What kind of CPU should i buy?

kris_hm

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Feb 14, 2014
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Im posting in the CPU category because that is where my computer seems to be lacking.
I have a nice and fast computer already, it does most tasks easily.
My current computer is as follows:
HP Pavilion-P7-1421
AMD A8-5500 3.2Ghz Quad core
16GB DDR3 @ 1866Mhz
GTX 750Ti 2GB GDDR5
Two 4TB seagate disk drives.

This computer has been good but its not as fast as i would like. So im looking into possibly building a computer but i wanted to post in here and get some ideas and opinions about it first. I do not want to spend a whole bunch of money if i cannot get what i want.
And what i want is a multitasking machine. The problem im having with my computer now is im using it to do video editing, and im using it to record and stream game play from my PS4.
It just gets laggy when doing these CPU intensive tasks. When my computer starts to lag in response i open up task manager to see and my CPU is usually maxed out when im editing videos, and it is always maxed out when i am streaming. It can do it easily, but it cannot do anything else at the same time. I want a computer that i can edit videos and export videos at the same time im recording or streaming. Or to be able to edit videos and use photoshop simultaneously. Id also like to be able to game on my computer. While i do game primarily on my PS4 console, i do also like to play on steam sometimes. I have Black Ops 3 for steam, i enjoy playing custom zombies maps made by the community. Anyway my computer as it is not can only get to about 40ish FPS in game. When just sitting at the main menu and things like that is does 60FPS easy but once in game it drops to around 40 and sometimes lower. i knew this computer wasnt going to be super powerful from the beginning. Im now in search of the power i need and im seeking advice on a new build.
Like i said i do not want to spend a whole bunch of money if i cannot get to the point where i can do the tasks mentioned above simultaneously. Atleast a few of them anyway. I probably wont be gaming on my computer at the same time as im editing and recording on my PS4, but to be able to record and stream and edit videos, export videos, edit photos and things of this nature i want to be able to do simultaneously without my computer freezing up.
I have no preference between AMD or Intel. I just want the best thing for the job. Within reasonable cost. I mean i can spend the extra money.. but in my head i was thinking this would cost around 1500ish if i get some really good parts.

OR.. would simply upgrading my current computer to the AMD A10-6790k 4.0Ghz Quad core be enough to boost my computer where i want? I can get one of these processors for about 50 bucks.
What do I need here?
 
Solution
If you can afford the Ryzen 7 you will get 8 core 16 threads. Long term this will be your better option for what you are using the PC for. I would just get the 1700 rather than the 1700X/1800X. If you want to get more performance out of the 1700 you can overclock it and get near the performance of the more expensive Ryzen CPUs.

It would also be worth getting an SSD in the new PC.

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
There's not going to be a lot you can do to "upgrade" the platform your on. Anything that could give you a 'boost' is only going to be slight, and not proportionate to the cost of the 'new' CPU alone. Even at $50, you're not going to get +$50 performance gains from the A10.

For video editing, recording/streaming gameplay and gaming...... you don't need to be near $1,500.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($193.44 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3.1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $419.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-17 10:53 EST-0500

That would mean reusing your GPU which is pretty entry level at this point, and the Seagate drives.
I'd suggest a GPU upgrade for a solid gaming experience - and an SSD for your boot drive.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($193.44 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SK hynix - SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($78.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB OC Edition Video Card ($159.87 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3.1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $658.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-17 10:55 EST-0500

For <$700, there's a much, much more powerful gaming rig - and a huge performance gains in editing/streaming etc.
 

tommyducker19

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May 23, 2012
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Pat Flynn

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Don't waste the money on upgrading the current system, the A10 CPU's aren't meant for doing heavy work like video editing. I'd recommend switching to either an AMD Ryzen 1600 or higher based system, or an Intel 8600 or higher. Both will give you lots of multi-tasking performance. The Intel will give you better performance while gaming.

As for the framerate in games, your video card is showing its age. If you game at only 1080p, a GTX 1060 Ti or Radeon 580 will get you running 60+ fps at max settings.

Also, you'll want a solid state drive for your main boot/software drive. It makes a world of difference in how fast your computer loads/responds. I'd recommend at least a 250GB, 500GB if you can afford it.
 

kris_hm

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Feb 14, 2014
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Okay cool. I was looking at Ryzen. Is there much difference between the Ryzen 5 and the 7? Ive got the spare cash, if the 7 is worth the extra I'll get the 7 instead. Definitely thought about getting a new graphics card. I need one that has 4 outputs though. I have 4 monitors hooked to my computer. Well 3 main monitors, and then i have an HDMI running above the ceiling to the tv to make a 4th monitor. Unfortunately my monitors do not have display ports on them so i have to use DVI, VGA or HDMI. Is there a graphics card that would have 4 HDMI ports on it?
As long as i can run all 4 monitors at the same time then im good.
I'll do my own searching but if any of you know of one already let me know.
Thanks
 

tommyducker19

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May 23, 2012
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If you can afford the Ryzen 7 you will get 8 core 16 threads. Long term this will be your better option for what you are using the PC for. I would just get the 1700 rather than the 1700X/1800X. If you want to get more performance out of the 1700 you can overclock it and get near the performance of the more expensive Ryzen CPUs.

It would also be worth getting an SSD in the new PC.
 
Solution

amdizzle

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Nov 9, 2017
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I just did the same thing you're doing about a month ago. If you look at amazon right now they've got a 1700x with messed up packaging for $260 and a deepcool gammax 400 fan for $14. That's what I have and it works great with an overclock to 3.8GHz on all 8 cores. It chews through just about anything I throw at it. I would look at a better cooler if you're wanting to overclock more than that. 30 GHz of available processing has been more than enough for me.