Replacing my AMD CPU

[TreyInc]

I'm "upgrading" from my AMD FX 9370 to an intel processor to have a better experience with my new graphics card. I bought a GTX 970 and it has been underperforming (usually at 30% while my processor is at 100%). So I need to also change my motherboard along with my processor and I was looking for a processor + motherboard recommendation. I'm currently looking at the i5 4670k, no idea on which motherboard I'm looking for. My budget is 400$ so I can afford an i7 but I'm not sure I need it.

Basically I just want to be able to max games without fps dips with my GTX 970 and a good processor coupled with a good motherboard. I play games like league of legends (not intensive at all), Call of Duty, Black Desert Online, Arma, The Witcher, etc.

 

[GhislainG]

A 9370 shouldn't bottleneck that GPU a lot; does your CPU throttle at full load for several minutes? Can it run Prime95 Small FFTs for 15 minutes without throttling?

 

[TreyInc]

A 9370 shouldn't bottleneck that GPU a lot; does your CPU throttle at full load for several minutes? Can it run Prime95 Small FFTs for 15 minutes without throttling?

Yes it throttles, I check the temps and it actually stays at around 40-50c on idle, lowest 27c. When I'm playing games it goes up to 80c+ then computer just shuts down. So yeah, I also want to upgrade because this processor is known to run hot and even though it is water cooled it gets too hot and uses too much wattage for me to be comfortable.

 

[GhislainG]

Will you keep your DDR3 RAM? If the only purpose of that system is gaming, then you don't really need an i7 CPU with a GTX 970. Consider an i5-4690K with a Z97 motherboard or an i5-6600K and a Z170 motherboard (a few support DDR3 RAM).

 

[TreyInc]

Will you keep your DDR3 RAM? If the only purpose of that system is gaming, then you don't really need an i7 CPU with a GTX 970. Consider an i5-4690K with a Z97 motherboard or an i5-6600K and a Z170 motherboard (a few support DDR3 RAM).

Yes it's a gaming PC and I have a bronze certified power supply, so I'm open to upgrade suggestions to that as well as new ram.

Motherboard

Processor

RAM

Power Supply

I think that my power supply might be a cause of random shutdowns as well as my processor overheating.

 

[TreyInc]

Also I'm a bit nervous about replacing my motherboard and power supply, I'm not sure which guides to follow. The processor and ram installation is simple but everything else is beyond me. I'm hoping to have the price no more than 400$ which sounds unresonable, I know.

 

[GhislainG]

What motherboard, RAM and PSU do you have? Why are you worried about the PSU? If it's good enough for the FX-9370 that requires a very powerful PSU, then it should be fine for an Intel build. $400 for an i5-4690K, a good motherboard and a cooler shouldn't be an issue, but it may be more challenging with an i5-6600K, a Z170 motherboard and DDR4. If you want to save money, even an i5-4460 with an H97 motherboard would be fine.

This should give you an idea with GTA V (their GPU is more powerful): http://www.techspot.com/review/991-gta-5-pc-benchmarks/page6.html

As you can see, an i5 will be faster, but not a lot if you fix the throttling issue with your current system that you obviously didn't build.

 

[TreyInc]

I've decided to get the i5-6600K coupled with the Z170 motherboard, now I'm deciding on ASUS or MSI, MSI is about 60-70$ more.

 

[GhislainG]

A more expensive motherboard includes additional features; do you need them?

 

[GhislainG]

Don't forget that the i5-6600K doesn't include a cooler.

 

[TreyInc]

What motherboard, RAM and PSU do you have? Why are you worried about the PSU? If it's good enough for the FX-9370 that requires a very powerful PSU, then it should be fine for an Intel build. $400 for an i5-4690K, a good motherboard and a cooler shouldn't be an issue, but it may be more challenging with an i5-6600K, a Z170 motherboard and DDR4. If you want to save money, even an i5-4460 with an H97 motherboard would be fine.

This should give you an idea with GTA V (their GPU is more powerful): http://www.techspot.com/review/991-gta-5-pc-benchmarks/page6.html

As you can see, an i5 will be faster, but not a lot if you fix the throttling issue with your current system that you obviously didn't build.

I'm currently looking to get these items:

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperNOVA-Crossfire-Warranty-220-G2-0850-XR/dp/B00IKDETOC/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453425423&sr=1-5&keywords=power+supply+evga (550 Watt Version)

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453427480&sr=1-1&keywords=cooler+master+cpu+cooler

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-4690K-Processor-BX80646I54690K/dp/B00KPRWB9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453429300&sr=8-1&keywords=cpu+i5+4690k

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboards-Z97-PC-MATE/dp/B00K23BW70/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453427407&sr=1-3&keywords=Msi+motherboard+z97

Do these parts look ok? And is 550 watts enough, all I want to be able to do is get the processor to work with my motherboard and get a gold certified PSU that isn't too expensive. If there are any less expensive parts that you know of I'd love some suggestions.

Also, what adaptors would I have to buy for my power supply, and why I'm worrying about my PSU is because my computer randomly shuts off even when idle.

 

[TreyInc]

Also something I just want to put out there, when I bought the system it had a R9 270X.

 

[GhislainG]

Everything is compatible. 550W certainly is enough since a GTX 970 draws less power than the R9 270X. The PSU is delivered with all required cables. Not much can be changed because you selected good components and the motherboard is fine for the asking price. I presume you're buying from Amazon because you are not in the US, but you could probably use pcpartpicker.com to find the best deals.

 

[TreyInc]

Everything is compatible. 550W certainly is enough since a GTX 970 draws less power than the R9 270X. The PSU is delivered with all required cables. Not much can be changed because you selected good components and the motherboard is fine for the asking price. I presume you're buying from Amazon because you are not in the US, but you could probably use pcpartpicker.com to find the best deals.

Thank you very much, I appreciate your patience as I am not a very smart person when it comes to computers.