CPU/Mobo Combo $250

[dudka]

Hi everyone,

I recently inherited an HD6770 and was hoping to pair it with a new CPU/Mobo combo. If possible, purchase a motherboard that will have a socket for the next upgraded CPUs if that's possible. Keeping the combo around $250 or lower.

Here are my current specs:

CPU: APU A8-3850
MB: Gigabyte A75M (FM1 Socket)
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1600 4Gx2
SSD: Intel 330 series 128GB
HDD: WD 500GB
PSU: Antec Green 380W
OS: Windows 8

80% is web surfing and streaming
20% is playing games. Nothing too intense.

With luck I could slide the A8/FM1 board into another machine to beat around in...

Is it worth the upgrade or just use the graphics card and override the A8's?

Thanks everyone!

 

[jrgray93]

Hi everyone,

I recently inherited an HD6770 and was hoping to pair it with a new CPU/Mobo combo. If possible, purchase a motherboard that will have a socket for the next upgraded CPUs if that's possible. Keeping the combo around $250 or lower.

Here are my current specs:

CPU: APU A8-3850
MB: Gigabyte A75M (FM1 Socket)
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1600 4Gx2
SSD: Intel 330 series 128GB
HDD: WD 500GB
PSU: Antec Green 380W
OS: Windows 8

80% is web surfing and streaming
20% is playing games. Nothing too intense.

With luck I could slide the A8/FM1 board into another machine to beat around in...

Is it worth the upgrade or just use the graphics card and override the A8's?

Thanks everyone!

Got a MicroCenter near you? They usually run combo discounts for $40 off the purchase if you pair a CPU and motherboard. You could easily get an i5-3570k CPU paired with an ASRock Z77 Extreme4 motherboard for around that price at MicroCenter. Although that may be a little bit too much for what you had in mind, so a good i3 would do just as well, and you still get the combo discount.

If you don't need a full ATX motherboard, just get a micro-ATX board that supports LGA 1155 CPUs. It will cost you even less. Just make sure it has the additional features you want, like a PCIe 3.0 slot, SATA III (for that SSD), 1600MHz RAM support, and maybe USB 3.0, if you want it. Most importantly, make sure the motherboard will fit in the case.

But yes, I think it is much worth it to upgrade for the discrete GPU. It will improve gaming, and the CPU upgrade should make everything else a bit smoother.

 

[dudka]

No MicroCenter unfortunately, I'm in Western New York. But, I will look online for a deal on an i3.

Is the difference of dual core vs quad core a subtle one at that price point?

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been moved from the section CPU & Components to section Systems by Mousemonkey