I am not sure what to upgrade my Motherboard to

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BoxInTheJack

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Dec 27, 2014
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Hello,
I know a little bit about computer hardware. Basically what parts are in it and what they do.
I have a gaming PC, and have a GTX 970. It brings up the performance of most games, although my poor CPU really drags it down sometimes. I'd feel like a 970 could rock ultra on most games but I find myself putting the settings at high or individual settings at medium. My CPU is a AMD Athlon X4 750K and I'm not good at ranking CPU's but it came out in 2012, (sorry if this isn't much to go on.)

Anyways, I would like to upgrade my CPU, and my ideal model would probably be intel i3 or i5 series. But, I did my research and I may need to upgrade my motherboard as well.
My motherboard copied from speccy: MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 (MS-7721) (P0)

I have absolutely NO idea where to go from there. I don't know what motherboard would be a good upgrade.

Anyways, if you need any additional info, I would be happy to provide it. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
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Multipack

Multipack

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Sep 5, 2016
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You definitely need to upgrade/change your motherboard if you plan on going from an AMD chip to an Intel as the CPU sockets are different. There are tons of options out there and it all depends on budget and needs.

Your current CPU isnt that bad, and the GTX970 is going to struggle on Ultra settings with new and future AAA games so you probably wont see as much difference as you may think, but a new CPU/MB would definitely help.
 
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StrattonKaden

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Oct 23, 2016
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That motherboard is a FM2 socket, which means it is only compatible with certain AMD CPUs. If you are looking to stay on a budget and upgrade your performance a little, the AMD x4 860k would be a good choice. But, if you want to stick to Intel, you will in fact need a different motherboard. I would be more than happy to link you a good motherboard and CPU. Just let me know if you are on a budget and I can see what I can find for you.
 
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boosted1g

Titan
Jun 12, 2013
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Yes you will need to upgrade your motherboard. Your 750k is a socket FM2 and the newest intel chips are a socket 1151. If you are planning to get the newest intel cpu then you will also need to upgrade to ddr4 memory as well.

Your 750k is a little less then an core i3 so switching to an i3 would not be a big enough upgrade to warrant the cost and trouble, thus you should be setting your sites on an i5.

Also you will have to completely reinstall windows as any major hardware change (like amd to intol, or even different families of the same brand) will require a full reinstall otherwise your OS will not function reliably.
 
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elbert

elbert

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Jan 11, 2005
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Solution
Multipack

Multipack

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Sep 5, 2016
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That's a grey area. I actually re-activated my copy after switching boards using phone activation and choosing the hardware upgrade/only used on one machine option.

 
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mjslakeridge

mjslakeridge

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Mar 6, 2013
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You may be correct. I switched from Intel to AMD on a music production computer a few years back, and I was able to do the phone activation thing, but that was with Windows XP near the end of it's support life. I don't know how Microsoft is about current OS versions. I just wanted the OP to be aware of a possible additional cost involved in upgrading.

 
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Multipack

Multipack

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Sep 5, 2016
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Mine was Windows 10 (and OEM at that) but was only from b150 to z170. Such a major change as AMD to Intel may be different you're right. I just wanted OP to be aware of the possibility taht it maybe wouldn't need re-purchasing.
 
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