Need to upgrade CPU because GTA5 is lagging!

[pkim1230]

Hello,
This is the computer I have now.

AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana Triple-Core 2.9 GHz Socket AM3 95W ADX435WFGIBOX Processor

ASUS M4A77D AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

GIGABYTE Radeon RX 460 WINDFORCE OC 2GB GV-RX460WF2OC-2GD

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPK


Sometimes I can play GTA5 just fine at low graphics, but nowadays it's been pausing/freezing for short periods during games. I think the CPU is bottlenecking it.
I know this is an old computer, so I'm guessing the upgrade won't be very expensive.
What's the best CPU I can get for this motherboard? And would that be enough to let me play GTA5?
I have attached links below for reference:
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M4A77D/HelpDesk_CPU/

 

[geofelt]

Your Athlon X3-435 has a passmark rating of 2482 when all cores are loaded and 1004 for a single thread.
It is the single thread performance that is important for most games.
The best upgrade I can spot from the supported list is the phenom X4-975 which has a passmark rating when all 4 threads are loaded and 1271 for a single thread. You could buy one used for $75-$100.

I would not do that.
It is time to rebuild with a modern cpu.
A $65 skylake G4400 has a rating of 3707 and a single thread rating of 1869.
You could use a $50 lga1151 motherboard and $35 for 8gb of ddr4 ram.
You can upgrade that motherboard all the way to a $350 I7-6700K .

 

[pkim1230]

Your Athlon X3-435 has a passmark rating of 2482 when all cores are loaded and 1004 for a single thread.
It is the single thread performance that is important for most games.
The best upgrade I can spot from the supported list is the phenom X4-975 which has a passmark rating when all 4 threads are loaded and 1271 for a single thread. You could buy one used for $75-$100.

I would not do that.
It is time to rebuild with a modern cpu.
A $65 skylake G4400 has a rating of 3707 and a single thread rating of 1869.
You could use a $50 lga1151 motherboard and $35 for 8gb of ddr4 ram.
You can upgrade that motherboard all the way to a $350 I7-6700K .

I can get these three for around $220 used (5 month usage) :
mobo: lga 1150
cpu: i5 4460 + stock heatsink and fan
ram: crucial 8gb

what do you think?

Also, can you explain how a x4 cpu is better than the other x6 cpu's listed?

 

[Karadjgne]

Much better than the G 4440. GTA:V really works best on a quad core or better cpu.

 

[geofelt]

Your Athlon X3-435 has a passmark rating of 2482 when all cores are loaded and 1004 for a single thread.
It is the single thread performance that is important for most games.
The best upgrade I can spot from the supported list is the phenom X4-975 which has a passmark rating when all 4 threads are loaded and 1271 for a single thread. You could buy one used for $75-$100.

I would not do that.
It is time to rebuild with a modern cpu.
A $65 skylake G4400 has a rating of 3707 and a single thread rating of 1869.
You could use a $50 lga1151 motherboard and $35 for 8gb of ddr4 ram.
You can upgrade that motherboard all the way to a $350 I7-6700K .

I can get these three for around $220 used (5 month usage) :
mobo: lga 1150
cpu: i5 4460 + stock heatsink and fan
ram: crucial 8gb

what do you think?

Also, can you explain how a x4 cpu is better than the other x6 cpu's listed?

The capability of a cpu is primarily a function of the clock rate and the architecture. The newer intel 6th gen architecture does more work per clock, some 30% better than AMD.
Similarly, there is a difference between the architectures of the X4 and X6 amd processors.
The X6 gains an advantage only when all 6 threads can be fully utilized.
It turns out that even on many threaded processors, the master thread performance becomes important.
Here is a link to an explanation of "Amdahl's law"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amdahl%27s_law
A simple way to compare processors is to look them up on the passmark benchmark tables.

My example of a G4400 was just that, an example of the difference in technology.
With a $220 budget, you can do better.
$120 buys you a I3-6100(passmark 5500/2102) a processor that can dispatch 4 threads.

You can buy any lga1151 motherboard, here is the cheapest, $47 ECS H110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135404
A 8gb kit of 2 x 4gb ddr4 ram will be $36.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148858
I make that a total of $203 for NEW.
And... the same motherboard can support a future upgrade as good as a I7-6700K.
The I4-4460 is a nice processor, particularly for fully multithreaded apps. It has a passmark rating of 6598/1946.
You might want to look at this review of the I3-6100 and see how it compares to a even stronger $200 I5-6600 playing GTAV using a discrete graphics card:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/10543/the-skylake-core-i3-51w-cpu-review-i3-6320-6300-6100-tested/10

 

[Calvin7]

HDZ975FBK4DGM
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Free-Shipping-AMD-Phenom-II-X4-975-CPU-Black-Edition-HDZ975FBK4DGM-AM3-Unlocked-/172056136581?hash=item280f584b85:g:FkYAAOSwiYFXLbKr&_trksid=p2349526.m3874.l7936

DDR2-1066MHz (2 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4UB3S71401

 

[geofelt]

HDZ975FBK4DGM
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Free-Shipping-AMD-Phenom-II-X4-975-CPU-Black-Edition-HDZ975FBK4DGM-AM3-Unlocked-/172056136581?hash=item280f584b85:g:FkYAAOSwiYFXLbKr&_trksid=p2349526.m3874.l7936

DDR2-1066MHz (2 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4UB3S71401

Good example.
$110 buys you an obsolete processor that is half as capable as a I3-6100 for $120.
And a 8gb DDR2 ram kit for $57 that can not compete with modern DDR4 2133 speed 8gb ram for $36.
Time to rebuild I think. No need to throw good money after bad.

 

[pkim1230]

Your Athlon X3-435 has a passmark rating of 2482 when all cores are loaded and 1004 for a single thread.
It is the single thread performance that is important for most games.
The best upgrade I can spot from the supported list is the phenom X4-975 which has a passmark rating when all 4 threads are loaded and 1271 for a single thread. You could buy one used for $75-$100.

I would not do that.
It is time to rebuild with a modern cpu.
A $65 skylake G4400 has a rating of 3707 and a single thread rating of 1869.
You could use a $50 lga1151 motherboard and $35 for 8gb of ddr4 ram.
You can upgrade that motherboard all the way to a $350 I7-6700K .

I can get these three for around $220 used (5 month usage) :
mobo: lga 1150
cpu: i5 4460 + stock heatsink and fan
ram: crucial 8gb

what do you think?

Also, can you explain how a x4 cpu is better than the other x6 cpu's listed?

The capability of a cpu is primarily a function of the clock rate and the architecture. The newer intel 6th gen architecture does more work per clock, some 30% better than AMD.
Similarly, there is a difference between the architectures of the X4 and X6 amd processors.
The X6 gains an advantage only when all 6 threads can be fully utilized.
It turns out that even on many threaded processors, the master thread performance becomes important.
Here is a link to an explanation of "Amdahl's law"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amdahl%27s_law
A simple way to compare processors is to look them up on the passmark benchmark tables.

My example of a G4400 was just that, an example of the difference in technology.
With a $220 budget, you can do better.
$120 buys you a I3-6100(passmark 5500/2102) a processor that can dispatch 4 threads.

You can buy any lga1151 motherboard, here is the cheapest, $47 ECS H110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135404
A 8gb kit of 2 x 4gb ddr4 ram will be $36.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148858
I make that a total of $203 for NEW.
And... the same motherboard can support a future upgrade as good as a I7-6700K.
The I4-4460 is a nice processor, particularly for fully multithreaded apps. It has a passmark rating of 6598/1946.
You might want to look at this review of the I3-6100 and see how it compares to a even stronger $200 I5-6600 playing GTAV using a discrete graphics card:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/10543/the-skylake-core-i3-51w-cpu-review-i3-6320-6300-6100-tested/10

I have upgraded the computer with the stuff I mentioned earlier, 4460, lga 1150, 8 gb ram.
I noticed that the motherboard I purchased was a small sized mobo, and it needed 8 pin power, but my CPU only has 4 pin. I plugged it in anyway and the computer works fine, but will this be a problem?

this is my power supply
this is my motherboard
Should I purchase a 8 pin adapter? Which one from below?

Along with my rx 460, the computer now runs GTA5 smooth like butter. It feels like i'm playing in speeded up mode.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Karadjgne]

No problem. That EPS connector is a supplementary power source for the cpu when it's under duress. Since you are using a i5, this isn't an issue with just a 4pin. If you were using a high end i7 or Xeon cpu, you'd do better with the 8pin. But 4 is fine. You don't need any adapters.