Need help upgrading CPU

xThunderxWolfx

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May 18, 2014
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I was told that my CPu is bottlenecking my computer, so I thought I'd come ask what I should upgrade to. Especially because I have a LGA 1155 socket. These are my specs.




CPU
Intel Core i5 2500K @ 3.30GHz 34 °C
Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology
RAM
8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
ASRock P67 Pro3 (CPUSocket) 31 °C
Graphics
HL22XLE2 (1920x1080@60Hz)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
Hard Drives
699GB Western Digital WDC WD7501AALS-00E8B0 ATA Device (SATA)
 
Solution
Hmmm, not a whole lot of options for LGA 1155. You could get a slightly better cpu for that socket for 300ish bucks but that's not really worth it. You can get better chips for less money on a different socket. You can get a new mobo and a cpu that is better than an upgrade for lga1155 if you are willing to switch.
Unless you want to overclock your current cpu to alleviate bottlenecking as a solution, I would advise changing sockets as opposed to getting a slightly better cpu for lga 1155.

Here is your current cpu benchmark
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-2500K+%40+3.30GHz

Here is an lga 1155 upgrade cpu benchmark (costs over 300$)
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-3570K+%40+3.40GHz

Here is...

joex444

Distinguished
Honestly, you're not going be able to find a much better CPU for that socket so it either means spend hundreds of dollars on a new Core i5/i7 CPU (Skylake), new board, and new RAM or you could make sure you have a good air cooler and overclock it.

Here's some discussion about overclocking that setup: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/666878-Asrock-P67-Pro3-i5-2500k-overclocking

You should be able to hit 4.2GHz for free if you already have a good cooler (definitely not the stock cooler, if that was even offered on the 2500K). This would easily put it ahead of a modern Core i5-6500, which is already overkill to drive a GTX 970.

I would sort of doubt you have too much bottlenecking. You may want to upgrade to 16GB RAM though. As already said, who told you you're bottlenecked? The 970 is powerful, but not *that* powerful.
 

craftmaster_96

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Sep 6, 2015
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Hmmm, not a whole lot of options for LGA 1155. You could get a slightly better cpu for that socket for 300ish bucks but that's not really worth it. You can get better chips for less money on a different socket. You can get a new mobo and a cpu that is better than an upgrade for lga1155 if you are willing to switch.
Unless you want to overclock your current cpu to alleviate bottlenecking as a solution, I would advise changing sockets as opposed to getting a slightly better cpu for lga 1155.

Here is your current cpu benchmark
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-2500K+%40+3.30GHz

Here is an lga 1155 upgrade cpu benchmark (costs over 300$)
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-3570K+%40+3.40GHz

Here is an example of one of many good cpus on different socket types that are cheaper (240) (this is a particularly good one but not the newest
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-4690K+%40+3.50GHz
 
Solution

xThunderxWolfx

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May 18, 2014
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One of my friends that does a lot of computer building. No performance issues that I've noticed.

 

xThunderxWolfx

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May 18, 2014
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I'll have to upgrade my ram next chance i get. Thanks.
 

xThunderxWolfx

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May 18, 2014
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Nice info! Any suggestion on a gaming mobo if i do switch?
 

mcconkeymike

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I just watched a video on youtube from the guy at Awesomesauce did a "does it bottleneck" video with an i7-2600k and a 970 and did notice a SLIGHT bottleneck at 1080p, but almost no bottleneck at 1440p while running newer games. He did say that even with the minor bottleneck that it really wasn't worth the money to upgrade to Skylake. If it were me, I'd OC your processor (with proper cooling of course) and rock that shit until something craps out. Once you have no choice but to upgrade, then buy some of that new Skylake (or next gen) goodness.
 


Any idiot with a screwdriver can do a lot of computer building (like me). Did you friend just say that offhand like it's a well-known fact? (because it isn't) Was it in reference to anything specific like you having trouble hitting 45 FPS in a certain game? It sounds to me like your friend isn't really basing the statement off anything concrete and is just repeating a sound bite from a youtube video.

If you are running your games just fine, there is zero need for an upgrade. A GTX 970 should by able to handle most games in 1080p at minimum 45 FPS, average over 60 FPS, and that's assuming a high-end processor. You should be performing slightly worse due to the 2500k. Can you give us an idea of how you are performing in some games so we can determine your best course of action?
 

craftmaster_96

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Sep 6, 2015
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If you don't plan on overclocking then look here
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2171266/motherboard-core-4690-overclock.html

The mobo also depends on what chip you decide to go with. Also I've seen that you've said that you haven't noticed any performance issues with your games. Before deciding to buy new hardware I'd recommend running a benchmark or playing a game and then looking at the task manager to see how much of you're cpu is being utilized to check how much of a bottleneck your cpu is.
 

xThunderxWolfx

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May 18, 2014
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The only real performance i can give is I can run games like Rainbow six siege at max settings with no noticeable frame drop, and games like Dks3 with frame drop upon loading a new area.