Looking to upgrade CPU but need some verification

[Ramza941]

So just to preface, my computer knowledge is extremely low and I've already spent way too much time trying to understand this stuff and still don't quite grasp everything yet. Here's my dilemma:

I purchased this computer;
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-desktop-amd-a10-series-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-gray/6968138.p?id=1219667166556&skuId=6968138

a few months back because I was utterly poor and just wanted something to allow a bearable gaming experience because my previous rig was much much worse. Since then, my financial situation has improved and as a result I've been slowly upgrading that computer piece by piece to improve my gaming experience; new PSU, ram, gpu, and ssd.

Despite all my efforts, I notice I still get these weird studders on some games (Path of Exile and Tree of Savior), so I set out to try and figure out the problem. After doing some research I began testing the temperatures of my hardware and found out; my CPU is averaging at 90-100 degrees Celsius and peaking at 110ish.

I quickly bought a new fan and thermal paste to see if it would fix the problem but to no avail. I've run out of ideas and decided to ultimately just buy a new CPU since I think its due for an upgrade and hopefully it will fix my overheating problem also. After all of this I'm kind of burnt out and considering paying my local computer place to do this for me, but instead I was wondering if maybe you guys can lend me a hand.

What CPU should I purchase that will be compatible with my motherboard and system?

My motherboard is listed as a: AsusTek Computer Inc. K30BF_M32BF_A_F_K31BF
and my cpu is a: AMD A10-Series A10-6700

Thanks in advance.

 

[PreXMystic]

Unfortunately, there isn't much of an upgrade path on the FM2+ socket. There is also no higher-end APU that will net higher than marginally better CPU performance, so I would say either buy a quality board and a decent FX CPU such as this combo:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pgVVTW

Or, alternatively, you could go the Intel route and have reliable performance for a longer amount of time, but at a higher cost.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hxcgzy

I chose mATX boards because that's most likely what your case supports, but obviously if I'm wrong, feel free to change them.

 

[Ramza941]

Unfortunately, there isn't much of an upgrade path on the FM2+ socket. There is also no higher-end APU that will net higher than marginally better CPU performance, so I would say either buy a quality board and a decent FX CPU such as this combo:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pgVVTW

Or, alternatively, you could go the Intel route and have reliable performance for a longer amount of time, but at a higher cost.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hxcgzy

I chose mATX boards because that's most likely what your case supports, but obviously if I'm wrong, feel free to change them.

What do you think of my overheating problem? Do you think chancing at an CPU that is only slightly better than my current but does not have the overheating issue is worth it? And what CPU are you referring to? This is the only one I could think of ;
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-A10-Series-APU-A10-7700K-AD770KXBJABOX/dp/B00H7Z7XA6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1459638952&sr=8-3&keywords=amd+cpu+fm2

Also, how complex is it to replace your motherboard? I've never done it before, so I'm wondering if I should just get a new case, new mobo, new cpu, and take it to my local computer guy to put together for me.

 

[PreXMystic]

It's not that hard to replace a motherboard, as the standoffs will already be in for you. I've linked tutorials <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTkGuioG5RU">here</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEq2t6k0Cw4">here</a> for you to watch as a more in-depth way of explaining.

As for your first question, no I do not think that spending money to improve the longevity of your processor due to potentially cooling it down is worth it. Go for a good upgrade, this way you know everything is fresh and will work.

 

[Ramza941]

It's not that hard to replace a motherboard, as the standoffs will already be in for you. I've linked tutorials <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTkGuioG5RU">here</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEq2t6k0Cw4">here</a> for you to watch as a more in-depth way of explaining.

As for your first question, no I do not think that spending money to improve the longevity of your processor due to potentially cooling it down is worth it. Go for a good upgrade, this way you know everything is fresh and will work.

I think I will go with your suggestion here http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pgVVTW
and also I think I will purchase a new case and just have someone do all of this for me because I really don't have the time for it. Any recommendations on cases? One last question, would I have to reinstall windows and all that stuff with all these changes? I'm kind of reluctant to do that part just because I don't have the time to set everything up again on my current computer.

Also, thank you for all your help and time, I really appreciate it.

 

[PreXMystic]

It's not that hard to replace a motherboard, as the standoffs will already be in for you. I've linked tutorials <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTkGuioG5RU">here</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEq2t6k0Cw4">here</a> for you to watch as a more in-depth way of explaining.

As for your first question, no I do not think that spending money to improve the longevity of your processor due to potentially cooling it down is worth it. Go for a good upgrade, this way you know everything is fresh and will work.

I think I will go with your suggestion here http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pgVVTW
and also I think I will purchase a new case and just have someone do all of this for me because I really don't have the time for it. Any recommendations on cases? One last question, would I have to reinstall windows and all that stuff with all these changes? I'm kind of reluctant to do that part just because I don't have the time to set everything up again on my current computer.

Also, thank you for all your help and time, I really appreciate it.

It's spring break. I have infinite amounts of time right now, so I may as well be helping people. I did not have to reinstall windows when I switched hardware, so I don't think you will either. Your BIOS will take care of the drivers for you automatically as well.

I would say go with the Fractal Core 1000 as a decent mATX case. It has good airflow and a sturdy construction, as well as having USB3.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000usb3bl

 

[Ramza941]

It's not that hard to replace a motherboard, as the standoffs will already be in for you. I've linked tutorials <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTkGuioG5RU">here</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEq2t6k0Cw4">here</a> for you to watch as a more in-depth way of explaining.

As for your first question, no I do not think that spending money to improve the longevity of your processor due to potentially cooling it down is worth it. Go for a good upgrade, this way you know everything is fresh and will work.

I think I will go with your suggestion here http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pgVVTW
and also I think I will purchase a new case and just have someone do all of this for me because I really don't have the time for it. Any recommendations on cases? One last question, would I have to reinstall windows and all that stuff with all these changes? I'm kind of reluctant to do that part just because I don't have the time to set everything up again on my current computer.

Also, thank you for all your help and time, I really appreciate it.

It's spring break. I have infinite amounts of time right now, so I may as well be helping people. I did not have to reinstall windows when I switched hardware, so I don't think you will either. Your BIOS will take care of the drivers for you automatically as well.

I would say go with the Fractal Core 1000 as a decent mATX case. It has good airflow and a sturdy construction, as well as having USB3.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000usb3bl

I got in touch with a professional, provided him with the information of the parts I planned on purchasing, and he said this which kind of made me worry:

"I am not responsible for any compatibility issues you might have so if we spend time repairing windows etc I might have to charge you extra. If the chipset is not close to the same for both motherboards there is a good chance it will blue screen and not boot up."

What does he mean by incompatible chipset? As in the processor not working with the mobo?

 

[PreXMystic]

It's not that hard to replace a motherboard, as the standoffs will already be in for you. I've linked tutorials <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTkGuioG5RU">here</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEq2t6k0Cw4">here</a> for you to watch as a more in-depth way of explaining.

As for your first question, no I do not think that spending money to improve the longevity of your processor due to potentially cooling it down is worth it. Go for a good upgrade, this way you know everything is fresh and will work.

I think I will go with your suggestion here http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pgVVTW
and also I think I will purchase a new case and just have someone do all of this for me because I really don't have the time for it. Any recommendations on cases? One last question, would I have to reinstall windows and all that stuff with all these changes? I'm kind of reluctant to do that part just because I don't have the time to set everything up again on my current computer.

Also, thank you for all your help and time, I really appreciate it.

It's spring break. I have infinite amounts of time right now, so I may as well be helping people. I did not have to reinstall windows when I switched hardware, so I don't think you will either. Your BIOS will take care of the drivers for you automatically as well.

I would say go with the Fractal Core 1000 as a decent mATX case. It has good airflow and a sturdy construction, as well as having USB3.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000usb3bl

I got in touch with a professional, provided him with the information of the parts I planned on purchasing, and he said this which kind of made me worry:

"I am not responsible for any compatibility issues you might have so if we spend time repairing windows etc I might have to charge you extra. If the chipset is not close to the same for both motherboards there is a good chance it will blue screen and not boot up."

What does he mean by incompatible chipset? As in the processor not working with the mobo?

There is a minuscule chance it won't work, but I switched chipsets from a 7xx series to a 990fx and it worked perfectly. In the event that it doesn't work, you can reinstall it for fairly cheap. Go to http://www.pcworld.com/article/246040/how_to_find_your_windows_or_office_product_key.html and look at this guide to find your license code for windows, and then go to m.ebay.http://www.pcworld.com/article/246040/how_to_find_your_windows_or_office_product_key.html/itm/Windows-10-32-64-bit-Recovery-Reinstall-Repair-Disc-/181939933340?nav=SEARCH
To get a cheap windows 10 install disk. Total, it will cost you next to nothing if you want to do it yourself.

Also, if the tool fails to find your key, you can purchase one for cheap from kinguin.net

 

[Ramza941]

It's not that hard to replace a motherboard, as the standoffs will already be in for you. I've linked tutorials <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTkGuioG5RU">here</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEq2t6k0Cw4">here</a> for you to watch as a more in-depth way of explaining.

As for your first question, no I do not think that spending money to improve the longevity of your processor due to potentially cooling it down is worth it. Go for a good upgrade, this way you know everything is fresh and will work.

I think I will go with your suggestion here http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pgVVTW
and also I think I will purchase a new case and just have someone do all of this for me because I really don't have the time for it. Any recommendations on cases? One last question, would I have to reinstall windows and all that stuff with all these changes? I'm kind of reluctant to do that part just because I don't have the time to set everything up again on my current computer.

Also, thank you for all your help and time, I really appreciate it.

It's spring break. I have infinite amounts of time right now, so I may as well be helping people. I did not have to reinstall windows when I switched hardware, so I don't think you will either. Your BIOS will take care of the drivers for you automatically as well.

I would say go with the Fractal Core 1000 as a decent mATX case. It has good airflow and a sturdy construction, as well as having USB3.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000usb3bl

I got in touch with a professional, provided him with the information of the parts I planned on purchasing, and he said this which kind of made me worry:

"I am not responsible for any compatibility issues you might have so if we spend time repairing windows etc I might have to charge you extra. If the chipset is not close to the same for both motherboards there is a good chance it will blue screen and not boot up."

What does he mean by incompatible chipset? As in the processor not working with the mobo?

There is a minuscule chance it won't work, but I switched chipsets from a 7xx series to a 990fx and it worked perfectly. In the event that it doesn't work, you can reinstall it for fairly cheap. Go to http://www.pcworld.com/article/246040/how_to_find_your_windows_or_office_product_key.html and look at this guide to find your license code for windows, and then go to m.ebay.http://www.pcworld.com/article/246040/how_to_find_your_windows_or_office_product_key.html/itm/Windows-10-32-64-bit-Recovery-Reinstall-Repair-Disc-/181939933340?nav=SEARCH
To get a cheap windows 10 install disk. Total, it will cost you next to nothing if you want to do it yourself.

Also, if the tool fails to find your key, you can purchase one for cheap from kinguin.net

If all the above happens, will I lose any information on my computer where it would be equivalent to a reformat?

 

[PreXMystic]

If you back up your info on an external drive before you replace hardware and (maybe) reinstall windows, you won't. If you do however, reinstall an OS on to a drive, you will. Again, there is a very very high possibility that you won't need to reinstall your OS, but I would back up important data just in case.