I built the computer back in 2011 and it has served me very well. The time has arrived when I am starting to see more and more games wanting more processing power than I have. I don't really have the money to build a new system from scratch ATM so I am looking at different options. A 3770K I7 looks to be the only option for this motherboard that I can find. I know it's an msi mobo, windows tells me it is a MS-7750. Thanks for any advice or suggestions.
I5 2500 upgrade?
- Thread starter Capndave
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tothergnome
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- Mar 27, 2016
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Are you sure you need a new CPU? Your CPU has a really similar performance to a FX 6300. And that CPU is really good for today's performance.
By the way I read it, a 2500 doesn't meet the minimum requirements for Quantum Break, granted I'm not interested in that game, just to name the first title I can think of with those requirements. With a gtx 970 I am seeing terrible fps drops in fallout 4 and hope a bump in CPU would help.
tothergnome
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Problem is that your motherboard has a really limited choice of CPU'S. I think you'll have to upgrade that mobo or you will get nowhere upgrading a CPU. Go for a 6600k or 6500 if you have a limited budget.
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WdP8Vn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WdP8Vn/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.49 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $338.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-14 14:14 EDT-0400
- Oct 30, 2004
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As you can see here, the evolution of gaming performance has not been all that great from Sandy Bridge to Skylake ... IN GAMING ... and some times the newer skyake is slower (See min fps in SoM). There's no i5 gaming benchmarks so I used comparable i7s (2600k vs 6700k), the influence of i5 vs i7 being limited in gaming.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/287?vs=1543
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB (1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second) = 98 =>99
Alien Isolation on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB (1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second) = 176 => 179
Grand Theft Auto V on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB (1080p Very High, Average Frames Per Second) = 69 => 74
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB [Minimum FPS] (1080p Ultra, Minimum Frames Per Second = 63 =>45
Here's one game where the impact is significant (25% faster)
GRID: Autosport on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) [Min. FPS] = 1080p Ultra, Minimum Frames Per Second = 120 => 151
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/287?vs=1543
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB (1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second) = 98 =>99
Alien Isolation on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB (1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second) = 176 => 179
Grand Theft Auto V on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB (1080p Very High, Average Frames Per Second) = 69 => 74
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB [Minimum FPS] (1080p Ultra, Minimum Frames Per Second = 63 =>45
Here's one game where the impact is significant (25% faster)
GRID: Autosport on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) [Min. FPS] = 1080p Ultra, Minimum Frames Per Second = 120 => 151
Gallarian
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- Jun 25, 2011
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You wouldnt gain much of a frame rate boost in games by going from Sandy Bridge to even Skylake. But what you would see, is an improvement in minimum frame rate in CPU intensive games.
For example; in the Witcher 3, my overclocked i5-2500k would top out at 100% in cities/towns with lots of NPCs, which would bring FPS down dramatically. An upgrade to a 6600k totally removed this bottleneck and allowed my frames to stay up at all times.
If youre thinking about doing it for higher frames, then there's no point - but if you want to do it becuase some games you are playing are maxing out your CPU and bottlenecking, then all for it.
For example; in the Witcher 3, my overclocked i5-2500k would top out at 100% in cities/towns with lots of NPCs, which would bring FPS down dramatically. An upgrade to a 6600k totally removed this bottleneck and allowed my frames to stay up at all times.
If youre thinking about doing it for higher frames, then there's no point - but if you want to do it becuase some games you are playing are maxing out your CPU and bottlenecking, then all for it.
Vixe
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- Dec 21, 2008
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I'm also sitting with an i5-2500, and have been considering an upgrade. Primarily because I want a new motherboard.
I've reached the same conclusion as madmatt30: that a new CPU is entirely unessential. There's no hurry to upgrade now, because the return on investment just isn't smart.
That raises the question: when will an upgrade be worth it? I know that's a stupid question, but I've been off the scene for a while, and would really like to know if there are any big developments (or just rumours thereof) for the upcoming months. Any next gen CPUs coming up?
I've reached the same conclusion as madmatt30: that a new CPU is entirely unessential. There's no hurry to upgrade now, because the return on investment just isn't smart.
That raises the question: when will an upgrade be worth it? I know that's a stupid question, but I've been off the scene for a while, and would really like to know if there are any big developments (or just rumours thereof) for the upcoming months. Any next gen CPUs coming up?
theonerm2
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- Dec 28, 2009
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The FX 6300 isn't really good for games these days. I mean the FX 6300 isn't the worst gaming CPU on the market but it's far behind the Core i5 2500. Also the Core i5 2500 meets the minimum requirements for Quantum Break and easily meets the minimum requirements for Fallout 4. You're going to need an overclocked 3770K if you want to meet the recommended requirements for these games but I doubt you can overclock on your motherboard. So a Core i7 3770 is probably your best bet. Those CPU's are just $209.99 on ebay right now and you can probably go cheaper if you bid on one.
Thanks for the suggested links JackNaylor, but building an I5 at this point in time seems silly to me. I am more interested in seeing if I could breathe a little more life out of my existing comp on the cheap side, as in around $300. Things will improve for me financially in a little over a year when I no longer have to pay child support, than I will be able to build the system I really want.
Hlsgsz
Champion
- Feb 29, 2016
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Go for the 3770K. I'm on that and have no intention of upgrading for 3 years or so.
EDIT; The 3770K if you are on a mobo that permits overclocking and intend doing that. Otherwise, go for the 3770. Only 100mhz default diff. and they turbo the same, so..
- Jan 1, 2013
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Ignore the minimum requirements for games ,they're entirely unrealistic at best
Amd zen will be out at the end of this year & may well be worth waiting for, if its not then at least you've given it an opportunity & can go with a new Intel build early next year.
Everyone suffers fairly substantial fps drops in fallout 4 at certain points, that's a given - you certainly shouldnt drop below mid 49s though which is still entirely playable
Amd zen will be out at the end of this year & may well be worth waiting for, if its not then at least you've given it an opportunity & can go with a new Intel build early next year.
Everyone suffers fairly substantial fps drops in fallout 4 at certain points, that's a given - you certainly shouldnt drop below mid 49s though which is still entirely playable
theonerm2
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The Core i5 2500 is about equal to the Core i5 4460 so I'd say if the Core i5 4460 can run it that the Core i5 2500 can run it too. Now though they are about equal in performance the Core i5 4460 does barely beat out the 2500. The amount that the 4460 beats the 2500 by is not very significant in fact it preforms so similarly that it should get just about the exact same performance in games. Here are a couple of videos that show performance of a 2500k and other CPU's and another video that talks about whether you should upgrade from a 2500k to a 3770K. I think this should be relevant to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpYfRx0tojc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ_5p9wd2dk watch the average framerates to the right of the realtime framerate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZxZiksWtRQ They do overclock but you can still get an idea of how much performance there is to be gained.
That last video really summed my situation up magnificently. Thanks so much for the link, kinda surprised I haven't seen that video before because I'm familiar with digital foundry. Looks like the 3770K is a good option for me after all. Thanks again everyone.
- Oct 30, 2004
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1. Upgrading from a i5 2500k to an i7 6700k is extremely difficult to justify. We have already shown that going from Sandy Bridge to Sklyake results in typically a 1% increase in frame rates and sometimes even a decrease in minimum frame rates.
2. You have been misinformed if someone has told you that you will have a significant improvement in gaming from going to an i7. Id expect, depending on the game, anything from -5% to + 10%. Building a new box today ... a i5 / GTX 970 build will crush a i7 / 960 build.
Here the difference between the current i5 and i7
Total War: Attila on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 35.7 vs 35 (i7 loses you 2%)
1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second
Grand Theft Auto V on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 73.41 vs 74.09 (i7 gets you 1%)
1080p Very High, Average Frames Per Second
GRID: Autosport on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 172.34 vs 169.88 (i7 loses you 1.5%)
1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second
GRID: Autosport on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) [Minimum FPS] = 146.69 vs 150.78 (i7 gets you 2.8%)
1080p Ultra, Minimum Frames Per Second
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 99.54 vs 99.60 (i7 gets you 0.0%)
1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) [Minimum FPS] = 48.26 vs 44.85 (i7 loses you 7.1%)
1080p Ultra, Minimum Frames Per Second
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 39.35 vs 39.36 (i7 gets you 0.0%)
4K Ultra Settings, Average Frames Per Second
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) [Minimum FPS] = 30.00 vs 32.03 (i7 gets you 6.8%)
4K Ultra Settings, Minimum Frames Per Second
As you can see above, the 4.0 Ghz 6700k is losing as much as it beats the 3.5 GHz 6600k despite the 0.5 Ghz speed advantage.
3. Sandy Bridge was a much better overclocker than Ivy Bridge ... so much so the EK introduced "Naked Ivy" as delidding became prevalent to solve IBs poor heat transference issues. We'd get typical 4.7 - 4.9 Ghz OCs on 2500k / 2600k / 2700/ builds (75C max core / 1.35 volts) ..... 5.0 + was doable ..... Ivy Bridge typically was 4.4 - 4.6.
https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-supremacy-precisemount-add-on-naked-ivy
http://www.overclock.net/t/1376206/how-to-delid-your-ivy-bridge-cpu-with-out-a-razor-blade
4. i7 runs about 7C hotter than i5. On some 3770k builds we did, we created multiple BIOS profiles w/ all 8 cores used for day time applications (CAD / Photo / Video Editing) and a separate BIOS profile for gaming (no hyperthreading = 4 cores) which was able to maintain higher OCs, run cooler and get higher fps.
5. When building a new box, if not overclocking, you get a nice 0.5 Ghz boost with today's CPUs going form 6600k to 6700k... and advantage that we saw above brought us as many fps decreases and increases. The 3770k comes with just a 0.1 Ghz advantage over the 3570k
Multiplayer games do see more of an increase increase than single player and you may see as much as a 10 fps (15%) increase in some games. Of course if you handpick your titles, you can produce an argument either way. However, for the same investment in a new CPU, you'd be much, much better off, going to SLI / CF for an improvement that dwarfs that CPU gain (-7 to 15%) with an average increase of 70%.
2. You have been misinformed if someone has told you that you will have a significant improvement in gaming from going to an i7. Id expect, depending on the game, anything from -5% to + 10%. Building a new box today ... a i5 / GTX 970 build will crush a i7 / 960 build.
Here the difference between the current i5 and i7
Total War: Attila on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 35.7 vs 35 (i7 loses you 2%)
1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second
Grand Theft Auto V on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 73.41 vs 74.09 (i7 gets you 1%)
1080p Very High, Average Frames Per Second
GRID: Autosport on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 172.34 vs 169.88 (i7 loses you 1.5%)
1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second
GRID: Autosport on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) [Minimum FPS] = 146.69 vs 150.78 (i7 gets you 2.8%)
1080p Ultra, Minimum Frames Per Second
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 99.54 vs 99.60 (i7 gets you 0.0%)
1080p Ultra, Average Frames Per Second
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) [Minimum FPS] = 48.26 vs 44.85 (i7 loses you 7.1%)
1080p Ultra, Minimum Frames Per Second
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) = 39.35 vs 39.36 (i7 gets you 0.0%)
4K Ultra Settings, Average Frames Per Second
Shadow of Mordor on ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB ($560) [Minimum FPS] = 30.00 vs 32.03 (i7 gets you 6.8%)
4K Ultra Settings, Minimum Frames Per Second
As you can see above, the 4.0 Ghz 6700k is losing as much as it beats the 3.5 GHz 6600k despite the 0.5 Ghz speed advantage.
3. Sandy Bridge was a much better overclocker than Ivy Bridge ... so much so the EK introduced "Naked Ivy" as delidding became prevalent to solve IBs poor heat transference issues. We'd get typical 4.7 - 4.9 Ghz OCs on 2500k / 2600k / 2700/ builds (75C max core / 1.35 volts) ..... 5.0 + was doable ..... Ivy Bridge typically was 4.4 - 4.6.
https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-supremacy-precisemount-add-on-naked-ivy
http://www.overclock.net/t/1376206/how-to-delid-your-ivy-bridge-cpu-with-out-a-razor-blade
4. i7 runs about 7C hotter than i5. On some 3770k builds we did, we created multiple BIOS profiles w/ all 8 cores used for day time applications (CAD / Photo / Video Editing) and a separate BIOS profile for gaming (no hyperthreading = 4 cores) which was able to maintain higher OCs, run cooler and get higher fps.
5. When building a new box, if not overclocking, you get a nice 0.5 Ghz boost with today's CPUs going form 6600k to 6700k... and advantage that we saw above brought us as many fps decreases and increases. The 3770k comes with just a 0.1 Ghz advantage over the 3570k
Multiplayer games do see more of an increase increase than single player and you may see as much as a 10 fps (15%) increase in some games. Of course if you handpick your titles, you can produce an argument either way. However, for the same investment in a new CPU, you'd be much, much better off, going to SLI / CF for an improvement that dwarfs that CPU gain (-7 to 15%) with an average increase of 70%.
Yeah, just upgraded from a 660ti to a 970 Jack. Performance, albeit improved, wasn't as significant as I had hoped it would be. I am still limited to 1080p regardless because it's the max resolution my television can obtain. When I step up to a 4K TV I might look into it, right now no card does 4K especially well and I suspect my 970 will be enough until nvidia releases their new line of Pascal cards. To all AMD faithful I am not saying I would never own another of their products, I just had two cards melt and Don't want to repeat that experience yet again.
- Oct 30, 2004
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No 2 cards do 4k well but twin 970s has been our most requested build. With a i5 and one 970, if I was to spend $300 for an upgrade, it would be for a new 2nd 970 not a new 3770k ... of course if ya willing to jump into the used CPU lottery, I imagine you could grab one for haf that price.
The 970 shuda brought you about a 75% increase in performance
The 970 shuda brought you about a 75% increase in performance
After digging through my records the mobo is a Z68A-G45(B3). The cover of the manual says 1 sec overclocking on the cover, the manual is unreadable unfortunately it must have soaked up some water at some point, which leads me to believe it can be overclocked. The psu is a diablotek PSUL775.
theonerm2
Splendid
- Dec 28, 2009
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Yes it's overclockable because you have a Z chipset there. Definitely go for the 3770K then. That power supply is awful. I'd get it changed ASAP. Forget about SLI on that PSU because that PSU is potentially unsafe to use for gaming anyway. Get a PSU for one of the top 2 tiers on this page http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
Here's what that page has to say about your PSU and many others like it.
"Avoid IMMEDIATELY. These units are highly unsafe to use. No such protections added, very thin gauge wiring used, false advertising and too much to list. Reference to a higher tiered unit for a better, money saving and a much safer unit. For your safety's sake, please don't order or pick one up for use in your system. These units are a potential fire hazard and could even kill you, let alone your system."
Here's what that page has to say about your PSU and many others like it.
"Avoid IMMEDIATELY. These units are highly unsafe to use. No such protections added, very thin gauge wiring used, false advertising and too much to list. Reference to a higher tiered unit for a better, money saving and a much safer unit. For your safety's sake, please don't order or pick one up for use in your system. These units are a potential fire hazard and could even kill you, let alone your system."
Wow, I had no idea it was rated that poorly, but I have never tried to overclock or put any real stress on it. The cpu is only a 2500, not a k, so I never tried. If anything comes from this thread at least now I know where to start. I am going to order a new psu immediately. Thanks so much for pointing this potentially dangerous situation out to me.
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