Which CPU to accompany my new Asus GTX 970 Strix?

[PhoenicianWarrior]

I currently have the fx 4130, and am wondering if a new CPU is necessary for the 970 Strix.

 

[blazorthon]

A better CPU might still help, especially in CPU-intensive games, but it isn't necessary. An FX 6300 or FX 8300/8320 with overclocking is a good upgrade coming from an FX-4130 for around $100.

 

[Outlander_04]

What is the rest of your system?

Do you have a budget?

 

[utroz]

Yes a better cpu could help. Is you cpu running at stock speeds? What exact motherboard do you have? Some of them don't really handle 125watt and higher CPU's. But a FX-83XX overclocked would give you a nice boost and help if you do a lot of multitasking and games tend to like the higher single thread performance that the higher clock speed gives.b

 

[PhoenicianWarrior]

Current build:

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit

Motherboard: ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0

CPU: AMD Phenom Black Edition QuadCore 3.8Ghz

Graphics Card: ASUS HD 7770 1GB GDDR5 DirectCu V2

PSU: Corsair Bronze ed CX600 watt

RAM: PNY 8Gb ddr3 1333Mhz

Money is not an issue, although I would still opt for the better bang for the buck. More specifically if an upgrade is needed for 1080p60 on most current game, what's a good recommendation?

 

[Outlander_04]

An FX 8320

Overclock to 4 GHz or so

 

[Wisecracker]

Best Bang-Fer-Buck:
FX-8320 w/ MSI R9 380 4GB: $304 before $20 rebate

The FX-8320 is $120 on its own.

Your FX-4130 is 'decent' with a 3.8GHz base clock. You should match that with the stock cooler on the FX-8320 and see a nice bump in performance --- with a $25 aftermarket cooler easily run 4.4GHz or more and strut your stuff.

If you want more GPU power, the Asus Radeon R9 390 is $275 after rebate from the Egg but verify it will fit in your case.

 

[PhoenicianWarrior]

Best Bang-Fer-Buck:
FX-8320 w/ MSI R9 380 4GB: $304 before $20 rebate

The FX-8320 is $120 on its own.

Your FX-4130 is 'decent' with a 3.8GHz base clock. You should match that with the stock cooler on the FX-8320 and see a nice bump in performance --- with a $25 aftermarket cooler easily run 4.4GHz or more and strut your stuff.

If you want more GPU power, the Asus Radeon R9 390 is $275 after rebate from the Egg but verify it will fit in your case.

Do you know of any combos with the gtx 970? Also, if I don't plan on clocking should I go 8320, 8350, or 9590? I plan on keeping this build for 3-6 yrs hopefully

 

[Outlander_04]

8350 if you are not overclocking. The 9xxx chips run too hot.

 

[PhoenicianWarrior]

On a second note, is the ASUS VN248H-P a good monitor for this build?

 

[Wisecracker]

With the Asus M5A99FX PRO R2, not boosting all cores to at least Turbo speed is a crime. You're busted.

There are combos for any processor at the Egg at the bottom of the page where it says, "Browse More Combos" --- check 'em out and see if you can find anything of interest to you.

Also --- you may join the New Egg 'E-Blast' email program for hot deals on processors and video cards.

 

[PhoenicianWarrior]

With the Asus M5A99FX PRO R2, not boosting all cores to at least Turbo speed is a crime. You're busted.

There are combos for any processor at the Egg at the bottom of the page where it says, "Browse More Combos" --- check 'em out and see if you can find anything of interest to you.

Also --- you may join the New Egg 'E-Blast' email program for hot deals on processors and video cards.

I guess i'm going to have to educate myself in the arts of clocking Thanks for the advice