Looking for Best MoBo/CPU combo under $350?

[Wind Walker]

I currently have an AMD 8320 with a Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 micro ATX. This is okay with most of my gaming and 3D animation, but I'm still getting around 45 fps in CPU-intensive games. I'm aiming for a sweet 60, and I'm still relatively new to PC building.
What is the best option for me in terms of a solid CPU/Motherboard combo that wont pass $350 and isn't really overkill? I'm thinking an i5 for the CPU, but there are multiple versions of i5 available. Not sure which to pick.

For reference, my entire current PC build: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Windwalker156/saved/#view=n2Nbt6

 

[Forever Oleg]

If you are doing 3D animation, you would be better off picking a Xeon.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646e31231v3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130788&cm_re=h97_motheeboard-_-13-130-788-_-Product

 

[Wind Walker]

Hmm, interesting. What are the differences between the two?

 

[Evan Shaffer]

Hmm, interesting. What are the differences between the two?

If you feel that DDR4 is something you're interested in and overclocking isn't a factor, go with an i5 6600. The new Skylake architecture is great for gaming and is an overall great processor for gaming and 3D rendering. You can find one for about $210 on sale.

Although the Xeon will be slightly faster at desktop applications and have an edge over the i5 in 3D rendering because of the extra 4 threads, the 6600 is better at gaming, so it's the nice sweet spot. Pair that with a Z170 motherboard for about $120, and there's a great system.

If you don't feel that DDR4 is that much of an upgrade and you're familiar with overclocking or want to start pushing to CPU's limits, go with the i5 4690k. It's about the same performance of the 6600, but you can push more out of it with overclocking if that's your thing. You can pick one up for about $230, then pair it with a nice Z97 board for just over a hundred.

 

[Wind Walker]

I'm looking for something that'll take DDR3 1600, but if it also takes DDR4, even better. I'm also not planning on overclocking my pc anytime soon, if ever. I just don't see the point.

Does that help at all?

 

[Forever Oleg]

i5-6500 + a good mobo + DDR4 RAM will be around $350.
Xeon + good mobo will be around $300.

If 3D rendering is a priority, then Xeon is the way to go. i5 will be only slightly faster in gaming because of a slightly faster per core performance but I wouldn't recommend it in this case. In this case, I would go with Xeon - better in games like BF4, better in 3D rendering, MUCH better in ANY other form of multi-tasking etc.

 

[Evan Shaffer]

I'm looking for something that'll take DDR3 1600, but if it also takes DDR4, even better. I'm also not planning on overclocking my pc anytime soon, if ever. I just don't see the point.

Does that help at all?

Unfortunately, RAM isn't backwards compatible with Skylake. It only supports DDR4 and DDR3-L, so the current RAM wouldn't work in the i5-6600 system. In your case (pun intended), it appears that the Xeon would be the better option for the price, since overclocking and DDR4 aren't really on the table.

 

[Wind Walker]

Alright, so Xeon is the better choice for a CPU. Thank you very much.

What would be a good recommendation for a Motherboard to go along with it?

 

[Evan Shaffer]

Alright, so Xeon is the better choice for a CPU. Thank you very much.

What would be a good recommendation for a Motherboard to go along with it?

That depends on the rest of your setup. Since you already have a micro-ATX installed, I assume you have a smaller case and have no intention of Crossfiring/SLI. Therefore, any 3 of these motherboards would work just fine.

ASUS H97M-E

ASRock H97M

MSI H97M-G43

Each one is good in its own right, and are very nearly the same in regards to I/O and warranty. It mainly just depends on little things like which PCI configuration would fit your needs or how many SATA ports you'd need, as well as price and manufacturer you prefer. Some software that comes pre-installed from manufacturers is beneficial, as well as the simplicity and ease-of-use of the motherboard's BIOS.

 

[Forever Oleg]

I had bad experience with the ASUS H97M-E board + it is overpriced.

Can't tell anything about MSI H97M-G43 - never had it.

MSI H97 PC MATE is a good board I really like - it's a solid. Asrock H97M 4PRO is also an awesome choice.

 

[Wind Walker]

I do seem to have space for a standard ATX since it's a mid-tower, and there are screw holes about 1.5" to 2" below the micro ATX before it touches the PSU. For preferences, 2 way SLI/Crossfire would be nice, crossfire preferable due to my AMD GPU. 4 SATA slots to be safe, and PCIe-x16 due to the GPU as well.

I guess what I'm asking would be manufacturer recommendations, though an exact mobo model is nice. ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI... what would be best in this particular situation?

EDIT - also, for curiosity's sake, What's the best option if budgets weren't involved?

Thank you guys very much, by the way. I've almost narrowed it down to where I need.

 

[Evan Shaffer]

I do seem to have space for a standard ATX since it's a mid-tower, and there are screw holes about 1.5" to 2" below the micro ATX before it touches the PSU. For preferences, 2 way SLI/Crossfire would be nice, crossfire preferable due to my AMD GPU. 4 SATA slots to be safe, and PCIe-x16 due to the GPU as well.

I guess what I'm asking would be manufacturer recommendations, though an exact mobo model is nice. ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI... what would be best in this particular situation?

EDIT - also, for curiosity's sake, What's the best option if budgets weren't involved?

Thank you guys very much, by the way. I've almost narrowed it down to where I need.

In which case, the MSi H97 PC MATE or the ASRock H97 Pro4 would probably be the best options for that chipset since you have the room for it. And really, it's hard to give manufacturer recommendations since it varies from mobo to mobo. I've had both Asus and MSi and never had any problems. It's best to check reviews of each motherboard and see if there are any repeat problems, though usually the problem is DOA, which can easily be replaced.

As for Crossfire/SLI, I haven't found an H97 board that has two PCI-E x16 3rd gen, let alone ones that run at similar modes. If Crossfire is something you plan on doing, a Z97 board would be beneficial here. You can usually find a nice board around $130, and really, any manufacturer would be good as long as they have good reviews. One thing that you definitely want to look for is one that has two PCI-E x16 3rd Gen. that supports x8/x8 mode. Usually they'll state that under specifications for PCI Express 3.0, such as they do here: MSI Z97 Krait. The reason for this is so the second card won't be bottlenecked by low bandwidth, since Crossfire only works well when both cards are evenly powerful.

As for curiosity, the i7 4790k or the i7 5930k are probably the best options period when money isn't an issue. The 4790k is the best for gaming, while the 5930k is the best for multi-tasking and applications.