Looking to upgrade my cpu

[gmm213]

Basically whats the best AM3 socket CPU?

Ive got a Phenom ii x6 1045t currently.

Ive been thinking about peicing together a new build but not sure if i want to drop the money.

My budget for a CPU upgrade would be about $300 but there is wiggle room

 

[zarugal]

Best AM3+ socket CPU is the FX8350. The FX9xxx series are just factory overclocked FX8xxxs, but many people report that you can get a higher and more stable overclock with FX8350 CPUs. The FX8350 also only costs around $180.

EDIT: Ignore this. I had the sockets confused.

 

[matt1-0-1]

[strike]The FX 9590 is the best chip in the product line, but it has a 220W tdp, meaning that not all motherboards support it. Also, you have to deal with a lot of extra heat. If your motherboard doesn't support 220W cpus, then your best option is probably the FX 8350.[/strike]
EDIT: I screwed up. Listen to the guy below me

 

[smackers_12]

Best AM3 socket CPU is the FX8350. The FX9xxx series are just factory overclocked FX8xxxs, but many people report that you can get a higher and more stable overclock with FX8350 CPUs.

The FX series are AM3+, unless you have your phenom in an AM3+ board (that can work), the most powerful AM3 cpu is the phenom ii x6 1100t but it isnt much of an improvement over your current cpu. You are better off upgrading your video card depending on what it is. If you are running your phenom on an AM3+ board or an AM3 board that can be updated to support AM3+ chips; Doing this will hurt the performance of the cpu. Imho you should save up for a new build.

 

[zarugal]

The FX series are AM3+, unless you have your phenom in an AM3+ board (that can work)..

Ah yes, I forgot that it's the AM3+ that's specifically backwards compatible, and not a case that all are compatible with each other.

 

[gmm213]

I have an 8600gt. Yeah its not fancy. I basically am looking to stream through xsplit. Would upgrading my board to am3+ and cpu, possibly gpu and leaving the rest be a viable solution. I have a 1tb hdd and a 512 ssd, and 8gb RAM ddr3. I forget the exact power supply but its a beast, way more than i need.

 

[smackers_12]

I have an 8600gt. Yeah its not fancy. I basically am looking to stream through xsplit. Would upgrading my board to am3+ and cpu, possibly gpu and leaving the rest be a viable solution. I have a 1tb hdd and a 512 ssd, and 8gb RAM ddr3. I forget the exact power supply but its a beast, way more than i need.

I wouldnt upgrade to AMD. Get a z97 board and an i7 if you want to stream. If you dont want to spend that much money just get a better graphics card and save for a new motherboard and cpu.

 

[gmm213]

Why not AMD?

 

[zarugal]

Why not AMD?

Intel are far superior. You would be better off investing in an Intel board and CPU if you're thinking of a new build.

 

[gmm213]

OK. So what about:
i7 4790k quad core 4.0ghz
z-97a
radeon r7 2gb

and keep my 8gb ddr3 and hdd and ssd for now. Maybe do more ram down the road

 

[smackers_12]

dont get an r7 series card. barely better than an 8600gt

 

[gmm213]

what would be your recommendation for under $150ish. I dont need anything fancy. GeForce/Radeon Class (DirectX 10.1 or better) are the only recommended reqs

 

[smackers_12]

for a little bit more you can get an r9 270 which is great for the price.

 

[gmm213]

thank you. Any other recommendations?

 

[zarugal]

I would also advise the i5 4690K over the i7 core series, unless you want to run loads of background tasks, design software, or use CAD software. The price for the i7s hyperthreading doesn't really lead to many benefits in gaming.

A core i5 4690K would give you 95% of the performance, at a significantly lower price.

 

[gmm213]

Basically I would be running the software and web browser. Possibly some photoshop but that'd be rare to run them at the same time.

 

[gmm213]

What about the z97 vs an h97

 

[zarugal]

Basically I would be running the software and web browser. Possibly some photoshop but that'd be rare to run them at the same time.

The i5 will be plenty then. You won't get the full value for the extra you would pay for the i7.

What about the z97 vs an h97

H series chipsets don't support overclocking. If you don't want to overclock, then an H97 board would be better value to you.
If you want the flexibility to potentially overclock in the future, get a Z97 board.

If you buy an H series board, don't buy a K (unlocked multiplier) CPU. You'd be paying extra for overclocking on the CPU, and then plugging it into a non-overclocking board.
In other words, if you buy an i5 4690K, get a Z97 board. If you buy an H97 board, get the i5 4690.

 

[gmm213]

Awesome thank you