Mid Range PC parts replacement

[DarkTXKnight]

I built a system a few years ago for some mid range gaming running windows 8.1. The motherboard is beginning to flake and Id like to replace it with something comparable, using as many of the spare parts as possible.I'm trying to find an inexpensive MB or CPU\MB replacement (~$100-150 USD) since this is used for occasional gaming of older games.

Current system (with failing MB)

AMD Phenom II X3 740 Socket AM3+ CPU
MSI 870A-G54 Motherboard
HIS Radeon HD5770 Graphics Card
16GB DDR 3 RAM
Sandisk 128GB SSD System Drive
WD 1TB Black HDD



1. What YOUR PC will be used for - occasional FPS gaming (UrbanTerror,COD etc.)

2. What YOUR budget is - $100-150 USD

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. -USA, there is a Fry's on the other side of town, but a Microcenter down the street.Could also be Newegg or Amazon.

4. n/a

5. IF YOU have a brand preference - Id prefer AMD, but if there is a reasonable combo for an Intel set I'd consider it.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are - Everything in current system except MB and CPU

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. - Stock

8. N/A

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? Within 2 weeks.


X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? no.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Microcenter is amazing. You can get a mobo and a 4690k for like $199. The RAM, SSD, and HDD are all good though.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yeah, if you have a MC nearby, def. take advantage of some of their combo specials. Have you considered their G3258 / MSI Z97 PC Mate mobo combo for $99? That CPU is fast if you OC it, but may still not be fast enough for the newest AAA games being released currently, due to the lack of cores / threads.

 

[DarkTXKnight]

Have you considered their G3258 / MSI Z97 PC Mate mobo combo for $99?

Would this be a noticeable upgrade from the Phenom II X3 740 that I have today?

Most of the titles that I play are a few years old, so im not sure the cores\threads would matter too much.

 

[Charlie98]

I've been running a G3258 with a GTX560Ti 448 and playing Modern Warfare 1&2, it plays it, but struggles a bit here and there, this with a 3.8GHz OC. It's nice if you don't expect uber settings, but I wouldn't recommend it for a gamer PC, especially if you plan to play anything new... but it depends on how serious you are.

I know you probably don't want to hear it, but 'midrange' gaming build says 'i3 minimum' to me.

Microcenter is amazing. You can get a mobo and a 4690k for like $199. The RAM, SSD, and HDD are all good though.

The price on the 4690K is back up to $199 (at least in Dallas...) so you would have to plan for $250-300 with the combo discount. The problem in Dallas is... all the nice, inexpensive boards are all sold out... 🙁

 

[DarkTXKnight]

actually I've been fine playing the games i play on what I have, I suppose I could just get a replacement MB and drop the Phenom back into it, but I was thinking that if I'm already going to pay $90 for a new system board to drop in my old CPU, if it made sense to look for a cheap combo with a newer (presumably faster) CPU for not that much more money.

 

[VirtualLarry]

but I was thinking that if I'm already going to pay $90 for a new system board to drop in my old CPU, if it made sense to look for a cheap combo with a newer (presumably faster) CPU for not that much more money.

That's partially why I suggest that combo. You could get it, overclock it, and when the need arises, you can drop in a 4670K or 4790K.

 

[DarkTXKnight]

VirtualLarry - I figured that's where you were going with that and I like that idea, Im having a hard time finding that combo.. do you have a link perhaps?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Hmm, it used to be linked off of the main page.

 

[mfenn]

Hmm, it used to be linked off of the main page.

I looked through their catalog and I don't see a specific mention of that. The cheapest I saw for a G3258 system was the G3258 for $60 and the ASRock H81M-HDS for $50, putting you at $110 total. The H81M-HDS needs to be at at least BIOS 1.60 to support the G3258, but the nice thing about MicroCenter is that if it doesn't work, you can take it back and ask them to flash the BIOS for you.

However, I would recommend spending $180 on the i3 4370 + ASRock H97M Pro combo for $180. You can't overclock it, but you don't need to either.