Final post before investing into upgrades.

[Curtis1234]

Right, so I have figured out I am needing of a new PSU. An xfx 550w will do. I am also planning to get a xfx 7950 3gb or a 7970 depending on the result of the thread. Lastly, I am stuck - I am not sure if I should upgrade my current processor in case of a bottleneck (Phenom ii x4 965 BE). If I do upgrade, what to (AMD only). I have considered 3 possible candidates to upgrade to. Either the

fx 6300 - cheap, does not really bottleneck and more cores/ fake cores or whatever.

fx 8120 - £50 cheaper over its 8350 brother and I am not sure the difference in terms of gaming. Saves a little but of money for my PSU/might get a cpu cooler. 8 Cores/ fake cores.

fx 8350 - More expensive, will not let me have the £40/£70 extra - but is the best and is the most future proof. It is also technically the best.

I am thinking for the fx 8120. It still like the 8320 has 8 cores and is a lot cheaper. it saves me £40 ($60) and peforms similar.

I am not planning to overclock anything, what should I do? Overclock my phenom or go to one of the listed CPU's. Please do not tell me to get an i5. Thanks. I will buy the gpu at the time bf4 comes out, hoping to get it free XD and if I have more money i might invest into a 7970!

Curtis.

 

[dannyboy2233]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

 

[Curtis1234]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

What do you mean? They are all am3+ ?

 

[dannyboy2233]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

What do you mean? They are all am3+ ?

The Phenom processor is an AM3 socket, which is different than AM3+. If you want a new processor like the ones stated above, you will need a new (probably 990FXchipset) motherboard.

 

[Curtis1234]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

Ooooooo. The phenom is only AM3 hmmmm never mind my motherboard can support am3+ anyway

 

[dannyboy2233]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

Ooooooo. The phenom is only AM3 hmmmm never mind my motherboard can support am3+ anyway

Are you sure? Can you spec it please?

 

[Curtis1234]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

Ooooooo. The phenom is only AM3 hmmmm never mind my motherboard can support am3+ anyway

Are you sure? Can you spec it please?

Asus m5a78l usb3 I remember now, I remember that I googled if am3 worked in am3+ like a year ago.

 

[dannyboy2233]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

Ooooooo. The phenom is only AM3 hmmmm never mind my motherboard can support am3+ anyway

Are you sure? Can you spec it please?

Asus m5a78l usb3 I remember now, I remember that I googled if am3 worked in am3+ like a year ago.

Looks like it does then. Overall, I recommend the FX-6300 if you are only going to be gaming. There should be no bottlenecking going on whatsoever, and it's a great price. If you want to do some hardcore video editing, then perhaps the FX-8350 would be better, but otherwise, stick with the FX-6300.

 

[Curtis1234]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

Ooooooo. The phenom is only AM3 hmmmm never mind my motherboard can support am3+ anyway

What about the 7970 bottleneck?

Are you sure? Can you spec it please?

Asus m5a78l usb3 I remember now, I remember that I googled if am3 worked in am3+ like a year ago.

Looks like it does then. Overall, I recommend the FX-6300 if you are only going to be gaming. There should be no bottlenecking going on whatsoever, and it's a great price. If you want to do some hardcore video editing, then perhaps the FX-8350 would be better, but otherwise, stick with the FX-6300.

What about if I got like a 7970? Also I render, won't the 8350 be good for rendering or will the 6300 do?

 

[dannyboy2233]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

Ooooooo. The phenom is only AM3 hmmmm never mind my motherboard can support am3+ anyway

What about the 7970 bottleneck?

Are you sure? Can you spec it please?

Asus m5a78l usb3 I remember now, I remember that I googled if am3 worked in am3+ like a year ago.

Looks like it does then. Overall, I recommend the FX-6300 if you are only going to be gaming. There should be no bottlenecking going on whatsoever, and it's a great price. If you want to do some hardcore video editing, then perhaps the FX-8350 would be better, but otherwise, stick with the FX-6300.

What about if I got like a 7970? Also I render, won't the 8350 be good for rendering or will the 6300 do?

Admittedly, the 8350 is a beast at rendering. If you do professional rendering, then go for the 8350. If you just do in-game rendering, that's all on the GPU, so it won't make a difference

 

[Curtis1234]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

Ooooooo. The phenom is only AM3 hmmmm never mind my motherboard can support am3+ anyway

What about the 7970 bottleneck?

Are you sure? Can you spec it please?

Asus m5a78l usb3 I remember now, I remember that I googled if am3 worked in am3+ like a year ago.

Looks like it does then. Overall, I recommend the FX-6300 if you are only going to be gaming. There should be no bottlenecking going on whatsoever, and it's a great price. If you want to do some hardcore video editing, then perhaps the FX-8350 would be better, but otherwise, stick with the FX-6300.

What about if I got like a 7970? Also I render, won't the 8350 be good for rendering or will the 6300 do?

Admittedly, the 8350 is a beast at rendering. If you do professional rendering, then go for the 8350. If you just do in-game rendering, that's all on the GPU, so it won't make a difference

I use Sony Vegas, and I was going to go for the 8120 but I might aswell pay £40 more for the increase in performance + future proof

 

[dannyboy2233]

None of those CPUs will work, as they are different slots than your current CPU.

Ooooooo. The phenom is only AM3 hmmmm never mind my motherboard can support am3+ anyway

What about the 7970 bottleneck?

Are you sure? Can you spec it please?

Asus m5a78l usb3 I remember now, I remember that I googled if am3 worked in am3+ like a year ago.

Looks like it does then. Overall, I recommend the FX-6300 if you are only going to be gaming. There should be no bottlenecking going on whatsoever, and it's a great price. If you want to do some hardcore video editing, then perhaps the FX-8350 would be better, but otherwise, stick with the FX-6300.

What about if I got like a 7970? Also I render, won't the 8350 be good for rendering or will the 6300 do?

Admittedly, the 8350 is a beast at rendering. If you do professional rendering, then go for the 8350. If you just do in-game rendering, that's all on the GPU, so it won't make a difference

I use Sony Vegas, and I was going to go for the 8120 but I might aswell pay £40 more for the increase in performance + future proof

TBH, it's a relatively cheap processor anyway, so just go for it. The 8350 will provide great rendering benefits over anything else, and it also prepares you for when games can utilize all eight cores. Paired with a 7970, this would be a beast of a system.