Seeking some advice

[entityjustin]

Hello,

I am currently considering switching over to intel based PC from my budget rig I built awhile back since I feel AMD is truly disappointing. I've read over the debates on intel vs amd and sure seems like AMD just has budget parts not really anything that runs as nice as even some of the lower intel cpu's.

I was going to look into whatever the best AMD CPU is right now and just go with that, but I'd rather not waste the money and it seems like that's what will happen if I do. The reason for all this is because I'm playing TERA online and possibly Guild Wars 2 but Tera basically runs at full settings, I disable shadows as a preference but I only get 30 fps on average and I get occasionally choppiness/lag when running through tight spots and areas with a lot going on.

So my question is on what to replace and/or upgrade on the lower and higher end of a budget. Also AMD lover opinions and thoughts are appreciated too since I do use a and build right now.

These are my current specs:

•Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
•12GB of RAM:
8 GB (2x 4GB)Gskill DDR3 RipJaw Ram
4GB (2 x 2GB) CORSAIR Vengeance 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3
•AMD FX4100 Quad-Core 3.6 Ghz
•NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
•500 GB Seagate HDD
•Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 Motherboard
•750 Watt Power Supply

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Shockattackr]

what you have now is pretty much the best. Unless you get a 1100T 6-core

 

[crewton]

Generally, MMOs are going to rely more on cpu power. I don't think you will be satisfied with your gaming experience with an AMD processor. A i3 + mobo runs around $180, and i5 + mobo is $230-300.

 

[entityjustin]

Okay, so say I have a little bit to spend on this switch over to the intel world and I wanted the i5 at least. Which i5 should I go with and what's a pretty nice mobo for it? I'd say budget being about $500-ish?

 

[Shockattackr]

i5 3570k 229.99 on newegg.com
Asrock Z77 Extreme4 114.99 on newegg.com
Keep your current specs just upgrade the Processor and motherboard

 

[majini]

Okay, so say I have a little bit to spend on this switch over to the intel world and I wanted the i5 at least. Which i5 should I go with and what's a pretty nice mobo for it? I'd say budget being about $500-ish?

I am currently in the process of building a rig myself and from what I have read there are only 3 options:
i5 3450 (slightly slower than i5 3550 but not sure if it's noticeable)
i5 3550 (pretty much the same as i5 3570k, just not unlocked)
i5 3570k (get this one if you're going to overclock only)

 

[entityjustin]

Best answer selected by entityjustin.

 

[entityjustin]

Sweet; Thank you guys so much for the help. This has always been my favorite go-to site.