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KenPruitt

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Aug 28, 2013
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Hello. My name is Ken Pruitt (my real name by the way), and I need some help. My motherboard and CPU is getting really old and outdated for the kind of things that I have just started doing. My system runs whatever game I throw at it fine, but when I try to record the game using recording software, the recorder lags really bad and the video ends up being choppy and laggy. Here are my specs currently:

Motherboard: Gigabyte H55M-S2H
CPU: Intel Core i3 530 2.93 Ghz (first generation)
Graphics Card: Galaxy Geforce GTX 650 1GB DDR5
Ram: 8GB DDR3 1333 Mhz
Hard Drive: 2TB Hitachi 7200 RPM

Let me first be clear that, IDEALLY, I would go Intel. The problem is that since I have a Socket 1156 Motherboard, there aren't many processors available cheaply, and considering how old my motherboard is, I'm looking for a good Motherboard/CPU bundle. I'm also on a very tight budget, so Intel is far to expensive for me.

What I am torn between right now is this Bundle

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...481&CatId=7250

vs this bundle

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...136&CatId=7250

My question is, which of these is better, and would either of these be worth the money as an upgrade to my current system?
 
crashtech

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
Hi Ken,

Have you checked out this sticky over in General Hardware? You'll probably get better advice by following its guidelines, and perhaps even asking for this thread to be moved over there.

Just for fun, I did throw together a hypothetical Intel i3 combo that is well within the price range of the two AMD examples you presented, but I want to withhold it for now until you let us know just what you are planning to do with your build.
 
Essence_of_War

Essence_of_War

Platinum Member
Feb 21, 2013
2,650
4
81
I'm also on a very tight budget, so Intel is far to expensive for me.
Click to expand...

It's tough to give concrete advice without knowing specifically how tight your budget is.

For a similar price to one of the bundles you found, you can afford an ivy-bridge i5 w/ the igpu disabled, and a cheap MoBo that has both Sata6Gb/s and USB 3.0 ports.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $239.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-28 18:40 EDT-0400)
 
crashtech

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
You can easily swing a Ivy i5 with that budget. If you are a smart shopper you might even get a Haswell i5 for that. This is what a quick browse netted, granted it is a bit over the budget, but something to consider:

71nu6b.png


And here is the Ivy list, well within budget:

2vl5sw4.png


I think the 3350P enjoys an extra $10 discount this weekend.
 
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crashtech

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
Either of the i5 systems will provide performance far in excess of the examples you provided.

It should be pointed out that your GPU is really going to hold you back, you won't really be doing "high end gaming" with a GTX 650. That's why some people still go with AMD, and within certain budget envelopes it makes sense, if you are wanting to upgrade your GPU at the same time. At any rate, if AMD is chosen, I personally would not recommend anything below an FX-6300 Piledriver, the single-threaded performance of the Bulldozers in your links is just too poor.
 
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KenPruitt

Member
Aug 28, 2013
25
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0
crashtech said:
Either of the i5 systems will provide performance far in excess of the examples you provided.

It should be pointed out that your GPU is really going to hold you back, you won't really be doing "high end gaming" with a GTX 650. That's why some people still go with AMD, and within certain budget envelopes it makes sense, if you are wanting to upgrade your GPU at the same time. At any rate, if AMD is chosen, I personally would not recommend anything below an FX-6300 Piledriver, the single-threaded performance of the Bulldozers in your links is just too poor.
Click to expand...

I see your point about the CPUs, but my GPU works very well, considering what I paid for it. So far, it's handled everything I've thrown at it very well.
 
K

KenPruitt

Member
Aug 28, 2013
25
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I've been giving it some thought, and I can do one of two things; either I can upgrade my GPU, or I can upgrade my Motherboard and Processor. Which would be better, all things considered?
 
crashtech

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
Clearly, an older i3 is not the best basis for a gaming rig. So going to a quad core or better makes good sense, yet to play newer games with higher image quality and resolution, you could probably use a better GPU as well. Check out this thread to see how your card measures up.

Typically, a gaming machine will benefit by spending considerably more on the GPU than the CPU. There are many ways to accomplish that goal, for example, you might consider buying something like an i5-750 for your existing board. This would leave over $200 for the purchase of a better GPU. Selling your old parts would perhaps enable the purchase of an even faster LGA1156 CPU and an aftermarket cooler.

With money freed up from the sale of your old parts, it's conceivable you could get a Lynnfield i7 with an aftermarket cooler, and either an HD 7870, or a 660ti. Obviously, an entire platform update sets you up better for future upgrades, but if you want the smoothest gameplay for your buck, something like this latter scenario is going to give higher frame rates than continuing to use your old card.
 
crashtech

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
KenPruitt said:
It's very hard to find processors for an LG 1156, so I guess I'll probably just upgrade my GPU.
Click to expand...
It's not hard, unless you are dead set against used stuff. Here's one, I think it is priced above market, though:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2337730&highlight=1156

Your initial instinct was not wrong. That older i3 will hold back your gaming performance. Even though it is a good idea to go heavy on the GPU, your system still has to have some balance to it. I do not recommend running that CPU with GTX 760.
 
crashtech

crashtech

Lifer
Jan 4, 2013
10,695
2,294
146
Oh, you may need to build a bit of credibility by hanging out and posting here for a while, but many good deals are to be had on the For Sale/Trade forum here at Anandtech. My Ma always told me that patience was a virtue worth waiting for... :)
 
R

raghu78

Diamond Member
Aug 23, 2012
4,093
1,476
136
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K

KenPruitt

Member
Aug 28, 2013
25
0
0
So to sum this up, I should look to upgrading my Motherboard and CPU as opposed to upgrading my GPU?
 
S

SPBHM

Diamond Member
Sep 12, 2012
5,076
440
126
650 non TI is slower than a 7770... depending on the games you play, overclocking as much as possible your 530 + a faster card (like a 7850) would be much better.
 
frozentundra123456

frozentundra123456

Lifer
Aug 11, 2008
10,451
642
126
SPBHM said:
650 non TI is slower than a 7770... depending on the games you play, overclocking as much as possible your 530 + a faster card (like a 7850) would be much better.
Click to expand...

For normal gaming I would agree. However, he is recording as well, so that CPU may be a problem even if over locked.
 
S

SPBHM

Diamond Member
Sep 12, 2012
5,076
440
126
frozentundra123456 said:
For normal gaming I would agree. However, he is recording as well, so that CPU may be a problem even if over locked.
Click to expand...

I missed that part, the 6300 doesn't sound like a bad idea in this case...

but, if you are serious about recording, streaming or whatever that is, you can buy some video capture cards for HDMI 1080P for not a lot of money.
 
R

raghu78

Diamond Member
Aug 23, 2012
4,093
1,476
136
KenPruitt said:
My budget is $300 max. Also, I plan to do High-End gaming and on-screen video capture.
Click to expand...

So to sum this up, I should look to upgrading my Motherboard and CPU as opposed to upgrading my GPU?
Click to expand...
OP you can upgrade CPU,GPU and motherboard. get a FX-6300 / Gigabyte 970 MB and MSI HD 7950 TF3.

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?...82E16819113286
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?...82E16813128627
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?...82E16814127734

TOTAL USD 407

sell the GTX 650 for USD 60 - 70. sell the core i3 CPU + MB for around USD 80 - 90.

so nett you will spend USD 407 - (60 + 80) = USD 267
407 - (70 + 90) = USD 247

so you would spend between USD 250 - 270. the question is what PSU do you have ? do you have a 450W - 500W psu with 36A on +12V rail. if you do not have a good PSU get a rosewill capstone 450 80 plus gold. 37A on +12v rail. can easily drive a HD 7950 / FX-6300.

www.amazon.com/Rosewill-CAPSTONE-Cer...dp/B006BCKDGW/
 
AtenRa

AtenRa

Lifer
Feb 2, 2009
14,003
3,362
136
K

KenPruitt

Member
Aug 28, 2013
25
0
0
SPBHM said:
I missed that part, the 6300 doesn't sound like a bad idea in this case...

but, if you are serious about recording, streaming or whatever that is, you can buy some video capture cards for HDMI 1080P for not a lot of money.
Click to expand...

My CPU and GPU actually run games very well, but video recording is killing me. Right now, I'm using a program called FRAPS, and it's killing the hell out of my CPU when it's recording. Would getting a Video Capture Card solve this problem, and if so, how would I go about it? My monitor only has one HDMI port.
 
NTMBK

NTMBK

Lifer
Nov 14, 2011
10,525
6,050
136
KenPruitt said:
My CPU and GPU actually run games very well, but video recording is killing me. Right now, I'm using a program called FRAPS, and it's killing the hell out of my CPU when it's recording. Would getting a Video Capture Card solve this problem, and if so, how would I go about it? My monitor only has one HDMI port.
Click to expand...

An AMD 8320 or 8350 would actually make sense, if you want to record in FRAPS at the same time. The extra cores are very useful in that sort of situation.
 
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