[kierenbarwise]

Hey I want to upgrade my computer because it is quite old now and on some of the recent games, or medium aged games, my computer lags... and the game runs slow, or I have to put the graphics settings on low to work.. and still its slow, so yeah I want to improve that, I need a new CPU and well my motherboard is...
GF8200C M2+ :: Motherboard :: BIOSTAR

And am wondering what would be the best CPU to buy that would work on that motherboard, And which one would be best for playing games with.

Thanks In Advance

[paulktreg]

... and what is your graphics card?

[kierenbarwise]

CPU is AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 2.2GHz
Graphics card is NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS

So yeah I know I need to upgrade both but I can only afford one at the moment and I believe the cpu will improve my pc the most, I have been looking at CPU's and well I found this one but im unsure if it will work on my pc.

AMD Phenom II X4 960T Quad Core Processor (3.00 GHz, 8MB Cache, Socket AM3, 95W, 3 Year Warranty, Retail Boxed): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Would it ? And is that one even good ? or could I get better ? Thanks

[shadowboxer]

I may be wrong but I don't think the 960T is compatible as your motherboard only takes DDR2 RAM.

The most powerful processor you could put in there would be a AMD Phenom™ II X4 945.

If you've only got 2GB DDR2 RAM then adding another 2GB would be my first upgrade.

[EndlessWaves]

Yes, that's an AM2+ motherboard so you need an AM2+ processor, an AM3 processor like the 960T won't work.

However, it's the graphics card you need to focus on to get decent gaming performance. An 8400gs was absolute bottom of the range when it was launched and is going to struggle to run new games even with the most powerful of i7 processors. While we don't know exactly how good your processor is (the Ghz won't tell you much if you don't know what design it is, you need the model number like 6000+ or X2 240) you're likely to get far better results from upgrading your graphics card, especially if you're running at a medium or high resolution (1440x900 and up).

[Berties]

I wouldn't bother upgrading tbh you'll be CPU limited. Depends what games you want to play? You could buy a decent GPU but is your PSU up to the job? But then with a high end GPU, not making full use of it with a old CPU.

[Sinbadio]

Originally Posted by Berties

I wouldn't bother upgrading tbh you'll be CPU limited. Depends what games you want to play? You could buy a decent GPU but is your PSU up to the job? But then with a high end GPU, not making full use of it with a old CPU.

I agree with this, you would be better of starting from scratch so start saving! By the time you have replaced something you will need to replace other components due to compatibility issues and bottlenecks.

[kierenbarwise]

Hmm I see... so insted of buying a new CPU, do you think ill be better off buying a motherboard bundle like this for example

AMD 4 Core FX 3.6Ghz 16GB DDR3 1333mhz Asus M5A78L-M USB3 Motherboard Bundle | eBay

[Sinbadio]

Yeah a motherboard bundle is a good place to start but the one you linked to isn't going to benifet you, 16 GBs of RAM is just OTT. I would go for something with 4-8GBs RAM with a decent quad core. What power supply you got, you would want to upgrade and use a old low power supply that may blow on you!

[kierenbarwise]

ah hmm well i have found a simuler bundle but insted of a 4 core its a 6 core and instead of 16gb ram it has 8 is that better ? or is that CPU just bad and i have a 420w power supply, thanks for the help btw

[Sinbadio]

Why not try the system bundles on the overclockers.com site or if they are too pricey Novatech do some good bundles. I don't really trust eBay for computer parts myself but that's up to you I guess. I think considering the spec of PC you building, especially if its for gaming, your going to need a new power supply. You will need at least a 550w and anything up to a 700w PSU from a make like antec, corsair, coolermaster and etc. Try to stick to power supplys above 50 bucks overwise they tend to let you down and blow.

[kierenbarwise]

Hmm okay well there are a few I found which ill list below but could you maybe help me out and tell me which you would personally go for of if you can even suggest one that would be great I think my dad will only spend around 200ish at the most. Thanks

Novatech Motherboard Bundle -AMD Phenom II X6 1055T - 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz - AMD 880G Motherboard With Integrated ATI Radeon Graphics | MBB-10554A

Novatech Motherboard Bundle - AMD Quad Core FX-4100 - 4GB 1333Mhz DDR3 - AMD 880G - Onboard Radeon 4250 graphics | MBB-44104G

AMD 6 Core FX 3.3Ghz 8GB DDR3 1333mhz Asus M5A78L-M USB3 Motherboard Bundle | eBay

I dont mind if its on ebay I just want to know which do you think is the best deal thanks

[Berties]

I'd look into a dedicated GPU, although guess can add that later on.

buy stuff from ebuyer

[Sinbadio]

In my opinion there all about the same but I would say that the 1060T bundle is the best deal considering that the new AMD FX CPUs arent any better then the phenoms!

[EndlessWaves]

Originally Posted by kierenbarwise

Hmm I see... so insted of buying a new CPU, do you think ill be better off buying a motherboard bundle like this for example

AMD 4 Core FX 3.6Ghz 16GB DDR3 1333mhz Asus M5A78L-M USB3 Motherboard Bundle | eBay

Nope, a motherboard bundle is going to be just as much of a pointless upgrade as the CPU alone as long as you keep that extremely slow 8400gs. Well, in fact it should be slightly faster as even the graphics built into the motherboard are better than the 8400 but nowhere near as much as upgrading the graphics card.

[Sinbadio]

Well I guess he could just buy a new gpu for the current build but it wont really help much whither a 420w psu and a 2.2GHz AMD dual core. But yeah it would help a lot, depends on the budget really!

[kierenbarwise]

Yeah I do plan on buying a new graphics card too but still if I buy a graphics card my computer will still suck because of my CPU and the motherboard I have atm sucks so I plan on buying a motherboard bundle not sure which though still unsure, Then a few weeks after when I get payed im going to buy a graphcis card, just I cant afford then all at the same time unfortunetly but i was also going to ask is this graphics card good ? been looking at a few..

Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 6770 OC 1024MB GDDR5 | GV-R677OC-1GD

[Sinbadio]

Okay well that card is capable of playing current games with decent settings but I would suggest the GTX 460, its the best budget card out there, capable of playing most games at 1080p at very decent settings. I believe its around the 100 mark so its very affordable and won't require much power either!

[kierenbarwise]

hmm okay thanks I have been looking for a bundle but the ones I have seen are around 200 so I put a few things in myself and would you be able to take a look at the few parts and see if there compatible for me please ? and would they work well thanks

Graphics card.

Sapphire 11189-00-20G HD 6770 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories or looking at

EVGA Nvidia GTX550Ti 1GB 192-Bit 3D Ready Graphics Card: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

CPU

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005UBNKW...SIN=B005UBNKWO

Yeah the motherboards only a cheap thing so im unsure :/ just trying to get the parts around 200ish because my dad will pay that much for me and i would like them all at once

Asus AM3+ AMD 760G + SB710 DDR3 ATX (M5A78L-M LX) - dabs.com

Would they go together ? thanks alot

[Berties]

You need RAM as well. I'd check out £110 Intel CPU's, generally seem faster for gaming.

[Sinbadio]

Yeah that CPU and the motherboard will work fine together, just remember to get some ram and you'll have a fairly cheap bundle. If you need help putting it together you can go onto YouTube, there are tons of videos on hoe to build a PC. Just be sure to search for AMD guides as Intel builds are different to AMD ones.

[Sinbadio]

Just to let you know, you will need around 4-8 GBs of DDR3 memory from 1333MHz - 1600MHz. The 1333MHz should be fine for what you need, you don't really benefit much from faster ram and they can be very expensive for not much gain.

[kierenbarwise]

hmm I have found this CPU is it better than the AMD one ?

Intel Core i5 650 Processor - 3.20GHz, 4MB L3 Cache: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

and if I did choose that one, i would have to find anouther motherboard wouldnt I?

[Sinbadio]

You know what, visit the anandtech.com site and on the top right corner menu click on BENCH. From there you can compare different hardware including cpus, gpus and etc. Would be a lot quicker for you and less hassel too.

[Berties]

Originally Posted by kierenbarwise

hmm I have found this CPU is it better than the AMD one ?

Intel Core i5 650 Processor - 3.20GHz, 4MB L3 Cache: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

and if I did choose that one, i would have to find anouther motherboard wouldnt I?

Yup. Have to match CPU socket with motherboard, and in some cases RAM as well. Although both AMD and Intel both use DDR3, some are labelled for AMD or Intel use. I tried using the RAM on a AMD system- lots of problems, put them in a Intel motherboard- no problem at all.

Have two systems myself, low power AMD 240e for the HTPC (virtually cold in use) so CPU fan hardly spinning. And a Intel 950 for gaming.

[Sinbadio]

That's funny because my HTPC is a AMD setup and runs hot as hell and my gaming setup is Intel and runs Mega cool, although the AMD CPU is a original Phenom lol

[Berties]

amd 240e running at 19 degrees C now...Scythe Ninja latest model with fan on lowest (would run passive but during summer and encoding gets a bit hot)

420W PSU isn't enough for a gaming rig, I'd get a new PSU as well. Maybe a new case if yours is crappy.

[shadowboxer]

Originally Posted by Berties

amd 240e running at 19 degrees C now...Scythe Ninja latest model with fan on lowest (would run passive but during summer and encoding gets a bit hot)

420W PSU isn't enough for a gaming rig, I'd get a new PSU as well. Maybe a new case if yours is crappy.

That's interesting. My AMD Athlon II X2 240 (non-e) gets pretty warm in a Novatech Vision Media Centere Case. Only using the stock cooler but it usually idles around 40ºC! Might look into getting the more power efficient 45W CPU.

@OP. Whats your budget like for any potential new build?

If your looking around the £200 I'd be thinking along the lines of an Intel i3-2100/2120, H61/67 motherboar and 4GB DDR3 RAM. If your confident or thinking about overclocking then consider an AM3+ board, 4GB RAM and a Phenom II X4 960T. Both should be easily attainable for around £160-180 and will outperform the older generation i3-560 and the basic quad core Bulldozer CPUs.

[the cod god]

First off, i would reccomend getting a socket 1155 cpu for gaming, there is nothing better out there atm on a budget. But i would get a P67 or Z68 motherboard, simply because that leaves you with more options for upgrading in the future and also you get support for ram speeds of over 1333Mhz which is really helpful to get the most out of your system when gaming! If i was you i would get the following!

Asus P8P67-M Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 MicroATX Motherboard ** B3 REVISION ** [90-MIBDVA-G0EAY0DZ]
Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail [BX80623I32100]
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/4GX) [KHX1600C9D3X2K2/4GX]

[kierenbarwise]

hi i ordered a cpu, gpu and a motherboard, the motherboard hasnt came and wont come to the 3rd of january so i thought i would use the graphics card on my motherboard while i wait but its not working :/ the monitor just says no signal and the graphics card is in right :/ and the graphics card is a XFX radeon HD 6850 please help :/ thanks