Question Upgrades

[JarlBalgruf]

Hello everyone!
I am looking into finally upgrading what was a budget build PC about 6 years ago. The graphics card is about 4 years old. Everything works fine, but my CPU is constantly going to 100%, and the fans are always running, so I was thinking that I need to upgrade if I want to keep gaming (especially with Borderlands 3 being released!) I don't experience stuttering or anything,, but my computer has been producing a lot of heat, and with the CPU sitting at 100% whenever I open task manager to find the culprit. Borderlands 2 takes up 30% of my CPU, and then other processes, like Steam and Bitdefender, shoot it to max. I figured that the CPU's age was the issue. I have very little money in the scheme of things, but I was hoping to look for some deals on Black Friday. I wouldn't want to spend more than $200-$300 on the upgrades if possible.

My current specs are this:
CPU: AMD 5600 with Radeon graphics 3.60ghz
GPU: GeForce GTX 960: 4gb
RAM 16gb: DDR3 (rarely ever fully used)
Motherboard Gigabyte... something. It has an FM2 chipset. I figure I'll have to replace this and the CPU.
Case: Coolermaster with 4 fans

This is my first post, so I am unsure what else to include. I've spent a lot of time reading up on current specs, and it's a little overwhelming at this point. Basically what I've been reading about the chipset and RAM is that I should scrap it all and start anew, but that is really not in the budget right now. Any advice on how to squeeze a bit more life out of this machine would be fantastic.
Thank you!

 

[CountMike]

Hello everyone!
I am looking into finally upgrading what was a budget build PC about 6 years ago. The graphics card is about 4 years old. Everything works fine, but my CPU is constantly going to 100%, and the fans are always running, so I was thinking that I need to upgrade if I want to keep gaming (especially with Borderlands 3 being released!) I don't experience stuttering or anything,, but my computer has been producing a lot of heat, and with the CPU sitting at 100% whenever I open task manager to find the culprit. Borderlands 2 takes up 30% of my CPU, and then other processes, like Steam and Bitdefender, shoot it to max. I figured that the CPU's age was the issue. I have very little money in the scheme of things, but I was hoping to look for some deals on Black Friday. I wouldn't want to spend more than $200-$300 on the upgrades if possible.

My current specs are this:
CPU: AMD 5600 with Radeon graphics 3.60ghz
GPU: GeForce GTX 960: 4gb
RAM 16gb: DDR3 (rarely ever fully used)
Motherboard Gigabyte... something. It has an FM2 chipset. I figure I'll have to replace this and the CPU.
Case: Coolermaster with 4 fans

This is my first post, so I am unsure what else to include. I've spent a lot of time reading up on current specs, and it's a little overwhelming at this point. Basically what I've been reading about the chipset and RAM is that I should scrap it all and start anew, but that is really not in the budget right now. Any advice on how to squeeze a bit more life out of this machine would be fantastic.
Thank you!

Which exact CPU ? It should start with letter A(something) 5600 as that number denotes integrated graphics only and CPU itself could have 2 or 4 cores. You also need to know exact MB designation to be able to check for compatible processors.

 

[JarlBalgruf]

Which exact CPU ? It should start with letter A(something) 5600 as that number denotes integrated graphics only and CPU itself could have 2 or 4 cores. You also need to know exact MB designation to be able to check for compatible processors.

Oh! Sorry. It's the A8-5600k apu, and it has two cores. I could have sworn it had four, but I suppose not xD.
After looking at task manager, it says that it has a L1 cache of 192 kb and an l2 cache of 4.0 gb.
Thank you!

 

[SkyNetRising]

I wouldn't want to spend more than $200-$300 on the upgrades if possible.

Something like this would fit into your budget (barely).
BIOS update to support listed cpu will be required though.

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($139.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $283.77

 

[cryoburner]

I wouldn't bother with a 3400G if you won't be using the integrated graphics (A GTX 960 should be close to twice as fast). Instead, you would likely be better off with one of the six-core Ryzens that lack integrated graphics, but offer more cores for about the same price.

The 2600X only costs about $6 more and offers 50% more cores and threads, with the same Zen+ architecture, the same max boost clock, and a slightly better version of the Wraith Spire cooler. Plus, with the 3400G being a new part, it won't work out of the box with many existing B450 motherboards, with most requiring a compatible CPU just to upgrade the BIOS to boot with the new processor. A 2600X on the other hand should be compatible with all B450 boards...

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6mm323/amd-ryzen-5-2600x-36ghz-6-core-processor-yd260xbcafbox

The 2600 (non-X) is an option too, and can be overclocked to a similar level of performance, but it's currently only about $16 less than the X version, and has lower stock clocks and a weaker bundled cooler. When the price difference was larger, it was a good option, but with such a small difference between them now, it's probably worth spending a bit more for the better cooler and to not have to mess with overclocking...

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jLF48d/amd-ryzen-5-2600-34ghz-6-core-processor-yd2600bbafbox

The Ryzen 1600 (non-X) is also an option to consider at a price that's lower still, but it comes with even lower stock clocks that you would likely want to overclock. And being first-gen Ryzen, it won't overclock quite as high, with performance being around 5% lower than an overclocked 2600 or a 2600X. It can be had for as little as $113 online right now though, and does come with the same cooler as the 2600X, which should be good for some overclocking...

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6mm323/amd-ryzen-5-2600x-36ghz-6-core-processor-yd260xbcafbox

Any of these processors should be substantially faster than an A8-5600k.

 

[logainofhades]

Do you happen to live near a microcenter? Also, it is hard telling what prices will be, once black friday gets here, so anything now, is pure speculation.

 

[CountMike]

Oh! Sorry. It's the A8-5600k apu, and it has two cores. I could have sworn it had four, but I suppose not xD.
After looking at task manager, it says that it has a L1 cache of 192 kb and an l2 cache of 4.0 gb.
Thank you!

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Bulldozer/AMD-A8-Series A8-5600K.html
It does have 4 cores with 4 threads, if you see less, something is wrong, windows or BIOS.

 

[JarlBalgruf]

I wouldn't bother with a 3400G if you won't be using the integrated graphics (A GTX 960 should be close to twice as fast). Instead, you would likely be better off with one of the six-core Ryzens that lack integrated graphics, but offer more cores for about the same price.

The 2600X only costs about $6 more and offers 50% more cores and threads, with the same Zen+ architecture, the same max boost clock, and a slightly better version of the Wraith Spire cooler. Plus, with the 3400G being a new part, it won't work out of the box with many existing B450 motherboards, with most requiring a compatible CPU just to upgrade the BIOS to boot with the new processor. A 2600X on the other hand should be compatible with all B450 boards...

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6mm323/amd-ryzen-5-2600x-36ghz-6-core-processor-yd260xbcafbox

The 2600 (non-X) is an option too, and can be overclocked to a similar level of performance, but it's currently only about $16 less than the X version, and has lower stock clocks and a weaker bundled cooler. When the price difference was larger, it was a good option, but with such a small difference between them now, it's probably worth spending a bit more for the better cooler and to not have to mess with overclocking...

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jLF48d/amd-ryzen-5-2600-34ghz-6-core-processor-yd2600bbafbox

The Ryzen 1600 (non-X) is also an option to consider at a price that's lower still, but it comes with even lower stock clocks that you would likely want to overclock. And being first-gen Ryzen, it won't overclock quite as high, with performance being around 5% lower than an overclocked 2600 or a 2600X. It can be had for as little as $113 online right now though, and does come with the same cooler as the 2600X, which should be good for some overclocking...

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6mm323/amd-ryzen-5-2600x-36ghz-6-core-processor-yd260xbcafbox

Any of these processors should be substantially faster than an A8-5600k.

I'll look into the 2600x then . Thank you so much!!!!

 

[greatmaharg]

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Bulldozer/AMD-A8-Series A8-5600K.html
It does have 4 cores with 4 threads, if you see less, something is wrong, windows or BIOS.

Since it's Bulldozer, its "core count" is pretty weird. Bulldozer cores were paired up and shared some resources, so some monitoring applications see 2 cores as 1 hyperthreaded core. AMD had to pay out a bunch of cash recently for false advertising on this subject during the Bulldozer era.