Need help choosing new CPU.

[zukster]

I'm looking to upgrade my AMD II x4 965 so I can play games on ultra settings. I have about $600 for a CPU + mother board + RAM + PSU. I will be only MMO's almost exclusively. I'm really wanting to play Guild Wars 2 on ultra. Also please note I'm not good at over clocking and unless it works like the 965 (I just just increase the multiplier) than I won't be over clocking.

 

[silverliquicity]

Hey

Your current CPU is very good, If i was you i would keep the CPU and spend the money on a new Graphics card.

If you are getting low FPS in a game, Chances are it isnt your CPU. Nowday's the GPU handles 90% of the eye candy, id recommend and GTX460/560.

If you still want to upgrade, go for a PII 1090t/1100t

 

[zukster]

How big of a difference would an i7-2600k be? I have a 460 GTX SE right now. I can play BF3 on medium settings at about 50 FPS. I'm really not to concerned with FPS but more with MMO's which I have heard is more CPU intensive. Would a 560 Ti and 8 gig of ram be better than a new CPU? http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html That charts shows the 965 being a little low. I can also buy a better CPU cooler and OC my current CPU. Right now its at 3.8 but I've heard it can get up to 4.2 ghz.

 

[chinchilla_bob]

For $600 I would get the following and keep the 460 GTX

i5 2550K $214.99 on new egg (with discount applied)
MSI P67A-GD53 (B3) $109.99 (with rebate) on new egg
8GB DDR3 Memory (take your pick on new egg) price around $45-50
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W $89 on new egg with discount applied

This would leave me $135 to put toward a GPU at a later date OR spend on a decent CPU cooler and high quality case fans (if you don't already have these).

My i5 2500K with 560Ti runs BF3 nicely, i7 will probably be overkill which is why I didn't select this and pocketed the difference - although if you are comfortable spending the money then go for it, it is naturally a better chip.

That said with IVY only a month a way (supposedly) it could mean sandybridge platform price drops. I would hold fire until IVY is on general sale and then review your stance in light of price twitches.

 

[zukster]

Thanks for the info chinchilla_bob. Since Guild Wars 2 is a bit away I think I will wait for the price drops. Do you know is the 2550k has its multiplier unlocked? And if it does not would that still be a good choice if I don't plan to over clock it?

 

[Chainzsaw]

Thanks for the info chinchilla_bob. Since Guild Wars 2 is a bit away I think I will wait for the price drops. Do you know is the 2550k has its multiplier unlocked? And if it does not would that still be a good choice if I don't plan to over clock it?

Hello,

THe i5 2550k (3.4Ghz) is unlocked (hence the K part). It would also give a nice 100Mhz stock boost over the I5 2500K (3.3Ghz).

Edit: The only "problem" with the 2550K is that it has no Integrated graphics...however this isn't an issue if you already have a GPU.

 

[chinchilla_bob]

Thanks for the info chinchilla_bob. Since Guild Wars 2 is a bit away I think I will wait for the price drops. Do you know is the 2550k has its multiplier unlocked? And if it does not would that still be a good choice if I don't plan to over clock it?

As per Chainzsaw's post, it is unlocked so you can overclock it. With the board I suggested you can get nice overclocks too (if you check my setup you will see it's almost the same) and even comes with auto overclock settings should you not be confident in doing this yourself manually (although gains aren't as great as doing it yourself).

Obviously I am also suggesting re-using your 460 GPU in this rig with the revised hardware, I'm not sure if I made this clear or not re-reading my post.

 

[zukster]

Best answer selected by zukster.