Which proccesors will work please(largest/Best)

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Filorux

Filorux

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Oct 22, 2009
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The purpose of my post is to get some recommendations as to what processors I can upgrade to in my 2 desktop computers. Below is a break down of the 2 computers. Neither one of the builds have been overclocked. I would like to stay with AMD Proccesors but I am completely clueless as to what the largest/best processor that I can go with in these mobos. Any help would be appreciated. These computers are mainly used for gaming and web surfing(gaming is a higher emphasis). If I have left any necessary information out to help determine what can be put into these mobos please let me know.

Computers
MSI Mobo 770-G45 in one computer and the other computer has the 870-G45 both mobos are Socket AM3
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) in each computer
EVGA 560Ti graphics in each computer (non SLi)
750w OCZ Gaming Power Supply in each computer
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black in each computer
 
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You should be able to run any PhenomII processor. The 980, at 3.7Ghz was the fastest quad core they produced, and also the 6 core Phenoms should work. The PhenomII975 is the fastest one still readily available.
Why do you want to upgrade? The 955's you have are still quite powerful and are able to run any games out there at the highest settings when paired with a good gpu. Any gains from another cpu would be minimal, and in my opinion not worth the $125 or so that the new cpu's would cost.
Have you considered buying an aftermarket heatsink and fan unit, and overclocking what you have? You should be able to hit the same speed as the 975, and since those are black edition cpu's all you have to do is raise the multiplier in the bios to overclock.
 
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^ This.

If anything invest in aftermarket cooling and overclock what you have. All the Phenom II x4 BE chips will hit about 4Ghz with good air cooling so there is no reason at all to spend money on a faster stock CPU.

If you truly need more CPU power you will need to move to an Intel platform.
 
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There are a lot of good options for aftermarket cpu cooling. The Coolermaster Hyper 212 is reasonably priced, and does a good job. Zalman has some pretty good options too, with the cnps10x optima and performa coolers.
 
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Well I was thinking that with the 6 core and 8 cores coming out that it may be time to upgrade the processors to something a little newer. I have a post here about overclocking but was not able to get much help with it so I never overclocked our computers. I know the Mobo's we have there is a dip switch that I can switch the lever on to OC but I am not sure what it is overclocking. I am not familiar with overclocking so I am real hesitant on doing it as I have no clue what I am doing. But everybody tells me to overclock what I have. It's funny because some people just can't believe that I have not overclocked or run SLI and pick on me because I am doing an injustice to our computers rofl. But if you guys feel there is no need to upgrade yet then I won't. Bios,Registry, and overclocking scare me because I have no clue about what I am messing with. I am not opposed to doing it but I would prefer someone that knows what they are doing do it for me.
 
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Start here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274820-29-black-edition-overclock-raising-multiplier-guide

For your stated useage of gaming and surfing a quad core CPU is all you need. Games just can not use more cores than that. Gaming CPU hierarchy chart:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

All Phenom II chips will top out around 4Ghz with good air cooling.

As far as the 6 and 8 core chips goes. You have the very good Thuban series of 6 core chips. Great for apps that can actually use all 6 cores like video editing and rendering programs. Comparable architecture and clock for clock speed to the Phenom II chips so a slower 6 core Thuban will actually be a downgrade in most situations to a faster 4 core Phenom II.

Then you have the newest FX Bulldozer chips. I'm not sure your motherboards will support them anyway. Bulldozer is considered one of the greatest fails in computing history. This is due to the fact that the Bulldozer CPUs in most situations are slower clock for clock than Phenom II. It is also due to the fact that most programs just can't use more than 4 cores. The Bulldozer chips do quite well in a very few specific programs and they overclock much higher than Phenom II but they have to overclock to be comparable. They can top out in the 5Ghz range overclocked but even then they not great gaming CPUs.

Then you have Intel. The newest Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge chips are roughly 30-40% faster than Phenom II clock for clock across the board and can hit 4.5-5Ghz overclocked. For raw CPU power AMD just can't compete.
 
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So if I were to upgrade from our 955BE to say 965BE, 975BE, 980BE would I be able to visibly see a difference in gaming or would it be a waste of money as there would be just a slight change that may not even be visibly detected?

What can I use to find out the temperature of my processor and monitor it during gaming?
 
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Why would you spend $150 to upgrade the processor when you can spend $30 on a cheap CPU cooler and overclock?

All of those AMD CPUs are basically the same chip with a different multiplier. All of them will go to the 4Ghz range overclocked meaning they are identical on the inside just factory clocked differently.

If you just will not learn to overclock and refuse to even try it's not a good upgrade.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=362

You would see a much larger upgrade from going to an Intel chip with a slower clockspeed.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=363
 
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Cool got the CPUID HW Monitor running thanks for that.

As far as the processor upgrade, I am not opposed to learning about overclocking at all, I am hesitant/nervous about it because it is going into something that I am unfamiliar with and have never done ( The anxiety or fear of ruining my computer while doing it would be what I am talking about). The last thing I want to do is screw up a in my opinion great machine. I would not expect someone that has done overclocking multiple times would experience the same emotions. It would make sense that in their minds it is a piece of cake and not as bad as one might think. I was just curious about the other 3 processors. $30.00 vs $150.00 is alot better.
 
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Out of curiosity if I wanted to do Intel chip, would I would have to change out the motherboards? For example if I wanted to use i5-3570k I would need to get a different mobo.
 
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The memory sticks I have now are 1.5v.

Not saying I am going to do this but if I did switch to a Intel setup using the i5-3570k what mobo would you recommend using with an emphasis on gaming? I do most of my shopping at newegg. I saw that you have a intel set up that is why I am asking.
 
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A Z77 or Z68 chipset board from Asus, Gigabyte, or ASRock. Z77 is better due to being designed for Ivy Bridge specifically. I have not done an Ivy Bridge build yet so I really can't recommend a specific motherboard. Just look for one with the feature set you want. I would stick with those brands.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600315497&IsNodeId=1&name=Intel%20Z75%2fZ77

You might start a new thread asking about a specific board. You would also need a CPU cooler to overclock. The Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo is a good low cost option.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
 
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Good deal , thanks for taking the time to help me out. This will certainly give me some options to think about and I will also look into overclocking it just seems scary.
 
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Overclocking an Intel "K" series CPU is as easy as overclocking anything ever has been. Even overclocking what you have now is not hard. That guide I linked you to is very good. There are plenty of other resources in the Overclocking section of the forums here at Tom's as well as other places online. Just google what you need. There are even step by step youtube videos.

Plenty of us here have been doing it for years and are glad to help.
 
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