Which CPU upgrade should I buy?

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MountainDrew329

MountainDrew329

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May 28, 2013
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I have a lenovo pc with a pentium g645 2.9ghz in it right now. I have been looking to do some upgrades like adding more RAM, adding an SSD, getting a better PSU, and upgrading the CPU.

the current motherboard is a Lenovo 90000684 H61 motherboard which is just what came in the computer. Will i be able to swap the pentium out for an i3? I assume I can because they have the same socket (LGA1150)

And for the CPU I have been looking at core i3's and some choices I am considering are the i3-3220 and the i3-4160. Which of these is better? I am also up for other suggestions.

Budget for all my upgrades: I'm trying to stay under $300 to replace CPU, buy 8gb RAM, add ssd, and swap the PSU if I can.
 
Solution
Eximo
I was concerned because some of the models I was initially looking at only supported low wattage processors. But they must have been limited by the form factor, power supply, and heat sink, not the motherboard.

For your computer on page 48
https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/desktop_pub/ideacentre_k430k410_hmm_20120627.pdf

Anything up through an i7-3770k is supported.

Power supply appears to be standard, so replacement with a normal ATX supply should be fine.

SSD and memory are simple enough. Just stick with 1.5 volt DDR3 and any SATA SSD of your choosing.
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H61 wouldn't have LGA1150 so you can't use the i3-4160, it would be LGA1155. So only up to third generation i3, i5, and i7. [strike]The i3-3220 is a fine choice.[/strike]

Actually, scratch that.

Which Lenovo model is this?

You might not have support for the higher power processors despite the H61 chipset.
 
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Oh, thank you for correcting me! I must have accidentally clicked LGA1150 on pcpartpicker when I was looking for CPUs!

Would there be anything better than the i3-3220 within $10 or 20 from the same price? I would rather spend $10 more on a better processor than suffer later on when I start lagging on games.
 
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just saw your latest edit, the computer is a Lenovo ideaCentre K410. It came with 4gb RAM, no GPU, pentium g645, and a 1tb hdd
 
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The G645 is socket 1155.
What is your cpu budget?
A I3-3240 3.4 is about $120. Probably a good upgrade, you get a higher clock and 2 extra hyperthreads.
A i5-3470 3.1 is $200. That is ok if you can regularly use all 4 cores.
I would expect these to work.

Regardless, look to see if there is a list of compatible cpu upgrades for your motherboard.
It may require a bios update.
 
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Considering I would spend about 70 on a 120gb ssd and about 60 on a psu and about 50 on RAM, my CPU budget is around $120. I might want to add that I have a radeon hd 7770 ghz edition right now. I hope there will be no bottlenecking problems?

And as for the bios update, I am still a beginner so will that be hard for me? How would I go about doing that?

 
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a) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

$60 does not buy you a top quality psu. What is your current make/model psu?
Why do you need a new one?

You want documented ram compatibility. If you should ever have a problem, you want supported ram.
Otherwise, you risk a finger pointing battle between the ram and motherboard support sites, claiming "not my problem".
One place to check is your motherboards web site.
Look for the ram QVL list. It lists all of the ram kits that have been tested with that particular motherboard.
Sometimes the QVL list is not updated after the motherboard is released.
For more current info, go to a ram vendor's web site and access their ram selection configurator.
Enter your motherboard, and you will get a list of compatible ram kits.
While today's motherboards are more tolerant of different ram, it makes sense to buy ram that is known to work and is supported.

DO NOT update your bios unless it fixes a problem.
A bios update failure can permanently brick your motherboard.
It may be a moot point since I saw no bios updates available.
 
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Your mobo supports Ivy Bridge CPU's. However, I would check with Lenovo as they sometimes have a "white list" in their BIOS that limits your upgrade options.

If gaming is your main goal, any GPU will give you a big jump in gaming ability, but you will probably need a more powerful videocard to support the new GPU.

An SSD will speed up your system in general, but I would concentrate your money on the GPU for now.
 
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Since it seems I am not completely sure what upgrades will be best for my system, I will make a new thread when get home (I am on my phone right now) listing all the information about my components I can find out.
 
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I was concerned because some of the models I was initially looking at only supported low wattage processors. But they must have been limited by the form factor, power supply, and heat sink, not the motherboard.

For your computer on page 48
https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/desktop_pub/ideacentre_k430k410_hmm_20120627.pdf

Anything up through an i7-3770k is supported.

Power supply appears to be standard, so replacement with a normal ATX supply should be fine.

SSD and memory are simple enough. Just stick with 1.5 volt DDR3 and any SATA SSD of your choosing.
 
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