Need your advice on CPU, Motherboard upgrade!!

[ConvertedAnt]

I am fairly new to building computers and need some expert advise so have come here on the recommedation of a close friend.
I am looking to upgrade my motherboard cpu and ram in the new year but i have a limited budget (around £200 not including ram).
I have looked at loads of different options but have got myself very confused. I am looking to make a decent gaming rig.
Any advise is greatly appriciated, but unfortunatly the budget is not very flexible due to having a young family.
Many Thanks in advance.
Ant

 

[socialfox]

There are probably a few better alternatives if you up the budget just a bit but this in my opinion is a decent rig:
http://www.dabs.com/products/intel-core-i3-3220-3-10ghz-s1155-3mb-86KM.html?q=i3%203220&src=16
http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-p8h61-mx-usb3-s1155-intel-h61-ddr3-matx-871K.html?q=H61&src=16

You could use the extra money you saved from the motherboard and processor for the video card which you will need for gaming.

 

[ConvertedAnt]

Thanks for the quick responce.
I already have a Nvidia GTX 550 Ti in my current setup which i will continue to use for the time being. I know its not the best but suites my needs for now.
Are micro ATX motherboards ok for gaming because i have been told they overheat quite easily.
I am sorry for sounding a bit thick but i am new to this.
Ant

 

[socialfox]

Never heard of micro-atx boards overheating during gaming sessions. I myself run an Asus M5A78L-M LX Plus and it never goes beyond 35 degrees when gaming for hours. That being said I have heard full sized ATX boards are better for overclocking, but the i3 3220 can't be overclocked. If you prefer ATX boards just let me know, I can find one around the same price.

 

[ConvertedAnt]

Thanks again for taking the time to answer.
I have a full atx at the moment and i have had no trouble with temps.
When i get home (at work at the mo) i will post my current setup as there may be an easier solution to boost my current setup.
Ant

 

[Sonophos]

http://www.dabs.com/products/asrock-990fx-extreme3-am3--amd-990fx-ddr3-atx-7XNH.html?refs=473460000&src=3

and

http://www.dabs.com/products/amd-fx8-8320-black-edition-vishera-8-core-am3--3-5ghz-16mb-125w-8BXG.html?refs=4294943807&src=3

Come in at a little over £200

with

http://www.dabs.com/products/amd-fx-8120-am3--3-1ghz-16mb-125w-7R43.html?refs=4294943807&src=2

Comes in just under £200.

Many people slate AMD builds but you still get just a bit more bang for your buck on budget builds.

 

[socialfox]

Hmm...that FX build does seem to be very good...
Think I'll go look for another motherboard and processor to match that with Intel

 

[ConvertedAnt]

I have been looking at AMD already. I have and AMD build at the moment but i cant recall the details at present.
I have had no problems with my AMD stuff.
The motherboard you suggested is one i had bookmarked so is a likely purchase.
I didn't realise i could get an 8-core processor in budget though so that was great news.
Thanks for all you help.
Will post current build this afternoon, hopefully we can sort my mess out.

 

[tassietim]

i'd be tempted to go for a i5 3750k ,seams to be the gamers cpu of choice
http://www.dabs.com/products/intel-core-i5-3570k-s1155-3-4ghz-6mb-7YXJ.html?refs=4294944663&src=2

doubles the cpu cost though

 

[ConvertedAnt]

Thanks for the suggestion but that would blow almost my entire budget on just the cpu.

 

[socialfox]

Well how about this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-H77M-Motherboard-Socket-Intel/dp/B007OCJWTM/ref=sr_1_7?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1354537471&sr=1-7

and this which is very close to the 3570k:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-I5-3470-Processor-3-20GHZ-Socket/dp/B0083U94CO/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1354537298&sr=1-1

 

[tassietim]

yeah
got to the point now some games play better on intel while others like amd
need to diff pc setup for different games lol

 

[Sonophos]

With some Mobos you can store clocking profiles. If you want a particular game to play better with a higher clock speed you can switch to a profile for it.

Takes a bit of work to set up though.

NB. watch those delivery charges on Amazon they can really bump up the price. Ebuyer is another good UK site to order from and they don't charge delivery.