Upgrade/Overhaul, which CPU?

TomatoThomas

Honorable
Nov 27, 2015
36
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10,530
I used to be very knowledgeable and up to date with computer hardware and products, but 5 years later I am lacking and need some help. I need to get a new CPU, but as you all know upgrading CPU means upgrading motherboard (and I need to rid myself of my current one, pain in the ass)

I have had two AMD processors die on me in the past, but I am unfamiliar with the hardware and installation of Intel processors, so I am open to both. I will game more than anything else, but I am looking for at least 6 quads, because I do plan on rendering and recording/streaming. I will list my specs below. My budget is low-mid, $300 is the max I have budgeted for the guy, but within reason I can go more. Keep in mind I will have to get a new Motherboard and probably more RAM, and for me, money IS an object.

B85M-G Micro ATX (utter trash, too small and faulty SATA ports)
i5 4460
GTX 970
Ballistix Crucial Sport 8GB
256G ADATA SSD
500GB HDD
1TB HDD
Seasonic 620W Gold

Thank you :)

P.S. I have looked and am considering i5 8400, but shoot me down if that is a bad idea. I will buy an aftermarket liquid cooler as well if I need to, but I have no experience with overclocking and the dangers of.
 
Solution
This kinda the min I'd recommend. Even then the 6 cores may struggle a little with high quality gaming with high stream settings. But you can dial things back here or there.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B360 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $419.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-10 11:47 EDT-0400

$300 is just too low for something that will be effective. But adding the...
This kinda the min I'd recommend. Even then the 6 cores may struggle a little with high quality gaming with high stream settings. But you can dial things back here or there.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B360 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $419.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-10 11:47 EDT-0400

$300 is just too low for something that will be effective. But adding the parts you have to the ones listed would give you a decent gaming system, with streaming capabilities at 1080p 60hz.

edit: even with that updated system you will be slightly limited, and will have to change settings (game dependent) to get your desired results. But will be better than what you have.
 
Solution