What do you all recommend I upgrade next?

[ThatKidThatKnows]

Hi All just wondering what you all would recommend I upgrade next in my PC.

AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor + Stock Fan
Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Samsung Spinpoint F1 DT 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card
NZXT H230 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Evo Labs 550w Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (64-Bit)
NZXT Grid 10 Port Fan Hub
NZXT FN-120 Fan
Logitech Deluxe 250 Keyboard
Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 1000

The computer is used for regular stuff like Autodesk 3D Studio Max and playing games like GTA V and other games like that. My budget is about £300

ps. an optical drive isn't necessary for me.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

What is your budget? If you sell this computer what would your budget be then?

 

[Tchota]

that would the be PSU: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

But can you tell us your budget, and where do you live?

 

[ThatKidThatKnows]

I have about £300 to upgrade I guess, So just want to figure out what the smart thing to do is, I was thinking just blow it on a better processor but may aswell find out from you guys... also I live in the uk

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

That would be the best upgrade for you for now. GTA5 is very CPU intensive and that Xeon is equal to a i7 without overclocking it. You will also need a cheap cooler for this CPU. And if you have a low quality PSU (Tier 3 or below) you will need to upgrade that first.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£81.54 @ Aria PC)
Total: £280.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-08 23:37 BST+0100

 

[ThatKidThatKnows]

So you recommend I upgrade to a Xeon and will I see a big difference in performance compared to my FX-4130

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Triple, quadruple, or more. It is far faster.

 

[ThatKidThatKnows]

Sounds good think ill get that ordered this week then

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Do not forget the cooler

 

[Tchota]

The CPU have 4 cores and 8 threads so it will very good to your work and for gaming.
https://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E3-1230+v3+%40+3.30GHz&id=1942

You could go with 1231v3that is a bit faster and have better cooling system, but its a bit more expensive and you might need a bios update to be able to use it with that motherboard (this bios update can be donne using another CPU that is compatible with the motherboard, or by taking it to a technician)

The PSU and the MB have very good quality.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2383978/motherboard-tier-list-b85-chipset.html

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£193.20 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B85-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£55.02 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£57.72 @ More Computers)
Total: £305.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-08 23:42 BST+0100

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

The CPU have 4 cores and 8 threads so it will very good to your work and for gaming.
https://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E3-1230+v3+%40+3.30GHz&id=1942

You could go with 1231v3that is a bit faster and have better cooling system, but its a bit more expensive and you might need a bios update to be able to use it with that motherboard (this bios update can be donne using another CPU that is compatible with the motherboard, or by taking it to a technician)

The PSU and the MB have very good quality.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2383978/motherboard-tier-list-b85-chipset.html

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£193.20 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B85-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£55.02 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£57.72 @ More Computers)
Total: £305.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-08 23:42 BST+0100

Just wondering why pick the 1230 over the 1231 the price is nearly identical?

 

[Tchota]

Do not forget the cooler

His PSU is tier 5, shouldn't he start by changing it?

 

[ThatKidThatKnows]

oh great now I have to decide... whats so good about Xeon though compared the I5 or I7

 

[Tchota]

The 1231 is a bit better for the reasons I mentioned, you will have to buy a different motherboard or update the bios (this is not always required, but its a possibility)

Alternatives:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.21 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£57.77 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£57.72 @ More Computers)
Total: £314.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-08 23:52 BST+0100

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z97p
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz97pd3
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-h97pcmate

 

[Tchota]

oh great now I have to decide... whats so good about Xeon though compared the I5 or I7

Its similar to the i7, but normally with lower clock speed, cannot be overclocked and dont have iGPU. On the plus side, the E3 are normally cheaper.

Compared to the i5, the have 8 threads and the i5 have only 4, they have similar price (a bit more expensive), and tend to have better performance with software that is optimized for multi-threading.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

The Xeon has more (cores) [virtual cores] than the i5 and for GTA 5 that is what you need. They are cheaper than the i7 with the only real difference being that you cannot overclock the Xeon.