Upgrading CPU: need some advice?

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kiwis

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Topic # 173350 20-May-2015 13:12

i need to upgrade my CPU due to overheating maybe but also to get a better experience with Flight Sim X.

When I get a new CPU what do i need to look for to ensure my motherboard is compatible? if its not likely to be what do i need to have match up so my motherboard and cou can work together??

other than cpu and monthboard does anything else need to be considered??

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Reply # 1308452 20-May-2015 13:14

Depends what cpu your looking at.
an i52500k and 3570k work with z77,z68,z67,h77 etc
a i5 4670k and 4690k work with z87,h81,h61 etc
And if your cpu is older with ddr2 memory youd need to upgrade that

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Reply # 1308456 20-May-2015 13:28

Poke around on Flight Sim X fan sites/forums - I remember doing the same a few years back when my employer at the time needed a good flight sim system setup.

We built it on a Core 2 Duo system at the time, research found a lot of users saw no improvement using quad core systems, however having good video cards was a better choice etc.

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Reply # 1308458 20-May-2015 13:30

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Overheating usually means your current cooling is insuficiant for the CPU you have, not that you need to upgrade it.

But in anycase, unless you have a socket 1150 for intel then a new CPU wont be viable. You might be able to find a used one for the older sockets that you can upgrade too, but IME used stuff is usually sold because it's dodgey.

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kiwis

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Reply # 1308524 20-May-2015 14:57

I have a AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor with a ASUS M4AA7TD PRO

I believe the better CPU i can get the better. what can i get before i need to upgrade my motherboard?

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Reply # 1308576 20-May-2015 15:48

+1 for sorting out your cooling, if you upgrade your cpu you will quite likely have the same problem if you have not sorted your cooling

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garvani

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Reply # 1308588 20-May-2015 16:01

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kiwis: I have a AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor with a ASUS M4AA7TD PRO

I believe the better CPU i can get the better. what can i get before i need to upgrade my motherboard?

your near the top end of your current architecture, 980be is as high as it went for quadcores. However they did release some 6 core processors Phenom II X6 1100T being the highest. These are all very old nowadays, your only hope will be getting a secondhand one off trademe.

I doubt your going to get the performance increase you desire out of such an upgrade. If i was you i would be saving up for a core i5 build, Intel has a dramatic ipc advantage over amd, and flight sim x is a hungry beast that will utilise everything you throw at it.

Lias

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Reply # 1308595 20-May-2015 16:16

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kiwis: I have a AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor with a ASUS M4AA7TD PRO

I believe the better CPU I can get the better. what can i get before i need to upgrade my motherboard?

That's one of the best CPU's you can get for that board. The only faster quad core is the 970, or you can go to one of the 6 core CPU's but you lose speed. Either way your buying off Trademe or Ebay as they are all out of production. Cheapest 970 I could see on ebay was about $150 landed ex China.

Your best bet is to just buy a new motherboard and current generation CPU, but if your on a real budget and your sure it's a cooling issue, grab a Hyper 212 Evo and some Gelid GC Extreme and that should make it run nice and cool for ~$70-80.

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Reply # 1308597 20-May-2015 16:18

I think that upgrading the CPU of an old PC - even if you can get the parts - is a very bad idea, because of cost and marginally improved performance.
Upgrading your cooling may be a lot cheaper and easier, and will do no harm.
If it fails, you have lost very little, and you will have a shiny new cooler for your next PC.

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Lias

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Reply # 1308598 20-May-2015 16:18

garvani: your near the top end of your current architecture, 980be is as high as it went for quadcores. However they did release some 6 core processors Phenom II X6 1100T being the highest. These are all very old nowadays, your only hope will be getting a secondhand one off trademe.

I doubt your going to get the performance increase you desire out of such an upgrade. If i was you i would be saving up for a core i5 build, Intel has a dramatic ipc advantage over amd, and flight sim x is a hungry beast that will utilise everything you throw at it.

His board doesn't support the 980BE, tops out with a 970 (or switching to one of the X6's)

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M4A77TD_PRO/HelpDesk_CPU/

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ratsun81

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Reply # 1308605 20-May-2015 16:26

What are you experiencing? Have you had the computer case opened up and cleaned out?

A lot of the time systems begin to overheat due to the dust buildup you get inside the case and heatsinks.

Another thing to check is if the thermal paste between the cpu and cooler is still in good condition, it does deteriorate overtime.

JWR

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Reply # 1308618 20-May-2015 16:40

Lias:
kiwis: I have a AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor with a ASUS M4AA7TD PRO

I believe the better CPU I can get the better. what can i get before i need to upgrade my motherboard?

That's one of the best CPU's you can get for that board. The only faster quad core is the 970, or you can go to one of the 6 core CPU's but you lose speed. Either way your buying off Trademe or Ebay as they are all out of production. Cheapest 970 I could see on ebay was about $150 landed ex China.

Your best bet is to just buy a new motherboard and current generation CPU, but if your on a real budget and your sure it's a cooling issue, grab a Hyper 212 Evo and some Gelid GC Extreme and that should make it run nice and cool for ~$70-80.

I agree with Lias.

I don't think you will get a noticeable gain from upgrading the CPU with that motherboard.

If you decide to replace the motherboard + CPU then go Intel.

Their later CPUs are better for gaming and run much cooler/use less power.

kiwis

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Reply # 1308651 20-May-2015 17:06

okay so whats the best bang for buck given im using FSX?

i will upgrade my CPU and motherboard

I have a GTS 250 graphics card and unsure of memory

Lias

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Reply # 1308661 20-May-2015 17:17

It's really a matter of budget.

Tell us how much you'd roughly like to spend and we can come up with some suggestions around that price point.
Also your intended use.. Only FSX (which is a pretty ancient game with fairly low expectations on it's hardware), or more modern games as well, etc.

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kiwis

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Reply # 1308698 20-May-2015 18:03

i should have said - the over heating is not the sole reason for an upgrade is just a factor.

budget. no idea.

not really sure price isnt a factor if its going to make a difference for fsx. performance isnt and issue today for other tasks and i do little other gaming

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Reply # 1308720 20-May-2015 18:30

To echo other suggestions on here, get some better cooling on there and maybe look at a little overclocking, or scrap the whole thing and go for maybe the Pentium anniversary edition cpu and a new motherboard/ram, it will overclock really well and if Flight Sim X is single thread performance limited then that combo could be just what the doctor ordered for a relatively low budget.

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