Ok i5 processor for gaming.

[Pyrofan]

Ok, so i have a Intel Core i5 2300 2.8GHz. Dont know my Motherboard brand. I want a better CPU and motherboard for around $250 (if thats possible). I want to know if:

1) Upgrading to a CPU is worth the cash
2) what should I expect from the upgrade?

My PC specs,

1920x1080 monitor
8gb of DDR3 ram
HAF 932 advanced case
CPU is stated
GIGABYTE HD 7870 ( not yet OC'ed)
Corsair 500w PSU

Thanks guys!

 

[johnsonjohnson]

Hi. I'm going to assume you don't have a motherboard that supports overclocking since you don't have a K Series CPU. If that's the case, then your only option is a faster i5 that can't/won't be overclocked. If not, then you can get the i5-3570K after you flash the BIOS so it will support the processor. A faster processor might give you a few extra frame rate at best but I don't think it's worth the money when you already a quad-core with Turbo Boost. Even an i3 is a capable gaming processor that can be paired with the HD 7870. I suggest spending some money on a 120/128GB SSD or saving up more money for a i5-3570K/Z77 motherboard or Haswell upgrade instead.

 

[Murderotica926]

Your CPU definitely has a lot of life left, you could upgrade to the i5 2500k or 3570k (after buying my 3570K I'd recommend going for the 2500K... 3570k is only just slightly faster but runs way hotter and overclocks like garbage in comparison) but you wouldn't notice much of a difference. Personally I don't think that small difference would be worth the money it would cost you.

Wait for the Haswell series, and buy the highest-end quad-core (no hyper-threading), the "K" version so that you can overclock it.

 

[MasterFURQAN]

i think that he's right the 2500k a the 3570k r almost same ..just the clock speed & the ivy bridge...but I'd still recommend the 3570k..

 

[jaguarskx]

If you want better gaming performance then just OC your GPU. Or buy a more powerful GPU. A more powerful CPU can improve performance somewhat, but the biggest boost comes from the GPU.

I would not bother upgrading unless you are going to buy the i5-2500k or i5-3570k; I prefer the newer i5-3570k. Of course, that means you need to have a motherboard that can overclock a "k" model CPU. In the end, I think upgrading the CPU in your case is going to be a waste of money.

I would at least wait for Haswell to come out before upgrading. That will probably be May or June. That should give you plenty of time to save up money for both a new CPU, mobo and if you have extra cash, as new graphics card.

 

[drew13]

You can get a 3570k and a Z77 full atx motherboard at microcenter for under $250. About the 2500k thing, a 3570k is a 7-10% increase to it.

 

[Pyrofan]

So here is the situation. Me and my Old man are building a PC. Mainly me making one for him. So, he will never upgrade his CPU. What i was gonna do is use the CPU and motherboard he buys in my PC. So, can yall link me a ok motherboard and CPU? Still at $250

 

[Pyrofan]

do i have to have a new motherboard? if so, can i take out my cpu and install it in another motherboard?

 

[johnsonjohnson]

Do you know the brand and model of your current motherboard? Do you want to overclock your new CPU? If you don't want to overclock, then you can just get the i5-3470 or i5-3550 or i5-3570 without the need for a new motherboard but you need to flash the BIOS of your current board to support these Ivy Bridge CPUs. If you want to overclock, the i5-2500K and i5-3570K each costs over $200 so you won't be able to get a good Z77 motherboard to overclock for less than $50 (unless you live near Micro Center as someone mentioned above).

Edit: You can get the i5-2500K or i5-3570K for your current board too but it makes no sense if your motherboard cannot overclock them or you won't buy one that will in the future. But if you are willing to buy a Z77 motherboard in the future, then you can go ahead and buy either the i5-2500K or i5-3570K.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Like the others have said it all comes down to the board. If you don't remember the board you might try to run CPU-Z and that may let you know the board.

 

[Pyrofan]

Do you know the brand and model of your current motherboard? Do you want to overclock your new CPU? If you don't want to overclock, then you can just get the i5-3470 or i5-3550 or i5-3570 without the need for a new motherboard but you need to flash the BIOS of your current board to support these Ivy Bridge CPUs. If you want to overclock, the i5-2500K and i5-3570K each costs over $200 so you won't be able to get a good Z77 motherboard to overclock for less than $50 (unless you live near Micro Center as someone mentioned above).

Edit: You can get the i5-2500K or i5-3570K for your current board too but it makes no sense if your motherboard cannot overclock them or you won't buy one that will in the future. But if you are willing to buy a Z77 motherboard in the future, then you can go ahead and buy either the i5-2500K or i5-3570K.

I may over clock in the future. Cant seem to find the model number for my motherboard, but here is the pc model # if that helps dx4860-ub21p.

 

[johnsonjohnson]

That is a model of a Gateway desktop. I'm guessing you are using the CPU, motherboard, RAM, hard drive and optical drive from the Gateway and replaced the case, GPU and PSU? In that case your motherboard is a H67 chipset which cannot overclock. Also I'm not sure if you can flash the BIOS to support Ivy Bridge CPUs. BIOS version P03.A3 has this description: (for device with Ivy Bridge & USB 3.0 Supported). I'm not sure if this means it will support Ivy Bridge CPUs. You might have to ask Gateway about it. But you still don't have enough to buy both the i5-3570K and a Z77 or any motherboard.

BIOS download link: http://support.gateway.com/us/en/product/default.aspx?tab=1&modelId=3696

 

[Pyrofan]

does my motherboard support a i7. So the i5-3570K is the best for now until i overclock later?

 

[johnsonjohnson]

There's no point in getting an i7 for gaming. Like I've said, you should ask Gateway whether the BIOS update enable your motherboard to support Ivy Bridge CPUs or not. If not, then you would've bought that CPU but won't be able to use it until you get a Z77 motherboard.

If you are not going to overclock, then you can get the i5-3470 and the ASRock H77M motherboard for $250 right now. It is better than your current CPU though both are already very good gaming processors.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53470
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h77m

 

[Pyrofan]

Best answer selected by Pyrofan.