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CPU upgrade suggestion?

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Hey guys, thanks in advance for any help.

Heres my problem:

I started out with this,

http://www.asus.com/Desktop/Entertainment/Essentio_CM55...

I recently went out and got the Nvidia GTX 560 Ti, with a 650w power supply. This card is very good. Im trying to play a game that has 1000 AI in a single battle, and my CPU is simply too slow to process the AI movement, attacks and such.

Right now my CPU is a Pentium(R) Dual Core 2.60 GHz
My questions are :

1. How hard is it to replace a CPU? i understand i have to replace the motherboard as well.

2. Im not trying to spend too much on this, considering i just spent a lot on the other things. Can anyone show me good combos of CPU/Motherboard that will be a great speed for this "AI" problem im having?

3. For anyone who knows, if i purchased these 2 upgrades, could i take my rig to geek squad to have them put in? Does geek squad do that?
Never done it before and wouldnt want to mess things up.

Again, thanks for any help. :) 
-AeRo

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CPUs Expert

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

For an extra $30, this is the Flagship 990FX from Asrock. Asrock uses the same materials ASUS does, and has GREAT quality, but for a less than premium cost.

With the P67 GEN 3 board, it will allow you to upgrade to Ivy Bridge cpu's, but unless you wait on your cpu purchase, with an upgrade at this time its pointless. An i5 will do just fine until a newer board is needed for intel, so save ourself $70 if you are purchasing the cpu in the near future.

With P67 GEN 3 board and i5, price goes to $445 appr.

Asrock 990FX price jumps to $275.
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Hey, thanks for the suggestions. But i was trying to look at a budget of 150-200.
I saw on other posts AMD ones for cheaper than the 300+ u guys suggested.

Sorry shoulda mentioned my budget.
CPUs Expert

Your's is a triple core, with possibility of unlocking a 4th. Very low OC potential.

Mine is a true Quad-Core, with very high OC potential. I am running This chip in my system, and i have it clocked to 4.12GHz/core. I have aftermarket cooling though, so dont try this with stock, but getting it to 3.6-3.8 on stock might be possible. For the extra $25, you are buying the best gaming cpu that AMD produces right now.

Ok, lots of talk about this overclocking...please explain to me how this works.
I thought putting a CPU in and just running the game would be enough..why exactly would i need to overclock?

And if im running 650w, and the video card requires 550w, that leaves only 100w for the cpu right?
CPUs Expert

vid card does not recquire 550W. that is total system power useage. OC'ing is used for better performance. Simply enter the BIOS, and increase the multiplier. If you aren't sure about this, you can either refer to the many forums on Toms, or skip it altogether if you choose. This is simply a suggestions for better performance. Your vid card only uses around 185W max power consumption, so you have a ton of headroom with your psu.

Ok cool, so my PSU will be enough power either way then.
Ok so is your suggestion of CPU/MB a good one without overclocking?
Its .6 GHz faster than mine now without overclocking...this will make a big difference?
CPUs Expert

however, from your dual core, that will be 5.2GHz faster overall, and the phenom II quad core i gave you will be 7.6GHz faster. So, it depends if you want to save some money.

Personally, i like the Phenom i suggested first, reason being <---

The Llano is a great chip though if you want to save some extra dough.
CPUs Expert

think of it this way, a cheap mobo is like picking a not so smart kid for the academic pentathalon. You may get OK performance, but without OC'ing anything, the faster bus speeds and transfer speeds will be important. it gives you upgrade room too in the future.

Ok thanks man and 1 last question if you dont mind.

If i got your first choice, plus a great motherboard, so basicly both your first choices, would i be able to just put these in and go? itll match up with everything else in the computer? i dont have to worry about matching anything else? like chips or anything?

Sorry if these are stupid questions, i just dont want to order it and then have problems, and i have no clue how this works.

Ok but if i didnt upgrade the memory, and i got the CPU u were talking about for 120$, plus this MB for around 50, it would perform well still right? And everything would match up?

So i cant get that other MB unless i upgrade the memory?
CPUs Expert

i dont believe DDR2 runs in DDR3 slots, but i could be wrong. Double check on that, as it may actually work? if so, the first option is awesome. if not, the $50 mobo will work just fine for now. you can save up and upgrade later down the road.

No ddr2 is not compatible with ddr3 slots or vice versa. You must pick up new ram. Also 2x2gb ram would run faster than 1x4gb ram, the am3 platform runs off dual channel memory.

The 955be will be a huge upgrade over your old cpu(actually so would the athlon x3) If you are looking for a cheap good mobo look at the asrock 770

lol well im aiming for this for christmas. if i splurge and go for 250, thats fine. I just want to finish this PC off. I have a great GPU and power supply, just need the rest :) 

If the extra 50$ for ram will be worth it, then thats what i want haha

Are you sure 2x2 is enough though? thats only 4 gb of ram.

Say i wanted 8..what would u go for man? the 2x4gb or the 4x2gb?
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