Time to upgrade?

[haas1mj]

I just built a new i5 based rig for my friend and think it might be time to upgrade mine. I was looking over the Gaming Hierarchy Chart at Tom's Hardware and saw that my cpu is getting left in the dust rather quickly. I think it's also becoming a bottleneck as Bf3 and Skyrim seem to get bogged down at times with 1080p and high settings. I'm definitely looking at an i5, but i'm not exactly sure which one and which motherboard? I've dabbled a bit in video card overclocking but never processor, however I wouldn't be opposed to it. My budget is $350 and that doesn't include the 4gb of ram i'm planning on adding.


4GB GSkill ECO RAM
EVGA GTX 560ti
1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3
Antec NEO ECO 520W
Antec Three Hundred case
AMD Athlon II x4 635 + Win7
ASUS 24in LCD (1920x1080)
Gigabyte 770 TA-UD3 Motherboard
ASUS CD/DVD Burner

 

[lehtv]

Asrock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 $105
i5-2500K $210 after promo
Cooler Master 212 EVO $35
= $350

Despite being that affordable, the motherboard has a lot going for it. I would look at other models only if SLI/Crossfire compatibility were an issue.

 

[DominionSeraph]

i5 2500k: unlocked multiplier.

You'll want a Z68 motherboard so you can overclock it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157279

Someone else chime in on a heat sink. I see the Hyper 212+ has jumped to $34 with no rebate so I'm not sure if there's something as good or better in that range.
Oh wait, it's $25 on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330582331&sr=8-1

 

[Ken g6]

If you can wait a month or two, the Ivy Bridge processors should be out, and they may overclock even better than the 2500K. (Or not - we really don't know for sure right now.)

 

[haas1mj]

I just checked Microcenter and they have the i5 2500k for $179 which seems like a great deal so i'll probably go out and grab that. Is the Hyper 212+ tough to install? Because i've read reviews about people having difficulty with it.

 

[mnewsham]

If you are rushing and don't read the manual it can be a bitch, however if you take your time and READ then you are fine.

While at microcenter you can pick up this motherboard and walk out the door spending about $310. that leaves you 40 bucks for a HSF, which you can also pick up at microcenter, the i5-2500k does NOT need a high end HSF to overclock, the hyper 212+ is a very nice one for the price.

 

[lehtv]

while at microcenter you can pick up this motherboard and walk out the door spending about $310

$180 + $110 = $290. I'd prefer Asrock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 though, it's a nicer board

Microcenter has 212+ for $20 AR

 

[mnewsham]

$180 + $110 = $290. I'd prefer Asrock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 though, it's a nicer board

Microcenter has 212+ for $20 AR

I was including tax, total is 179.99+109.99=289.98+(289.98*.06)=307.38

 

[Murz]

I just checked Microcenter and they have the i5 2500k for $179 which seems like a great deal so i'll probably go out and grab that. Is the Hyper 212+ tough to install? Because i've read reviews about people having difficulty with it.

If your going to Micro Center check if they are still running the i5 2500k + Z68 mobo deal. I got the deal a few months back where they took an additional $50 off the mobo when you buy it with the 2500k.

 

[mkmitch]

Newegg has a youtube video showing the installation of the hyper 212. Saves a few headaches if you watch it first. Same for the evo too, which is what I installed. Trust me when I say if I can do it most anyone can. Great cooler for the price.

 

[mfenn]

$180 + $110 = $290. I'd prefer Asrock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 though, it's a nicer board

Microcenter has 212+ for $20 AR

Agree. It really just depends on whether or not you want to wait for the mobo to show up. The CPU and HSF might get lonely in that time span.

 

[lehtv]

I was including tax, total is 179.99+109.99=289.98+(289.98*.06)=307.38

Oh ok. In any case it's going to be about the same price for the z68 pro3 gen3 as for the gigabyte board, personally would prefer pro3 gen3