Looking to upgrade my AMD A8-6600k, what are my options?

[E_Morris01]

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-D3H
RAM - 16GB Corsair DDR3
GPU - Asus GTX 960 4GB

I'm just browsing my options at the moment so price isn't an issue I just want to know my options. I have done some research and also wanted to know if I would need a new motherboard for a significant upgrade?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

There is not really good upgrade, even to an Athlon 880K. A significant CPU upgrade requires a new motherboard and going to a Haswell Intel i5 or i7.

Going to a FX 8320 would be an option, but less cost effective.

Intel

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.33 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $253.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-13 05:21 EDT-0400

AMD FX6300 cheap

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.95 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $188.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-13 05:22 EDT-0400

AMD 8320

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($138.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($85.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $259.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-13 05:23 EDT-0400

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

Do you know what BIOS revision your board is running?

 

[unreal9400]

Just get an Intel i5.
Upgrading to an A10 is mostly useless since you don't use the integrated GPU.
Furthermore, even if you upgrade to say an Athlon II x4 860K and overclock it to 4 GHz+ the Core i3 can easily match your Athlon in terms of performance and doing so with less power than any AMD CPU.

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

@unreal9400, I think you're forgetting that just by swapping CPU, OP can still use his OS, where as changing motherboard, OP will need to buy a new Windows license as well. I'm assuming it's OEM.

 

[unreal9400]

@unreal9400, I think you're forgetting that just by swapping CPU, OP can still use his OS, where as changing motherboard, OP will need to buy a new Windows license as well. I'm assuming it's OEM.

OP said price isn't an issue I assume its OK with OP.

 

[unclemao]

As stated by everyone here the FM2 platform only really supports low end 2-4 core processors, and is more of a budget socket compared to the new AM3 and the new Intel LGA 1151-1150. I'll list all the practical options for you bellow:

AMD/AM3(May cause Bottlenecking without Overclocking)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97plus (lower overclocking Board) (970)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga990fxaud3r5 (990fx higer end overclocking)

Recommended AM3/AMD Processors

fx-6300,fx-8300,fx-8320,fx-8350,fx-8370,fx-8320e,fx-8370e,

(Note: you may be required to overclock in order not to bottle)

Intel/ lga1151,lga1150

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-h81mp33 (basic motherboard)(lga1150)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h110mdvsd3 (basic motherboard)(lga1150)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z97pro4 (overclocking motherboard)(lga 1150)

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z170apro (overclocking motherboard)(lga 1151)

Processors:

lga 1150: I5-4xxx, I5-4690k,I5-4670k, I7-4xxx, I7-4770k,i7-4790K (x is any number)(k mean overclockable)

lga 1151: I5-6xxx, I5-6600k, I7-6xxx, I7-6700k

Phew that was a long list 😛

 

[E_Morris01]

Is an i5 gonna be my best option then??

 

[unreal9400]

Is an i5 gonna be my best option then??

Yes, it is the best option as Intel has better upgrade path compared to AMD.
Intel also has an advantage over AMD in terms of manufacturing process.
Current AMD APU are stuck at 28nm while AMD FX series are still at 32nm.
Keep in mind that 32nm was introduced by Intel back in 2010.
AMD is just way behind Intel.
Intel is currently at 14nm.
The result of smaller manufacturing process is less heat and less power consumption draw.
Even if you overclock AMD CPU up to 4-5 GHz it still can't keep up with Intel when it comes to performance.
Also look at most reviews.
It clearly shows that Intel CPU are more efficient while delivering more performance.
While an AMD CPU when overclock is still trying to catch up with Intel but still the high power consumption required by AMD CPU can be seen by most people who review the CPU.
This high power draw generates more heat and a powerful cooling solution is required to cool down the temperature.
I'm not trying to be an Intel fan its just that benchmark and reviews have already shown how good Intel CPU performs when compared to AMD.
(Hope you find this guide useful for your upgrade)

 

[unclemao]

While i agree with unreal9400 you have to realise that a better manufactoring node means lower temps which are insignificant if your not overclocking the improvement is moot. However if your not overlcocking go for a base i5/i7 that can't be overclocked and if you want to overclock you can go ahead and use unlocked versions of the i5/i7 and if your short for budget and want to do some video editing(i'm assuming this because you got 16gb of ram) i would recommend choosing a fx-8320e.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

For a more nuanced answer, we need to know what the OP plans to use the system for. If gaming is the primary use, then a locked Intel i5 is the best upgrade at a reasonable budget. If the OP has only a sub$300 budget, they should consider doing nothing until they can save or afford more.

There is no good, cheap (or expensive) CPU upgrade worth doing, so every sensible future involves and CPU and motherboard replacement, and some may also need new RAM too.

For this OP in this circumstance, I cannot recommend upgrading to the FX series, with Zen so close on the horizon. While an overclocked FX8320e may be better than a locked i5 for video editing, it will generally be inferior in everything else, and a locked i5 will be a big step up, even in video editing, than the OP's existing system.