2 220 2.8GHz
RAM: 2 2GB 1Rx8 PC3-12800 1333MHz

What I want:
CPU: something with 3.5GHz capable of running ARMA 3 and Watchdogs smoothly
RAM: 2 4GB 2Rx4 PC3 1600MHz(I want this ram because I actually have those modules handy but my PC wont accept them)
 
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boosted1g

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Jun 12, 2013
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Ok, your motherboard will only support 2gb dims, so you will need 4x2gb sticks to get 8gb of ram.

As far as cpu I can not find an official cpu support list but should support most Athlon and Phenom chips, now you only have 4pin cpu header so I would stick to 95w tpp CPUs (or less).
Since you want to game even an Athlon X4 would be highly insufficient for your needs. I would look on ebay for a phenom ii x4 945 which "should" work. Don't pay more then $60-70 for it though because beyond that you would be much better off just saving for a full cpu/mobo upgrade.
 
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CDDogg

CDDogg

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Someone told me recently I should scrap my whole board and purchase an ASRock H97M Pro4. I'm seriously considering it but it looks like if I purchase it it does not come with a CPU. Would I be able to use my old Athlon II x2 220 on that board as a temporary solution until I find a good CPU for it?
 
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CDDogg

CDDogg

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is there a cheap intel CPU with 3.5GHz for that board? My budget is 110$ and that board is 80$ unless i want a used one.
 
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CDDogg

CDDogg

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it's either upgrade or buy a new computer and upgrade that one because I want a gaming PC and I dont want to spend over 800$ on something i'll need to upgrade myself anyways. Besides I went from barely running Unturned on lowest settings, to running ARMA 3 at 35FPS steady on a 100$ budget. Which is great but I need better.
 
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CDDogg

CDDogg

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for a new AMD board how would a MSI AM3 Plus Motherboard Hybrid Crossfire Micro 760GMA-P34 FX. Would it accommodate my Athlon and 8GB RAM?
 
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boosted1g

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I made an edit but it must not have took.

Its a waste of money to make multiple incremental upgrades, if you are going to upgrade then do it right the first time. Save up until you can get an i5-4460 and an h97 board and you will be set for a good while (costs around $250 USD); you will also then be able to use your 8gb memory.

Im not saying you need to completely buy a new PC, but upgrading your AMD or getting a low end cpu in the intel to then need to get a higher end cpu is just going to cost you more money over time. Like I said just save up until you can make a worthwhile upgrade. Then after you get a good cpu/mobo you can then work on upgrading gpu (and a quality PSU to support that gpu).
 
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boosted1g

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Yes it will work, but it is also limiting you from the start. That motherboard will only support up to an fx-6300 as it does not have enough power to support better CPUS.

Now Intel chips apples-to-apples is faster then AMD and if you are wanting to eventually go intel then this is a waste.
If you want to stay AMD instead of Intel though so you can do more phased upgrades here is what I suggest.
Get yourself a Gigabyte 970-ud3p board. This is a decent mid range $70 board that will support your current 8gb of memory and your Athlon x2. It is also quality enough to support overclocking the FX-8320 (or 8350) chip that you can get in the future; at 4.4 ghz this cpu is near i5 level performance per core.
 
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CDDogg

CDDogg

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What about this? ASRock 970M PRO3 Socket AM3+/ AMD 970/ DDR3/ Quad CrossFireX/ SATA3&USB3.0/
 
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CDDogg

CDDogg

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oh IDK if I forgot to mention it in this thread but I do need a micro ATX board. my PC case has small dimensions.
 
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boosted1g

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Ahh, well in that case that is the only option they make for 970 micro atx board.

It is a decent board but the gigabyte is better for sure.

The other issue is that once you get a better cpu and gpu you will defiantly be outside of the cooing abilities of your small micro-atx (im guessing OEM like hp or dell) case.
I would frankly suggest getting the gigabyte board and a full size case.
Rosewill challenger and nzxt source 210 are good quality "budget level" cases.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($72.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $111.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-02 15:19 EDT-0400
 
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