Good AMD Motherboard and CPU

[Spencer Brown]

I have the Lenovo 3000 J115 7387 computer with 4 GB of RAM, 450 W power supply and Radeon R5 230 graphics card. Instead of buying a new computer I would like to upgrade the motherboard and or CPU and was wondering what a good motherboard cpu combo for gaming I could find for somewhere around $125 to $175 range

 

[Scremin34Egl]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($56.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $171.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-26 12:19 EST-0500)

 

[Dblkk]

processor is almost a given, the fx 6300. Anything less wouldn't be worth it, anything more and your seriously out of budget.
Mobo provided, gigabyte, is a decently rated one, id prefer the asus m5a99x le board myself. should be around same price as gigabyte but both are decent low end boards that would be perfectly fine for that chip

 

[Calvin7]

GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 is good choice as it has a PATA1 x ATA133 2 Devices Max. connection for your old hard drive.

Upgrading from a Socket 754 AMD CPU, I would hold off on buying a AM3+ FX Series CPU and just use a AMD Sempron 145 CPU. I would upgrade later to a FX CPU and 2 x 4GB 1866MHz memory.
http://www.rakuten.com/prod/amd-sempron-145-2-80-ghz-processor-socket-am3-pga-941-single-core-1/217026545.html?listingId=328079989

You can just use DDR3 1333MHz memory for the Sempron CPU.
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864BA1339
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148194

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w / sp1 OEM branded
http://www.softwareplustech.com/microsoft-windows-7-home-premium-64-bit-w-sp1-oem-branded/

Your old operating system won't be compatible, but you can delete the old partitions when you set up Window 7. I would not use the 32-bit version. Set the BIOS to boot from the optical drive and insert the Windows 7 DVD and start the PC.
I would also recommend buying a new bare PC case - ATX mid-tower or mini tower.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007583%20600006302&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&cm_sp=CompCase9_-VisNav-_-ATXMidTower&Order=PRICE&PageSize=100

 

[jb6684]

If this is your computer:
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-67102

I'd be looking to basically get a completely new system, not just motherboard, CPU, and OS....

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Don't upgrade start saving for a new system.

 

[Spencer Brown]

If this is your computer:
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-67102

I'd be looking to basically get a completely new system, not just motherboard, CPU, and OS....

I would do that, but if I already have a good PSU, Graphics Card, and case, what would be the point in a new system? Sorry if this seems dumb as I'm kinda new to this, but if I replace the motherboard and CPU isn't that basically a new system, or would I have to replace the hard drive too? I wouldn't mind getting a SSD but I don't want to lose all my programs and stuff as the computer came with some drafting software on it and losing that isn't an option. I do have the money to get a brand new computer but I would prefer to use as many parts from this one as possible to save cost. Also, I would like to upgrade to Windows 7 if you know of a way to this as well.

 

[Scremin34Egl]

If this is your computer:
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-67102

I'd be looking to basically get a completely new system, not just motherboard, CPU, and OS....

I would do that, but if I already have a good PSU, Graphics Card, and case, what would be the point in a new system? Sorry if this seems dumb as I'm kinda new to this, but if I replace the motherboard and CPU isn't that basically a new system, or would I have to replace the hard drive too? I wouldn't mind getting a SSD but I don't want to lose all my programs and stuff as the computer came with some drafting software on it and losing that isn't an option. I do have the money to get a brand new computer but I would prefer to use as many parts from this one as possible to save cost. Also, I would like to upgrade to Windows 7 if you know of a way to this as well.

Most of the stuff can be re-used like the hard drive, optical drive, psu and your peripherals. Don't know whether the ram is DDR2 or DDR3, if its DDR2, it cant be re-used on the new motherboard. The case can also be re-used, but I would recommend getting something with better airflow

 

[jb6684]

If you upgrade you CPU & Motherboard you will also have to buy a copy of Windows 7/8....

BUT, this means you will need to load your system from scratch and you'll LOOSE that "drafting software"....