Upgrading CPU for gaming

twiddlestix · Jan 6, 2016

I currently have an fx-4100 cpu in the computer I use for gaming. I want to upgrade it. I was looking at the fx-8350, as a lot of people say it is a good cpu. But the fx-9590 is only £35 more and looks tempting, but I have heard it gets very hot. People have also said that you can overclock an 8350 to be just as good as a 9590, but for only £35 more I dont have to worry about overclocking myself. I plan on buying an air cooler for the cpu, something like the Noctua NH-D14, and the motherboard Im going to buy is the AMD 970. I am also using a AMD 7870, that is sufficient for now, according to the CPUID monitor my cpu is maxed out on all cores while playing Just Cause 3, while the gpu is only at around 60%. So upgrading the cpu makes sense right?

My question is will a good air cooler be enough to cool the fx-9590? I dont want to mess around with liquid cooling.

Finally I have never replaced a mobo or cpu before so I want to check I will have everything I need. Im going to buy the following: cpu, motherboard, air cooler and thermal paste for the junction between cpu and cooler.
I can find guides for everything online, but I want to make sure I havent missed out something critical.

Thanks in advance!

Mankar Kameran · Jan 6, 2016

If you're not going to overclock then an air cooler should suffice, and Noctua makes great air coolers so you should be okay there. What kind of motherboard are you looking at?

twiddlestix · Jan 6, 2016

Hmm, I wanted to get the 970 Gaming AMD mobo, but I just realised it doesnt support an 9590. So if I really am set on a 9590 I would probably go for the 990FXA Gaming AMD mobo or the Crosshair V

-Arke- · Jan 6, 2016

I'm sorry to dissapoint you, but right now, there is little to no difference between any FX x3xx performance. Look some bench and you'll see that 4300 performs the same than 6300 or 8320. That happens because games cant use more than 4 cores, and performance per core is just the same (or almost) in the FX series.

EDIT: From this thread:

-Arke- :

You may instead invest in some other hardware like a quality PSU or a nice GPU. If you have the CPU replacement in mind, I'd rather tell you to try intel, as we wont see any more performance in AMD until ZEN is released this year. You can also wait for ZEN processors and see what happens.

Dark Lord of Tech · Jan 6, 2016

Your choices for the 9000 series:

Asrock 970 Performance
ASRock 990FX Extreme9
ASRock 990FX Extreme6
Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z
Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0
Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 R4.0\5.0
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7
MSI 990FXA-GD80V2

AMD.COM

Warning: This power draw of this CPU is almost twice that of the average CPU. Due to this, AMD recommends using at minimum a 850W to 1000W power supply. For cooling, AMD recommends using either either closed loop liquid cooling , h100i minimum or full system liquid cooling.

Mankar Kameran · Jan 6, 2016

I would say that's a good upgrade. http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-FX-9590-vs-AMD-FX-4100/1812vs2878

lodders · Jan 6, 2016

Best value for money by far is an intel i5 4460 with a good quality H81 motherboard.
Intel consume a lot less electricity, so the stock cooler which comes free with the CPU is perfectly adequate.

AMD used to be a really good buy, but intel are now 2 generations ahead of them

Dark Lord of Tech · Jan 6, 2016

9590's are a waste of money.

Mankar Kameran · Jan 6, 2016

lodders :

Not trying to be intel biased, but I agree with this ^. If you have to change the motherboard, then a switch to intel might come out ahead.

coastie65 · Jan 6, 2016

twiddlestix :

Hi. AMD is known for being a tad warm, but usually a good cooling solution will take care of this. The primary reason is the high TDP of those things. The FX 8350 is a good AMD processor. You should do fine with a good cooling solution and the Noctua is good.

Justin Millard · Jan 6, 2016

I don't think there is much benefit going higher than an 8350 in the FX range.
Just pair the 8350 with a good cooler.
8350 is still a very good gaming PC and has room for a small overclock to 8370 levels when paired with a good cooler.
It is already a highly binned part so difference in quality between it and the 8370 should be un-noticeable.

However if you decide you want the 9590 get a lot of help installing it and getting the cooling set up right.
Worth paying someone at the store to do it for you, as I have seen people manage to install the CPU and cooling incorrectly.

Although with those FX CPUs the main problem is that there is only one Floating Point Unit that has to be shared between each two core module. EG: two FPUs for four cores, and four FPUs for eight cores. A 9590 won't really have any better performance than an 8350 in areas that require that floating point performance. EG: In procedural physics based games like Next Car Game: Wreckfest.

Justin Millard · Jan 6, 2016

Just reading that you are replacing the motherboard anyway. If you are changing motherboards I would honestly switch to an intel motherboard and CPU. The i5 4590 (1150 LGA motherboard socket) if you can find it will give you enough CPU power for years of mid range gaming and will be better than any current AMD CPU for gaming. You should be able to keep your old DDR3 RAM with that build.

EDIT: If you decide to keep your old motherboard the FX 8350 is a good buy.

twiddlestix · Jan 6, 2016

so I am going to have to upgrade both my mobo and cpu, it sounds like i should go for intel rather than amd. I have no loyalty to amd, thats just what the computer came with at first.

So would this be a decent choice? Z170 Pro Gaming mobo with i5-6500 or 6600. Should I buy an air cooler for that? Maybe the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo?

Thanks for all the help guys

coastie65 · Jan 6, 2016

twiddlestix :

If your budget will handle the ASUS z170 Por Gaming board and i5 6600z w/ CM Hyper 212 EVO, go for it. You won't be disappointed. I upgraded to the Z170 Pro Gaming board and i7 6700k the last of Sept. and it is one fine MOBO.

-Arke- · Jan 7, 2016

twiddlestix :

If you can afford it, that's a great deal. Anyways, I'd tell you to pick maybe the Cryorig H7 instead of the 212 EVO, as it's smaller but also performs better, as I've heard. Price is also similar here, but could not be in your country. If they're similar price, the H7 is a more solid option.

About the mobo/CPU, nothing to say; they will perform far better than the FX processors from AMD : )

Justin Millard · Jan 7, 2016

If you are getting a Z170 motherboard and a good air cooler then get the i5 6600K. It will let you give your CPU a small overclock if you ever need a tiny bit more performance in the future. If you are getting those other high quality parts then it is definitely worth the money. With an i5 6600K you won't even think about needing to upgrade the CPU for years.

EDIT: Also don't forget that the new 6th gen intel CPUs need DDR4 RAM. Regular DDR3 RAM will not work.

If this all seems too expensive for you an i5 4690K is also an incredible part if you can find the motherboard for it. They are getting harder to find.

twiddlestix · Jan 7, 2016

well considering I was going to upgrade to an fx-9590 with a mobo and air cooler, it is actually going to be cheaper overall going for the i5-6600k with mobo and air cooler!

Thanks for the heads up about DDR4 ram, I will check that out too.

Upgrading CPU for gaming

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