GTX 970 build recommendations

[king_22]

Greetings,
I have a 970 in my build which I'm aware is being bottlenecked due to the fact I'm using an A8-7650K. What I'm hoping to do is salvage my RAM, PSU and case then purchase a new CPU/Mobo bundle.

What ATX mobo/Intel CPU combo would you recommend at a reasonable price point? I'm not looking for the best CPU, but simply a solid one which won't bottleneck my GPU as much.

Many thanks.

 

[king_22]

And another thing I'd like to add, is that I most likely will be running a mixture of medium/high settings in order to keep FPS consistent.

Thanks.

 

[The Paladin]

well it can be done, but you need to enumerate all the parts you have so we can identify how to build an upgrade for you and if you have a budget to keep, that would be most useful to help achieve your goals.

from the top of my head Motherboard, CPU replacement (assuming your A8-7650K is using 2 Ram sticks 2x DDR3-1600/1866)
Intel i5-4690k or i7-4790K either will provide with a massive growth, what is limiting you is your DDR3 ram, it excludes all the 6xxx-7xxx-8xxx CPUS which you could get for cheaper . (see below as example)

so here is the cost (used or not the prices are really close now) for an I7-4790K using your ram, case and psu/gtx970

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel - Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($447.00 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Motherboard: Asus - Z87-Pro (V Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($261.42 @ Amazon)
Total: $708.42

where you can be completely modern qith I5-8600K, Motherboard, RAM, for 200$ less
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z370M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($134.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial - Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($86.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $506.01

 

[king_22]

So I'm guessing that I'll have to write off the RAM as well? While bumping up the cost to replace the RAM is a slight inconvenience, I don't mind if absolutely necessary.

Are there no DDR3 based alternatives on a £200-250 budget? This final build should last me til around mid-late 2019, where I will most likely completely build a new PC.

 

[The Paladin]

well you could look for an I5-4670 and a H81or Z87/97 motherboard on the used market and you could meet that budget yes, but it will require some patience to find one fitting your budget.

I peeked at eBay UK and saw two offerings with CPU/Motherboard in question about 175-250 quid price range

 

[king_22]

Thanks, one last thing. For the time being what will gaming look like while I stick with the 7650K/970 combo until I upgrade.

I'm mainly looking to play GMod/Borderlands 2/PUBG/Division/Black Ops 3

 

[The Paladin]

@ King_22 the A8-7650K from AMD is an older platform, you will struggle with PUBG, the video card is up to the task (I use one myself) but I fear your Motherboard PCIE lanes and CPU power will limits your ability to enjoy it. now that said, the nice thing about steam is. buy game try it out for less than 48 hours, then email them telling them you want a refund because game will not run on your PC, they credit your account and you can try a different game

 

[king_22]

Appreciated, hopefully for Borderlands and the other games it is up to the task as that is what I'll be playing mainly.