Need help with upgrading my CPU + MB

[swagatrath]

Hi All...

I'm going to sell my old MB and CPU... An AMD Phenom II X6 1055T + Asus M4A88T-M LE combo...
The reason was overheating (temps reaching 67C) and throttling of the CPU under load such as playing Far Cry 4 and Battlefield which resulted in poor frame rates and stuttering. I even felt that FIFA 14 was struggling sometimes....

My plans are to build a new Intel based setup and my other existing components are:-

• 
  Zotac Gtx660 2GB
  Corsair GS600W PSU
  8GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
  Antec A40 CPU fan
  2 units of 500GB hard disks
  4 units of 120mm cabinet fans
  Samsung PLS 1080p monitor

I need help in selecting the CPU and MB which will give me good performance for the next 2-3 years. I need a MB with :-

• 
  USB 3.0 support
  32GB or more RAM support
  SLI support if possible in my budget but not a mandatory requirement (since I may add another gtx660 in future if prices go down or get a 2nd hand one)

I do not have much idea or understanding of the different intel chipsets (Z97, H97, Z87 etc) and studying about them is confusing me a lot . Hence need some advice from all the expert and experienced guys @ the forum to help me out.

I live in India and my budget is around 20-25k INR (roughly 400USD) for the MB + CPU. Please use http://www.flipkart.com as the reference website to check out the prices locally.

My current plan is to get an Intel i5 4440 and a suitable MB... Is this good enough?

Thanks for reading and helping out a fellow gamer.. 😀

 

[Helldog26]

The 4440 is a really goo CPU I would suggest the ASUS H97-Plus lots of good features for the price. It is also available locally for you.

 

[swagatrath]

The 4440 is a really goo CPU I would suggest the ASUS H97-Plus lots of good features for the price. It is also available locally for you.

Wow... That was a really fast reply... Thanks for the suggestion...
I have a query... Will this MB support SLI? Also, can I overclock the 4440 a little using this MB?

 

[Helldog26]

I don't think it can SLI as the second PCI sot will drop to x4 speed. If you want to SLI go with a Asus Z87 or Z97 board and you will be good. The 4440 cannot be physically changed to over clock. Is OC'ing something you want to do?

 

[swagatrath]

I don't think it can SLI as the second PCI sot will drop to x4 speed. If you want to SLI go with a Asus Z87 or Z97 board and you will be good. The 4440 cannot be physically changed to over clock. Is OC'ing something you want to do?

I used to change the base clock value in bios for the amd phenom II x6 processor to achieve a bump in clock speed from 2.8 to 3.5Ghz... I was planning on doing something similar with the 4440 to bump the speed by a bit.... Is that not possible with the processor?
Also what is the specs I should look for in order to check whether a motherboard is having SLI support? The PCI slots?

 

[Helldog26]

The board will usually say SLI or Crossfire ready. The second lane usually has to be x8 or another x16. Im not sure how to change the settings on locked CPU but you maybe able to do it slightly.

 

[swagatrath]

The board will usually say SLI or Crossfire ready. The second lane usually has to be x8 or another x16. Im not sure how to change the settings on locked CPU but you maybe able to do it slightly.

Finally bought the 4690k + MSI z97 PC mate combo for around 25k INR (around 420$)...
Thanks for all the info...

 

[Helldog26]

The board will usually say SLI or Crossfire ready. The second lane usually has to be x8 or another x16. Im not sure how to change the settings on locked CPU but you maybe able to do it slightly.

Finally bought the 4690k + MSI z97 PC mate combo for around 25k INR (around 420$)...
Thanks for all the info...

No problem.