Processor/GPU blues.

[shiko098]

Hey guys!

Im coming to the point where i cannot quite shovel enough coal into the computer anymore, and its time for an upgrade, at the moment i am torn as to what to do processor wise. I am planning on investing in a Radeon 6870, and to do that i am going to need a processor upgrade to harness it, now below are my current specs, and i am sure a lot of you will agree its a little on the ancient side.

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5200+ 2.71 GHz
Mobo: Asrock N68-S
Memory: 4gb
Graphics card: 9800gt
PSU: 550w
Monitor: 22" running at 1920x1080

Now i am fairly certain the CPU is bottlenecking even the humble 9800gt! So i am in desperate need of an upgrade the CPU, the only downside is a fairly strict budget i have probably of around about £100 and £250 including the price of a new graphics card. I was kind of hoping just to drop a quad core phenom in my mobo and be done with it, this way it saves me forking out cash on a motherboard aswell.

I have updated the bios on my motherboard and it is compatible with any of the following processors, the question is, would any of them be up to the task of powering a mid range graphics card like a 6870 for example?

http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=N68-S

And as a side note, i mainly do some gaming on my pc setup and im hoping any upgrades will keep me going for at least another year.

Any other suggestions on how i can get the best performance i can for around £250 are very welcome

Thanks in advance!

 

[AdrianPerry]

Your motherboard and CPU are both going to be limiting performance to an extent.

DDR2 memory is just not ideal these days if performance is what your looking for.

Despite that, your motherboard should be able to handle any GPU upgrade since it has a PCIe lane running at x16. Any currently modern GPU will be supported (providing your PSU is up to the task).

£140 XFX 6870: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-xfx-hd-6870-dual-fan-4200mhz-gddr5-gpu-900mhz-1120-stream-processors-2x-dvi-hdmi-2x-mini-display

£90 AMD Phenom II x4 965 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-phenom-ii-x4-965-black-edition-s-am3-34ghz-8mb-cache-125w-retail

What PSU are you using? A random generic 550w? Or something solid like Corsair, XFX, Antec, SeaSonic branded?

 

[shiko098]

Ahh i am using generic 550w, so its probably about as reliable as a chocolate kettle! Though it has served me well so far. I was under the impression that the motherboard could not handle any CPU above 95w? Am i guessing right that the PSU would compensate the extra power usage of the 125w processor you linked? And that the processor would not impede the performance of the GPU?

Two great suggestions though! I still cant quite get over the fact that such an old motherboard can cater for much younger processors. Ahh the small joys of forward compatability.

 

[AdrianPerry]

I was under the impression that the motherboard could not handle any CPU above 95w? Am i guessing right that the PSU would compensate the extra power usage of the 125w processor you linked?

Ah you might be right here. My lack of AMD experience is showing

I just noticed the motherboard was Socket AM3 compatible and presumed it wouldn't be an issue. Might want to get some more feedback here before you take my word for it

 

[shiko098]

shiko098 wrote :

I was under the impression that the motherboard could not handle any CPU above 95w? Am i guessing right that the PSU would compensate the extra power usage of the 125w processor you linked?



Ah you might be right here. My lack of AMD experience is showing

I just noticed the motherboard was Socket AM3 compatible and presumed it wouldn't be an issue. Might want to get some more feedback here before you take my word for it

Thanks for the input none the less! The motherboard is showing its age now, it might be worth biting the bullet shovelling some more money into the pile and upgrading it at the same time!

 

[AdrianPerry]

shiko098 wrote :

I was under the impression that the motherboard could not handle any CPU above 95w? Am i guessing right that the PSU would compensate the extra power usage of the 125w processor you linked?



Ah you might be right here. My lack of AMD experience is showing

I just noticed the motherboard was Socket AM3 compatible and presumed it wouldn't be an issue. Might want to get some more feedback here before you take my word for it

Thanks for the input none the less! The motherboard is showing its age now, it might be worth biting the bullet shovelling some more money into the pile and upgrading it at the same time!

If you do chose to do this, and you chose to stay with AMD, make sure to go for an AM3+ socket motherboard. This will allow the most longevity for future upgrades.

If you chose to switch over to an Intel Build, z68 motherboard + GEN3 recommended. Something like i3-2100 and ASRock Extreme3 GEN3 can be done for about £200 (i3-2100 = £90, ASRock Extreme3 = £115). Following this however, new DDR3 RAM would be required, setting you back another £25 followed by the GPU upgrade (6870 @ £140), followed by a quite possibly necessary PSU upgrade £40.

Either way, to bump your build up to a "modern" spec - your looking at about £400. The same route as above would be required regardless of if you chose to stick with AMD or go to an Intel Build.

 

[AdrianPerry]

Important Note:
When/if you do come to buy components, check out SCAN's "Today Only" deals. You can save yourself usually around 10% just by doing this.

-----------------
£45 Corsair 500w PSU http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w-psu-corsair-builder-series-cmpsu-500cxuk-80-eff-uncertified-quiet-fan-atx-v23

£140 XFX 6870 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-xfx-hd-6870-dual-fan-4200mhz-gddr5-gpu-900mhz-1120-stream-processors-2x-dvi-hdmi-2x-mini-display

£25 Corsair 1600MHz RAM (4GB) http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-(2x2gb)-corsair-ddr3-xms3-classic-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-150v
----------------
Intel:
£92 i3-2100 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i3-2100-s-1155-sandy-bridge-dual-core-31ghz-3mb-smart-cache-31x-ratio-65w-integrated-gpu-

£115 ASRock Extreme3 Gen3 http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/motherboards/intel1155z68chipsetmotherboards/Asrock/Z68EXTREME3GEN3.html#utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products
---------------
AMD:
£90 AMD 965 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-phenom-ii-x4-965-black-edition-s-am3-34ghz-8mb-cache-125w-retail

£68 MSI 870A-G54-FX http://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-870a-g54-(fx)-amd-970-s-am3plus-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-20-(x16)-atx

 

[shiko098]

Well in the end i took the AMD option, and decided to go the full whack and get an AM3+ mobo for future bulldozer upgrades with the AMD 965 and 4gb DDR3 corsair memory. Spent a bit more than i wanted to originally, but itll save my pockets in the future. Thanks for your input Adrian! Huge help, and i completely forgot about Scan, hugely competitive prices so ended up buying all the components off their instead of trotting down to the local vendor.