Good Cpu+mobo combo for gaming?, Questions

[xasylum]

So to get things started I would like upgrade my cpu mainly for gaming currently I have a phenom II x4 and when i'm playing cpu demanding games i'm hitting 100% cpu usage and it just ruins my fps, I switched to playing BF3 on medium with my 6870 which could more or less get 40fps on ultra, and still it was occurring so now i'm at the point where I want to upgrade my cpu and mobo because my computer was originally manufacturer built but I have replaced nearly every thing expect the cpu mobo ram along with other small things any how some of the questions I've had are what do I need to do once I replace the mobo is there anything I need to do software wise to finish the installation?

Edit: Realized i didnt mention what CPU i was looking for Im looking to get a CPU and Mobo for less than 300. Thanks for future responses


Question: what is voltage and how i should adjust it when i do overclock it, and how much do you think i could overclock with a stock cooler? Most likely on a i5 is what I'm looking for.

 

[knightdog56]

I would try a mild overclock on the CPU first, also you did not mention which Phenom you are using now.

 

[xasylum]

I would try a mild overclock on the CPU first, also you did not mention which Phenom you are using now.

Its the 945, extra info not sure if this matters
Operating speed: Up to 3.0 GHz
Bus speed: 3600 MHz HT3

So about overclocking, i thought that i couldn't because of the manufacturer Mobo (HP)

 

[xasylum]

So the question now is Can you overclock on a manufacturer Mobo (HP) and if so what is voltage and how should i OC it

 

[knightdog56]

Don't have model number of motherboard used by HP, you didn't list specs. One thing to look at is if you have any programs running in the background while gaming, if you do just disable them while you game then turn them back on when done.

 

[Kindredsouls]

Knightdog56 is right. I'd first look at what you have running on the computer. It's possible that shutting down a few background processes may speed up performance. I don't play BF3, but I do believe it is a pretty CPU intensive game.

Sometimes even commercial mfg like HP will allow overclocking depending on the model of the computer you purchased. Its certainly worth a shot, especially if you're just going to replace it otherwise.

If you want to just replace your CPU and Motherboard that's ok too. Are you interested in overclocking? That certainly has a bearing on what hardware would be more appropriate for you. A $300 budget for a CPU and Motherboard is alright, but that is assuming you can reuse existing hardware from your current computer. It would help a lot if we knew all of the precise specs from your current system:

Model of the computer from HP
CPU Model
Motherboard Model
GPU Model
Power Supply (PSU) Model
Memory Amount and Type
Hard Drive Model

Hope that helps!

 

[xasylum]

Knightdog56 is right. I'd first look at what you have running on the computer. It's possible that shutting down a few background processes may speed up performance. I don't play BF3, but I do believe it is a pretty CPU intensive game.

Sometimes even commercial mfg like HP will allow overclocking depending on the model of the computer you purchased. Its certainly worth a shot, especially if you're just going to replace it otherwise.

If you want to just replace your CPU and Motherboard that's ok too. Are you interested in overclocking? That certainly has a bearing on what hardware would be more appropriate for you. A $300 budget for a CPU and Motherboard is alright, but that is assuming you can reuse existing hardware from your current computer. It would help a lot if we knew all of the precise specs from your current system:

Model of the computer from HP
CPU Model
Motherboard Model
GPU Model
Power Supply (PSU) Model
Memory Amount and Type
Hard Drive Model

Hope that helps!

Model of the computer from HP It is the HPE-210y
CPU Model Phenom II X4 945
Motherboard Model Foxconn, H-RS880-uATX (Aloe)
GPU Model I installed a Sapphire HD6870
Power Supply (PSU) Model Coolermaster 700w
Memory Amount and Type 8gb type it doesnt say
Hard Drive Model Its a WD 1TB 5200rpm

Would an i5 increase performance by a decent amount?
thanks for your help

 

[xasylum]

Don't have model number of motherboard used by HP, you didn't list specs. One thing to look at is if you have any programs running in the background while gaming, if you do just disable them while you game then turn them back on when done.

Sorry for not being specific enough, the model is in my previous reply
here it is
Model of the computer from HP It is the HPE-210y
CPU Model Phenom II X4 945
Motherboard Model Foxconn, H-RS880-uATX (Aloe)
GPU Model I installed a Sapphire HD6870
Power Supply (PSU) Model Coolermaster 700w
Memory Amount and Type 8gb type it doesnt say
Hard Drive Model Its a WD 1TB 5200rpm

Do you think disabling my antivirus would be fine and help? also i would like a new mobo so in the future i could crossfire (also it might bottleneck it) and if i get a new mobo, i would like to get a cpu that would perform better in future endeavors, or futureproof if u will.

 

[knightdog56]

Did some research and from the sound of it, you can Not overclock that motherboard, sorry but it looks like you are in the market for a new motherboard that will fit that case or just start from scratch and use what ever components you can from your old unit, minus that Coolermaster power supply!

 

[xasylum]

Did some research and from the sound of it, you can Not overclock that motherboard, sorry but it looks like you are in the market for a new motherboard that will fit that case or just start from scratch and use what ever components you can from your old unit, minus that Coolermaster power supply!

I've got the CM Storm Enforcer, so do you know of a good motherboard and Cpu combo under 300? also can you explain to me what the voltage is and how i should adjust it when i do overclock it, and how much you think i could overclock with a stock cooler?
Thanks for your help btw.
The internet is a beautiful thing.

 

[knightdog56]

What Phenom II x 4 945 do you have? the 95 watt or the 125 watt model. But a nice motherboard would be the ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0, you could still use your old processor, I have heard of people getting 3.6 Ghz out of the 95 watt model. Later on you could upgrade to a FX processor when you have enough money saved up, right now the ASUS board is going for $179.00 USD.

 

[xasylum]

What Phenom II x 4 945 do you have? the 95 watt or the 125 watt model. But a nice motherboard would be the ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0, you could still use your old processor, I have heard of people getting 3.6 Ghz out of the 95 watt model. Later on you could upgrade to a FX processor when you have enough money saved up, right now the ASUS board is going for $179.00 USD.

I don't honestly know because of the manufacture builtness of it but i would assume 95 watt because it had only a 300 watt power supply, i also heard the Fx 8 core isnt really benefitial for gaming.

 

[knightdog56]

Have you disabled your antivirus while gaming? I am trying to save you some money by upgrading only your motherboard,until game developers start using more cores you wont need 8 core processor. It is up to you if you want to spend alot of money on an Intel system, my AMD Phenom II x4 965BE does just fine with all the games so far, Crysis 3 I will have to scale back some on the settings or start to overclock.