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Looking to upgrade my CPU - LGA 1155

L

landsofwinter

Junior Member
Hello, I currently have an i5 2400, and it seems to be falling below (just about) the minimum requirements for some newer games, I'm looking to upgrade my CPU without changing my mobo... What would be a good CPU for me to get? Ideally less than about $250 or so. Thanks!
 
i5 2400 should still be very good for modern games...take that $250 and put it towards a new GPU 🙂

What are the rest of your system specs?
 
Arachnotronic said:
i5 2400 should still be very good for modern games...take that $250 and put it towards a new GPU 🙂

What are the rest of your system specs?
Click to expand...


Haha, I would but I just bought a new one! My CPU falls short of the minimum required for Dying Light & The Witcher 3, I really want to upgrade it.

My specs are:
EVGA GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0
Intel i5 2400 @ 3.1GHz
8 GB RAM
Win 7 - 64 bit
 
What mobo do you have... is it a Z-board? The easy solution is, if your mobo is a Z68 chipset, is get a used 2500K and OC it.
 
Arachnotronic said:
i5 2400 should still be very good for modern games...take that $250 and put it towards a new GPU 🙂

What are the rest of your system specs?
Click to expand...

OC that to 3.4Ghz all cores if your mobo supports it, otherwise you can pick up a locked i7 2600 or i7 2700K for around 200. If you really want to.
 
escrow4 said:
OC that to 3.4Ghz all cores if your mobo supports it, otherwise you can pick up a locked i7 2600 or i7 2700K for around 200. If you really want to.
Click to expand...


I can't find an i7 2700k for about $200, I see them for about $350.. I've been looking at the i5 3570k, they're selling it at a local shop for $170, is that worth it? What do you guys think?
 
It wasn't too long ago, I was seeing i5-2500K go for $120 shipped on ebay "Buy it now" auctions.

Unfortunately, it looks like that supply has dried up and there are only a few listings up now.

But I would keep your eyes open to see if you can't pick one of those up fairly cheap.
 
cbn said:
It wasn't too long ago, I was seeing i5-2500K go for $120 shipped on ebay "Buy it now" auctions.

Unfortunately, it looks like that supply has dried up and there are only a few listings up now.

But I would keep your eyes open to see if you can't pick one of those up fairly cheap.
Click to expand...


Damn, okay. I will. So, you don't think the i5 3570k is worth the $170?
 
landsofwinter said:
Damn, okay. I will. So, you don't think the i5 3570k is worth the $170?
Click to expand...

I don't, no. That is almost what they cost new (granted, that was at MicroCenter... 😛 ) or I would expect a cherry chip that hasn't been thrashed.

Truth be told, depending on how much time you want to fool around looking for a CPU... get the $170 one and recoup some of that cost by selling your 2400.
 
Since you already have an i5 and are upgrading the CPU anyway, you might as well go with an i7. i5-3570k is rock solid but there are games out there that pretty much max it out already, few hundred MHz and SB->IB will not be much of an improvement anyway. On the other hand, increased thread count , can and will make a difference in a few games now and more in the future.
 
landsofwinter said:
Hello, I currently have an i5 2400, and it seems to be falling below (just about) the minimum requirements for some newer games, I'm looking to upgrade my CPU without changing my mobo... What would be a good CPU for me to get? Ideally less than about $250 or so. Thanks!
Click to expand...
i7 3770K/3770.
 
landsofwinter said:
Ah, okay. Microcenter has an i7 3770k for exactly $250. Thanks a lot guys! I'll be purchasing that one.
Click to expand...

Gotta love Microcenter...

Congrats! The four extra threads + ability to overclock (AtenRa is correct on needing a good cooler though for >4GHz) should be great for long-term use.
 
This thread should be stickied for all those who are debating on buying a K or a non-K version to save a few bucks. An i5-2400 might be nearing then end of its rope due to its low base clocks, but a 2500k clocked to 4.5GHz will last for many more years.
 
landsofwinter said:
Haha, I would but I just bought a new one! My CPU falls short of the minimum required for Dying Light & The Witcher 3, I really want to upgrade it.

My specs are:
EVGA GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0
Intel i5 2400 @ 3.1GHz
8 GB RAM
Win 7 - 64 bit
Click to expand...

Dont take those specs for good. Your CPU is fine. And any upgrade should be done after you try the games.
 
sm625 said:
This thread should be stickied for all those who are debating on buying a K or a non-K version to save a few bucks. An i5-2400 might be nearing then end of its rope due to its low base clocks, but a 2500k clocked to 4.5GHz will last for many more years.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
 
I don't recommend replacing this CPU, what i7 only offers as a bonus is HT and additional 2 megs of L3 cache, which has no impact on performance in games. Describe how you feel your system is not enough? Do you have low fps, lagging, stuttering or? Because I think it is quite good for modern games.
 
Uh. You have a Z chipset motherboard. Meaning you can overclock your i5 2400 to 3.5GHz. At which point, it should run nearly anything you can throw at it just fine. Very few games actually require more than 4 cores/threads.
 
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