Currently using a Phenom 965 (or some such - stock @ 3.2GHz) @ 3.8GHz. It does nearly everything I want it too - struggles a bit when streaming ultra high quality video.
I want to upgrade my processor to either the FX-8120 or the i5-2500k. Now, if this were a new build, it'd obviously be a no-brainer on which to buy. However, since I already have a motherboard that supports the 8120, I wanted to know if it was worth it to go up to the 2500k (or the 2600k, as that might be an option) since I would have to buy a new motherboard as well?
Currently using the Asrock Extreme3 970 AM3+ motherboard, and was considering getting this board (had good experiences with Asrock - feel free to suggest another):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
To replace it, along with either the 2500k or the 2600k. My other option is, of course, to get the 8120. The 8120 gets 7,100 on Passmark, and the 2500k gets 6,700. I know my friend's 2500k OCs to an easy 8,900 score on Passmark, and I don't know whether the 8120 will be able to match that scaling. I also know that Passmark isn't the end all be all of benchmarks, but it's served pretty well in the past .
Also, two side questions:
If I did end up getting either of these CPUs and overclocked them, would my GPU (Radeon HD 4890 reference card, non-OC'd) bottleneck it in games?
And is this a good monitor for gaming? Looking for a cheap 1080p monitor to throw beside my current one for a dual monitor setup.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009316
I want to upgrade my processor to either the FX-8120 or the i5-2500k. Now, if this were a new build, it'd obviously be a no-brainer on which to buy. However, since I already have a motherboard that supports the 8120, I wanted to know if it was worth it to go up to the 2500k (or the 2600k, as that might be an option) since I would have to buy a new motherboard as well?
Currently using the Asrock Extreme3 970 AM3+ motherboard, and was considering getting this board (had good experiences with Asrock - feel free to suggest another):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
To replace it, along with either the 2500k or the 2600k. My other option is, of course, to get the 8120. The 8120 gets 7,100 on Passmark, and the 2500k gets 6,700. I know my friend's 2500k OCs to an easy 8,900 score on Passmark, and I don't know whether the 8120 will be able to match that scaling. I also know that Passmark isn't the end all be all of benchmarks, but it's served pretty well in the past .
Also, two side questions:
If I did end up getting either of these CPUs and overclocked them, would my GPU (Radeon HD 4890 reference card, non-OC'd) bottleneck it in games?
And is this a good monitor for gaming? Looking for a cheap 1080p monitor to throw beside my current one for a dual monitor setup.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009316