What's a good upgrade from i5-3340? Terrible framerate in gaming.

[Edward Wokhands]

I'm looking for a good CPU for gaming. I've been having some trouble running Ground Zeroes at 60fps and I have a GTX 970 which honestly surprised me. Everyone else seems to be getting solid 60fps with the same card and even solid 60fps with less powerful cards.

Is it most likely my CPU causing this problem? It doesn't happen with any other game.

What's a good CPU for gaming? My motherboard is a Gigabyte D77-D3H.

Thanks!

 

[Edward Wokhands]

Oh crap, I just found out my motherboard is a Z77 not a H77! What CPU should I get? Does this change anything? Or will the Xeon still work? Sorry, I really have neglected my hardware knowledge but I'm trying to learn.

Remember my PSU is only 550W in case that matters and I don't really want to upgrade it again.

 

[CTurbo]

The 4460 is a little better than the 3340 but the difference is negligible. The 4790 is WAY better than the 3340 though. The xeon would still work with your Z77, but having a Z motherboard opens up the option for you to get a 3570k or 3770k and overclocking. You would need an after market cooler too though so this would be an expensive route.

I believe you can overclock your 3340 +400mhz with a Z77 board. Non K model 3rd gen i5s could be overclocked a little using their turbo multiplier. That may even solve your problem.

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

Xeon isn't that good for gaming. It's capable, but not like an i5/i7. They are made for running servers and a lot of rendering and mutli threading tasks.

No offense, but this is an ignorant statement. The Xeon e3-1230v2 is the exact same cpu as the i7 3770 except it has been down clocked 100/200mhz and does not have integrated graphics. It is a GREAT cpu for gaming and every other thing that a cpu can do. It's performance is almost exactly the same as the 3770 except it actually runs cooler and uses less power.

Yes nevermind I was looking at the wrong benchmark, my bad.

 

[Edward Wokhands]

I didn't get a notification in my email when you replied, thanks for your help! I'll go with the Xeon, I don't want to get a new cooler. If I can solve my problem with that CPU then that's fine.

 

[Edward Wokhands]

I just found a 4790 for a little more than the Xeon! Would that work with my board?

 

[slyu9213]

No a 4790 will require a 87/97 series motherboard (H/Z87,H/Z97). You have a Z77 so without changing your motherboard you can only have up to Ivy Bridge processor which would be 3770(3770K) or other Xeons.

 

[Edward Wokhands]

Ah okay, thanks. So I could use this? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Core-i7-3770K-1155-Ivy-Bridge-Quad-Core-3-5GHz-5-GT-s-DMI-650MHz-GPU-/361089580116?pt=UK_Computing_CPUs_Processors&hash=item54129dbc54

What is it I'm looking for when I upgrade? Is it Z77 and socket 1155? Oh and I assume the 3770k is better than my i5 3340?

 

[CTurbo]

yes the 3770k would be a good upgrade for you

 

[Edward Wokhands]

Okay, awesome. I found one for around the same price as the Xeon. I did just read on a google search result though that the 3770k needs "2 6 pin power connectors" and I have no idea where they'd go? I just checked my motherboard and can't see any.

I seriously need to buy a book or find a decent guide on this. -_-

 

[CTurbo]

You found an i7 3770k for $225ish??? That's an awesome price!

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

That's the price of an i5

 

[slyu9213]

Okay, awesome. I found one for around the same price as the Xeon. I did just read on a google search result though that the 3770k needs "2 6 pin power connectors" and I have no idea where they'd go? I just checked my motherboard and can't see any.

I seriously need to buy a book or find a decent guide on this. -_-

This is the first time I've heard a CPU needing 2 6 pin power connectors. CPU only have a 4 pin or 8 pin. The i7 will most likely only use an 8-Pin power connector. You're keeping your current mobo so you will not need any more power/connections that what you are using.

 

[Edward Wokhands]

@Master: Yeah, there's one left hovering around on UK ebay so I'm gonna go order it now. It's around 20 more than the Xeon, it's discounted. I was a little suspicious because the next one up was way more expensive but the user has a 14 day return and 99% rating. Thanks again for all your help.

Thanks CPUs Expert too.

@Slyu9213: It was a user on another forum so maybe they made a mistake or they were getting confused with a GPU connector? I was scared that I might end up having to get yet another PSU so it's good to hear I can just plug the CPU in.



Damn you Kojima! I'm doing all this mostly for the new Metal Gear when it releases. The only game I wanted to play since 2011 is the only one taking up all my cores. (Actually apart from ARMA3 of course) It's one of the downsides to PC gaming I guess but at least a new CPU will help with productivity with music making (virtual instruments are evil to CPUs) and game development too.