Upgrade for Intel Core i3-2100 CPU

bohenian

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Jul 25, 2015
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I want to upgrade my CPU which is stated above in the title, and I am kind of clueless as to what should I buy. I also want to upgrade my MOBO for that matter as my socket is LGA1155. I want a CPU upgrade that is reasonable enough and will cover my budget of about $200 - $250 (excluding the MOBO). My current PC Specifications are:

PSU: Corsair VS650
CPU: Intel Core i3-2100
GPU: GTX 560 (non TI)
Motherboard: AsRock H61M-VS

I usually use this computer for gaming.
And now, I am also going to use it for light to medium model rendering (Using software like 3DS Max, Google Sketch, etc.).
I can increase my budget of about $50, but that's all I can go.
Can anyone help me? Any response will be greatly appreciated! Thanks. :bounce:
 
Solution
You could keep that mobo mate & grab a second hand i5 3450/3470 in all honesty for around $100.
Its still a great CPU & competes with the haswell i5 4440 generally.

Otherwise if you want to upgrade fully a 4460 & a cheapish h97 board will do the job.
You could keep that mobo mate & grab a second hand i5 3450/3470 in all honesty for around $100.
Its still a great CPU & competes with the haswell i5 4440 generally.

Otherwise if you want to upgrade fully a 4460 & a cheapish h97 board will do the job.
 
Solution

bohenian

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Jul 25, 2015
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4,510


Thank you for the response, but will that upgrade (any of the 3 you suggested) in any way going to need additional power? Or my current PSU will provide sufficient? I'd also want to know your recommendation on a "cheapish h97" board if I considered upgrading to a 4460. Thank you so much!
 
Power wise no the vs650 although not great quality has plenty of wattage.

Looking at rendering etc & as you stated you have $200-250 for CPU alone I would suggest a Xeon (i7 without the integrated graphics).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($232.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $304.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-18 08:25 EDT-0400
 

bohenian

Reputable
Jul 25, 2015
7
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4,510


Thanks mate! This is just the first time that I will upgrade my CPU I think I'll stick with the i5 CPUs and go for that kind of MOBO. Just wondering, I noticed that all of the CPUs you suggested lacks hyperthreading, will I be fine without that? Sorry, noob with CPUs :??: