upgrade amd cpu or switch to intel

[RobTi]

Hi son has a Gygabyte MA785GMT-UD2H (rev 1.1) http://uk.gigabyte.com/products/prod...?pid=3274#with a Athlon II X2 250,

Now when playing games (eve,swtor) the cpu will max out at 100%.

So he has the option of upgrading to a new AMD cpu or switching over to intel if its not cost effective to stay with AMD.

His budget for a new AMD is around £100 max and double that if he has to goes Intel

Thanks

Robert

[Kumagoro]

Have you tried a bit of overclocking and core unlocking?

A semi decent 120mm fan heat pipe heat sink maybe all you need.

[Ulti]

Phenom II X4 965 is only £78 at Amazon.

EDIT: Also Phenom II X6 1045T for £98.

Read up on some reviews and decide whether you need the two extra cores.

EDIT2: A i5 2320 (Non overclockable i5 2500k with slightly slower speeds) will perform around 20-30% faster I think and along with a P67/H77/B75/Z68/Z77 board is actually doable for just a touch over £200. It will definitely be better for gaming but it's for you to decide if it's worth it.

Personally, I would buy it, just because Sandybridge's architecture is just much better than the Phenom II's.

i5 2320 £132
AsRock P67 Pro3 - £62
MSI B75MA-P45 - £55

You could probably skimp more on the board if you don't need so many features. E.g. if you don't even need SATA3/USB3 etc you could get a H61 board for about £35-40:
Asrock H61M-S - £38
Asrock H61M-VS - £39
Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2 (Refurbished with no accessories/backplate) - £29

Potentially upgrading to an Intel platform for a little over £160 and if you pay £30 more, you get SATA 3, USB 3 etc.

[KeyboardDemon]

The mobo board supports all the way up to an X6 1100T so you have plenty of cheaper options for upgrading rather than switching.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The Phenom II X4 965BE is the most cost effective upgrade IMHO.

What PSU do you have and what graphics card??

[RobTi]

Thanks for the replies looks like it will be AMD and then later on get a SSD.

He has a 6870 and a 500w artic power PSU, only does browsing and the two above games

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Thanks for the replies looks like it will be AMD and then later on get a SSD.

He has a 6870 and a 500w artic power PSU, only does browsing and the two above games

I am not that sure about the PSU - I would probably change it over to a decent 400W to 500W,especially with you upgrading the CPU.

Edit!!

It seems to have only 18A on the 12V rail. That is a bit low.

[RobTi]

Thanks he has ordered a new corsair PSU before I posted here.

Was just stuck as to which route to go with his CPU ( I am too long out of the scene now since I stopped gaming Q6600 era).

So as it's only gaming I think he is going for the phenom X4 as I think the X6 models are over the top for gaming only

Unless you know any different

Robert

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

In some games a Phenom II X6 1100T will be quicker than a Phenom II X4 980,although the only ones which I suspect will have a bigger difference are games such as Civilization V and Rage. However,the Phenom II X4 965BE is a better choice for the majority of games down to a higher core clockspeed and more L3 cache per core. It is also cheaper than the Phenom II X6 1045T.

Edit!!

SWTOR is a bit of a mess,it seems - even with high framerates you can get issues,and I suspect it is down to the game IMHO.

[Firdelore]

i5 2500k is awesome.

[Ulti]

i5 2500k would be out of his budget though and is probably overkill over an i5 2320 unless he was going for overclocking. But even the Phenom 965 can be overclocked pretty nicely.

[KeyboardDemon]

i5 2500k would be out of his budget though and is probably overkill over an i5 2320 unless he was going for overclocking. But even the Phenom 965 can be overclocked pretty nicely.

I'm happy with mine running at 3913mhz.

[kalniel]

Now when playing games (eve,swtor) the cpu will max out at 100%.

This is a good thing.

[jackjack]

Athlon x4 it would a nice and smart upgrade for your budget as for great companion with VGA card 6870 i think it will run great depend on you Monitor

[ET3D]

CPU maxing out at 100% is fine. A game will try to use as many resources as possible. So sure moving to 6 core will lower the CPU percentage, but that just means the game isn't written to take advantage of that power so the extra cores aren't beneficial.

Looking at the SWTOR benchmarks at Tom's Hardware it seems like an Athlon II X2 250 should provide decent enough performance. Haven't found anything that good for Eve, unfortunately.

So the question is, what motivates this upgrade? CPU at 100% isn't a good enough reason. Low frame rate in gaming is a good reason, so is that the case? And if so, perhaps the graphics card has something to do with that, and might be a better upgrade. I think we'll need more information to recommend how to go.

[RobTi]

Thanks for all the help, he went for the phenom 965be in the end.

Thanks

Robert