See if computer parts are compatible

[SirRhapsody]

So I'm trying to upgrade my computer. It's a few years old, and it's definitely falling behind for gaming. My mobo is an ECS A780GM-M3, and I was wondering if I could run an AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Processor in it, or if I'm going to have to pick up a new one. I would check the specs myself, but I'm not 100% sure what I'm looking for. I did read, though, that AM3+ units do fit into the AM3 compatible mobos, which is what made me interested. I'd love to save the $100+ of buying a new one.

 

[amuffin]

Your board only supports am2+ cpu's, sorry but it is not supported. Just overclock! 😀

 

[SirRhapsody]

With the gaming/streaming I'm wanting to do, overclocking my processor isn't even useful, unfortunately. So I definitely need to upgrade the mobo, too?

And another question - I'm using a stock 300w power supply. The computer I'm looking at building is as follows:
- AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6100WMGUSBX
- ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
- EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
- G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

Does that build require more than 300w?
And also, is that an okay budget build? Should everything work correctly?

 

[amuffin]

Yes, at least a 400w. I would also get the radeon 6850 over the 550ti, as for your power supply the corsair cx430wv2 will be perfectly fine for you.

 

[SirRhapsody]

Why would you go with the radeon over the geforce?

 

[SirRhapsody]

And is there any reason to go with one brand over the other with video cards? The reason I ask is because I'm automatically drawn to ASUS products, but if I went with HIS or Sapphire, I could get Dirt 3 with it. (Not that I'll play it, but a free game is a free game).

 

[amuffin]

The radeon 6850 is a better performing card than the 550ti. Other brands have better coolers/components, for an example msi makes their cards very well.