Should I upgrade my i3 4130 now that I have an R9 280X?

Dave Thompson

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Jun 11, 2014
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Good evening,

Not an urgent situation, but just curious as to what you guys think. My R9 270X packed up 2 weeks ago, and I can't help but think the game "Valley" caused it to overheat, but that's just speculation.
I replaced with an XFX R9 280X, and then unexpectedly needed to upgrade my PSU to TX650M as a result. Therefore, I really don't want to spend any more money, but I can't help but think my system is now crying out for a better CPU. My mobo is H81m DS2V, and I believe out of the intel CPU's, it will only support 4th generation. I thought doing a bit of reading it would all become clear, but of course not! I remember reading that games tend to require 4 cores, but when comparing an i3 4130 (duel core) to an i5 4670 (quad core), the graphics power is only "slightly better".

This shouldn't hurt the bank too much, as I can sell the i3 4130 and get most of my money back.
Should I go for an i5 4670(K)? Or is not really worth it due to the limitations of my mobo? I am running Win 7 with 8 gig ram.

Thanks very much
 
Solution
First thing I would do is the SSD. Once you've got that all set up, see how it's running. Your i3 shouldn't bottleneck or have any issues with your current GPU, but what I said before was if you went with an i7 and then upgraded the GPU, you should be able to run any new GPU with little to no bottleneck issues. Pretty much any i5 or i7 will be an upgrade, but one thing I would look for is the turbo speeds. Make sure the new CPU turbos to over 3.4ghz, which I think they all will, I think. I say that since your i3 is a 3.4ghz and for many games you want speed as well as probably needing core count.
First thing, with that H series motherboard, the K CPUs really won't do you much good. You could go with any 4XXX series Intel CPU. The 4670 would be a decent upgrade, but honestly if you are upgrading and don't plan on building/buying a new system any time soon, I'd try to find an i7. If you get an i7, you would have little to no chance of bottlenecking any GPU. Plus you'll be able to do much more with your current system with a new CPU. Another upgrade I would consider if you don't have one already is an SSD to install Windows on. An SSD makes everything more responsive and overall feels faster.
 


That was great advice, thanks alot. Yes, I need to upgrade to an SSD too (how did you know??) So with new graphics card, new PSU, new CPU, and new a drive, it's only the motherboard left! Would I notice better performance in games if I went for the i5 4670? Would *any* i5 or i7 4th gen be an upgrade compared to what I have now?
How much am I holding back the 280x with my current CPU? Maybe an SSD would be a better upgrade for now...

Cheers
 
First thing I would do is the SSD. Once you've got that all set up, see how it's running. Your i3 shouldn't bottleneck or have any issues with your current GPU, but what I said before was if you went with an i7 and then upgraded the GPU, you should be able to run any new GPU with little to no bottleneck issues. Pretty much any i5 or i7 will be an upgrade, but one thing I would look for is the turbo speeds. Make sure the new CPU turbos to over 3.4ghz, which I think they all will, I think. I say that since your i3 is a 3.4ghz and for many games you want speed as well as probably needing core count.
 
Solution


Cheers for that. Perhaps I don't need to worry about the cpu just yet then, but an ssd is well overdue I think. It might help with stuttering in games, if not the actual frame rate. Could you tell me please if my h81m ds2v will run an ssd? Is there anything I need to know? Will it fit nicely where my hdd is? Connections all the same? (Sata?) I know nothing about them.
 
Yes, your motherboard will work just fine with a 2.5 inch SATA SSD. I recommend the Samsung 850 EVO, it's one of the best and not terribly expensive. As for the connections, a 2.5 inch SATA SSD connects the exact same way as a standard hard drive does. Now if you were wanting M.2 (not compatible with your mobo) that would be a different story. Get yourself an SSD, do a fresh install of Windows on the SSD, install your drivers, reload your games, and you'll be in good shape. If you need to upgrade your CPU, you'll already have a decent setup waiting for it.
 
If you upgrade the CPU I suggest you choose an i5 or i7 which matches if not exceeds your current i3 in clockspeed. Some games are sensitive to CPU speeds, and if you choose an i5 that was slower then performance might actually degrade in those games even though you'd have more cores. For you this means CPUs at 3.4ghz or higher, like i5 4670 or i7 4770 or better.

An SSD would be a great all around improvement, though it won't do anything directly related to raising game framerate. The i5 will help in CPU intensive games, an i7 will help in the same way but also give you room for games/software which may begin to use more than 4 threads. If you were to run your games now and monitor CPU usage you should see if your games can use more CPU power. If your games typically have 100% usage all the time, or close to it, that's a good sign you could use an upgrade.
 
Thanks for all the great advice. It's just that when I see game requirements, it tends to be i5 and i7, rarely an i3 recommended. I guess some games will be affected more than others when it comes to CPU. I am now getting concerned with my temperatures, so I should probably create a new thread. Just in case I can slip it in here:
My i3 4130 has always been on the warm side, probably due to my small case, stock cooler, and now I've put in a new PSU with extra thick cables, I've noticed the temps have gone up again. My cores have been getting up to 81c, and the Tcase temp upto 70c, which is too high for my liking, as 72 is supposed to be the max. One thing to happen in summertime, but not in middle of winter. Whenever I've cleaned the CPU fan & heatsink (which is regularly) I've needed to reapply paste, but I've been using lighter fluid/zippo fuel to clean the surface. I just thought it would be good to use, but I think it may be bad. I've got myself some Arctic MX-4 and am waiting for some isopropyl alcohol to arrive so I can do it properly. Will try and reorganize the PSU cables a bit better, do a better job with the new paste, and if those temps persist, I might have to get a new cooler. The pins on the stock cooler are a nightmare to get right. Do I get a better CPU, or buy a better fan and possibly clock it up some? Not demanding a reply to that, but comment if you don't mind.

Cheers
 
I personally won't use a stock Intel cooler because they are not good. I have an i3 4160 and I'm running a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO on it because I wanted better temps. Now depending on how big your case is, that may not be an option. There are many pretty good lower profile coolers, so I would definitely suggest getting something. The good thing is that if you get a CPU cooler now, it will work when/if you upgrade your CPU. So for your situation right now, I would buy a CPU cooler and an SSD. Get those installed and see how things are going with your gaming. If you end up needing to upgrade your CPU or GPU, then you'll at least have a good cooler and your SSD already in your PC and the upgrade will be fairly easy.
 


The fan also makes a whining noise, but often goes when I move the case or put pressure on the fan frame. Sometimes after resitting the cooler the noise will go. Anyhow, the isopropyl alcohol arrived today, so I will tackle it later. I need to be careful when I buy a cooler, as I've never bought one before, and not sure I am confident with which one to get. I need to make sure it will fit, like you say, as some of them have heat pipes.
 
Quick question though...what temps do you get? The 4130 apparently should idle between 34-38, but they are talking about the temp displayed in the gigabyte hardware monitor right? Using HWMonitor, that seems to be TMPIN2, which always reads lower than the cores. If TMPIN2 is getting upto 70, with the cores going up to 80, that is too hot isn't it? As I type this, the CPU is on 35, and the cores are hovering around 39-41. The cores used to actually go between 34-38, which confused me a bit. Could you just confirm that for me?
 
My idle temps are 25-26C package and TMPIN3 via CPUID Hardware Monitor. I really wouldn't like to see really any CPU get up to 80, that seems awful high. Currently my system is just acting as my server so I don't stress it much, but those idle temps are with it running Windows 10 with a Windows 10 VM online with a P2P downloader running.
 


Well I am a happy bunny after 3 weeks of frustration and expense. Replacing my dead r9 270x with the 280x led to a new PSU, so didn't really want to spend anymore if I could get away with it. Anyhow, just shaved 10 degrees off the heavy load temp, so I am hoping I am set for a little while, and when I get a better CPU, I will treat myself to a good cooler and perhaps an SSD. Using the proper cleaner, or a good quality paste, or a re-positioning of the heatsink has solved my heat issues. Cheers for your advice,,,,learned a lot.