AMD x965 vs i5

[wasabi91]

I was curious whether or not upgrading from a AMD phenom x4 965 stock speed, to a i5-2500k or better would have a reasonable increase in peformance for gaming at 1920x1080. Is it really worth the 200$ and up to switch my mobo from AMD to the i5 just for gaming or would it not be that noticable for the money, or should i just upgrade my GPU eventually when the price drops?

GPU:gtx 560 ti
SSD:crucial m4
OS:Windows 7 (64 bit)
RAM: 8gb DDR3(1600)
PSU:corsair 650tx

 

[Viking2121]

It depends really, OC the 965 to around 4ghz and you might see a good performance boost, as for upgrading to the 2500k, I wouldn't do it, Not much of a performance increase even tho the i5 is faster. I would keep the 965 and wait till AMD/Intel come out with something better.

P.S. Don't go for the AMD bulldozers yet, the 965 will out perform them sadly.

 

[mocchan]

At 1080p, the X4 965 will do perfectly fine; you may want to overclock it, however.

If you can get your X4 965 to around 4Ghz, it should last for another year or two without the need to upgrade. By then, AMD will have brought out some new CPU's, along with Intel.

For now, you may want to invest more into your GPU if you find your performance is lacking. A GTX660 Ti or Radeon HD7950 will give you a very nice performance boost for around $300 And if you think, it's the same cost as a 2500k/3570k+ Z68/Z77 mobo, so why not?

 

[FinneousPJ]

Not really worth upgrading to an i5.

 

[jaguarskx]

If the sole purpose is gaming, then you are better off overclocking and spending money on a faster graphics card.

 

[Uther39]

I was curious whether or not upgrading from a AMD phenom x4 965 stock speed, to a i5-2500k or better would have a reasonable increase in peformance for gaming at 1920x1080. Is it really worth the 200$ and up to switch my mobo from AMD to the i5 just for gaming or would it not be that noticable for the money, or should i just upgrade my GPU eventually when the price drops?

GPU:gtx 560 ti
SSD:crucial m4
OS:Windows 7 (64 bit)
RAM: 8gb DDR3(1600)
PSU:corsair 650tx

Yep i agree with all of the above chaps, buy an aftermarket cooler Hyper 212 evo oc your 965 too around 4ghz and buy a GTX660ti. this will get you your better gaming performance.

 

[mocchan]

Yep i agree with all of the above chaps, buy an aftermarket cooler Hyper 212 evo oc your 965 too around 4ghz and buy a GTX660ti. this will get you your better gaming performance.

Or Radeon HD7950 given the prices on them recently Both are great options, however. OP won't be disappointed if he OC's his chip!

 

[wasabi91]

Ok i'll look into OC the 965 when i got some time. I'm not very familiar with OC'ing, so does anyone know of a good guide or tutorial that breaks it down and explains it. I don't want to fry my chip. ty for the advice.

 

[mocchan]

Easiest way to OC the 965, given that it's a BE chip, is to increase your multiplier little by little, while at the same time, increasing your voltage little by little. You may want to look at the settings some other people have listed in the "AMD Overclocking Club" in the "Overclocking" section of this forum

It would be a great reference on what to change and should be a great reference to give you a general idea of what you can achieve with your chip!

On a side note, you may want to look at the OC results of the Phenom II X4 955's as it's basically the same chip as the 965

 

[sarinaide]

http://www.overclock.net/t/499526/official-phenom-ii-x4-9x5-oc-club

guides, tutorials all you need to overclock a Phenom II chip.