Asus M11BB graphics card and cpu upgrade

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Commendable
Sep 24, 2016
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So a few years back I bought an Asus M11BB not knowing I should have built a PC. I have 12gb of ram and the current graphics card I have is the AMD Radeon HD 8670d. I also have an AMD a10-6700 APU processor. So my question is if I can upgrade my graphics card to a Gtx 1060? Would it fit? If it can I would have to upgrade my CPU; I would upgrade that to an i5 6400... But would that fit into the current motherboard I have now? But anyway I was just wondering if I could do this. If I could not do this what would be the maximum upgrade I could do with the GPU and CPU with my current motherboard which I believe is the F2A55 (P.S I know I would need a new PSU)

PC specs: http://www.asus.com/us/Tower-PCs/M11BB/specifications/
 
Solution
Like you already said, you need a new PSU. With a new PSU, a GTX 1060 would work fine, though it'll be bottlenecked by the a10-6700. If you wanted to get an i5-6400, you'd need a new motherboard and new RAM. Intel uses completely different sockets from AMD. Also, the i5 uses DDR4 RAM while the a10 needs DDR3. On the plus side, if you upgrade your processor your GTX 1060 won't be bottlenecked.
Like you already said, you need a new PSU. With a new PSU, a GTX 1060 would work fine, though it'll be bottlenecked by the a10-6700. If you wanted to get an i5-6400, you'd need a new motherboard and new RAM. Intel uses completely different sockets from AMD. Also, the i5 uses DDR4 RAM while the a10 needs DDR3. On the plus side, if you upgrade your processor your GTX 1060 won't be bottlenecked.
 
Solution


Is there a processor that is better than the a10-6700 with not as bad of a bottleneck that wouldn't require a change in a motherboard? If so what would you recommend?
 


There aren't too many better processors for the FM2+ socket. You could go for something like an A10-7860K, but it wouldn't make a large enough difference to justify the cost.
 
I also have the same model ASUS pre-built that you do and there won't be any significant upgrade from that socket that you have. If you are skilled enough, you can transplant an microATX motherboard in there that would compatible with your parts already, get a new cpu like the i5 you said, and then install the GTX 1060. Right now, I have a 660 TI 3GB model in here and I think it has a lot of length space in the case for a 1060, just measure the inside HEIGHT cause the case is not friendly for a margin of error. a PSU like a CX series should be fine, but be careful for cable management. The case has no room in the back for cable management or for stashing away protruding extra cables, so you might want to go with a smaller PSU with less wires, or a modular PSU. I have the CX 600 V2 and it's just barely fitting, so I suggest going for something within or under it's dimensions. If you dont want to change the motherboard, to prevent bottlenecking , go for the 750 Ti, but if want a 1060, either do a transplant or if that's too tough, you might be better off just saving up and building a new PC entirely. Temps are also an issue if you don't have rear blower components. The pre-built has no fans for airflow so if you want to keep it fanless you should get a rear-blower card and PSU, but for the 1060 w/ an i5 a fan is recommended, and there's a spot near the PSU for one fan. Just remember, the case does have a lot of empty room for upgrades but it's still a microATX case so it's hard to work with dimensions of other motherboards, and you would rather not get the wrong part and end up wasting your money.