CPU Upgrade

[PlanetaryPenguin321]

So im decent with computers but I never fully understood upgrading CPUs such as the requirements. What I would like to know, is if there is any CPU I can get that is better than my current. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103244) My motherboard is AM2+ I believe but could someone double check my PC specs to make sure it is AM2+. (http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/1015005R/1015005Rnv.shtml) Also I would rather not have to upgrade my PSU so the same wattage as my current would be a nice bonus.

Upgrades iv done to this PC already:
Put up to 8GB of RAM
X-Fi Titanium Soundcard
GTX 650 Ti SSC 2GB (Reason I want to look for a better CPU before I do call it quits on this PC and scrap it) Any help is appreciated.

 

[PlanetaryPenguin321]

Bump

 

[payturr]

Honestly brother, there's really no good processor you can get for that board these days due to age and what not - I'd honestly scrap the RAM, sound card, and 650ti, I'd buy a new i3/i5 and a Z77 motherboard - namely due to performance, power usage, and it supports PCI-e 3.0 unlike AMD motherboards, so your 650ti doesn't experience a bottleneck.

 

[PlanetaryPenguin321]

Honestly brother, there's really no good processor you can get for that board these days due to age and what not - I'd honestly scrap the RAM, sound card, and 650ti, I'd buy a new i3/i5 and a Z77 motherboard - namely due to performance, power usage, and it supports PCI-e 3.0 unlike AMD motherboards, so your 650ti doesn't experience a bottleneck.

Im just looking for the best possible improvement here. Why would you scrap a 650 Ti though? They just came out. PCIE v1 doesnt cause a bottleneck either.

 

[payturr]

When I say scrap, I mean take and reuse xD Sorry for lack of communication there & it's just PCI e?

 

[PlanetaryPenguin321]

When I say scrap, I mean take and reuse xD Sorry for lack of communication there & it's just PCI e?

PCI dunno why i thought PCIE for a second. Do you know if a 45nm CPU will fit in a 65nm? Think its possible to run a Phenom II?

 

[payturr]

Okay dude the way nm works is the internal design of the CPU - not external. If it fits in the socket, and your BIOS supports it, thats all that matters- nm really means nothing to the board, it means something in overall performance and power usage. If there's a Phenom II for AM2+ & your board supports it, go for it! But realistically, it's a old processor and the performance increase wouldn't be as much as upgrading to a modern CPU.

 

[ProSnipor]

Okay, i'd nab a budget board like an asrock 970 extreme3, and pair your gpu with an FX 6300. This costs like $225, and your system would be perfectly optimized.

CPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286

Mobo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280&Tpk=970%20extreme%203

Tbh, your mobo with pci-e would not bottleneck a 650 ti, mainly because its a 650ti. You can't bottle neck an entry level gpu on pci-e 2.0, or even 1.0. The only difference you might see is an increase in like 5-6 fps switching between 1.0 to a full 16x 2.0

The reason why I'm telling you to swap motherboards is because you are going to have a terrible time trying to find am2+ cpus. AMD scrapped almost all am3 cpus already, so you are stuck with that, or you can upgrade to am3+ (or am3 but i don't see why you would) motherboard. Or you can go to the blue team (intel) if you have more money to burn.

 

[popatim]

Google hasnt found anyone thats upgraded the cpu so the bios may be locked to only run that cpu.

Theres very little benefit of pcie v3 over v2 otherwise Payturr offers decent advice. Its time for you to start saving your pennies for a major upgrade.

 

[PlanetaryPenguin321]

Okay dude the way nm works is the internal design of the CPU - not external. If it fits in the socket, and your BIOS supports it, thats all that matters- nm really means nothing to the board, it means something in overall performance and power usage. If there's a Phenom II for AM2+ & your board supports it, go for it! But realistically, it's a old processor and the performance increase wouldn't be as much as upgrading to a modern CPU.

Alright thanks. Im just looking for a CPU that won't cause bottlenecks for the new GPU so I don't need anything real fancy just a slight upgrade. Id rather not scrap any other parts of my PC, just replace CPU.