Please recommend me upgrade options (Currently on AM3+ motherboard, Phenom II 955)

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dranzer19

Reputable
May 27, 2014
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Hi Guys,

My PC is showing ageing signs and I want to upgrade a bit. Don't have a huge budget though so want to get the best I can so far. Budget around $300-400 CAD.

My current set-up:
ASUS M5A97 Motherboard - supports AM3/AM3+ chipset
AMD Phenom II X4 955
2x4GB = 8GB DDR3 RAM
Visiontek RX 480 8GB Graphics card
256gb SSD and 500GB HDD

From browsing other threads, I think the best upgrade would be a new mobo/cpu/ ddr4 ram. Please suggest what options I have. I don't care if AMD or Intel build. Thanks!

P.S If I change the mobo/cpu/ram, do I need to re-install windows and all my programs/games? Is there a quick way for me to do so? I upgraded from win7 to win10, can I transfer the license as well?
 
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An i5 or i7 of Sandy Bridge era or newer(ie i5 2400 or i7 2600) would be your best cheap option. This is because you can reuse things like DDR3 ram. You could either buy the motherboard and CPU, or buy a pre-built computer with everything, depending on which fits your budget. It might be worth spending a bit more for an i7 if you can since games are starting to use more than 4 cores/4 threads. Your 480 will keep up with whatever you get.

A new generation CPU means getting the motherboard/CPU/DDR4 ram, which will eat up your budget fast and that's just for a Ryzen 2200 based system, which is 4 cores/4 threads.

I recently changed to new computer, reusing my old SSD, and Windows allowed me to use my old license when I reinstalled it. So...
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RememberThe5th

RememberThe5th

Illustrious
Jul 30, 2014
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For 300$ you can get an 1150 socket with i5, cheap mobo and leave ram.
The good cpu's are;
i5-4570
i5-4670
i5-4590
i5-4690/K
i7-4770/K (sometimes under 200$)
i7-4790/K

And xeon variants
E3-1220
E3-1230V3

Here's list -> http://www.cpu-world.com/Sockets/Socket_1150_LGA1150_H3.html

They are pretty good CPU's even for todays standard cause of the good single core perfomance.

If you change motherboard, I saw someone of older members posting that you can transfer license key to new PC 3 times?
But still im quite unsure.

Just for motherboard, check it on manufacturers site if the CPU is actually supported.
 
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dontlistentome

Glorious
Sep 5, 2016
5,979
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An i5 or i7 of Sandy Bridge era or newer(ie i5 2400 or i7 2600) would be your best cheap option. This is because you can reuse things like DDR3 ram. You could either buy the motherboard and CPU, or buy a pre-built computer with everything, depending on which fits your budget. It might be worth spending a bit more for an i7 if you can since games are starting to use more than 4 cores/4 threads. Your 480 will keep up with whatever you get.

A new generation CPU means getting the motherboard/CPU/DDR4 ram, which will eat up your budget fast and that's just for a Ryzen 2200 based system, which is 4 cores/4 threads.

I recently changed to new computer, reusing my old SSD, and Windows allowed me to use my old license when I reinstalled it. So it might work for you too. Even if it didn't I bet you could call Microsoft and they'd let you do it this once.
 
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