need to upgrade my CPU - which CPU is the best?

[ren_kamotekid]

Hello All,

Good Day! Hope all is well. I am planning to upgrade my current CPU (athLon II X3 455 3.3GHz) using Asus M5A88-V EVO. should i go for FX series CPUs or Phenom II? Thanks!

 

[Mr.Scott]

8350

 

[ren_kamotekid]

thanks for the quick response FX 8350 right? i checked and it is compatible to my mobo. however, i am concerned about my power. these are my specs:

mobo: asus M5A88-V evo
currently running CPU: Athlon II X3 455 3.3GHz
RAM: Kingston Hyper X (2x4GB) - 8GB DDR3
PSU: Coolermaster @ 500W
HS: CM Hyper 212 evo

**is this CPU unlockable like some Phenom Series CPUs? Thanks again!

 

[Bishoff]

thanks for the quick response FX 8350 right? i checked and it is compatible to my mobo. however, i am concerned about my power. these are my specs:

mobo: asus M5A88-V evo
currently running CPU: Athlon II X3 455 3.3GHz
RAM: Kingston Hyper X (2x4GB) - 8GB DDR3
PSU: Coolermaster @ 500W
HS: CM Hyper 212 evo

**is this CPU unlockable like some Phenom Series CPUs? Thanks again!

PSU is fine, and is unlocked but are you planing on overclocking? What graphics card?

 

[ren_kamotekid]

i am planning to but most likely just normal CPU speed that i will be using. i am using an older card from my old motherboard, Radeon 4650. should i upgrade my card too? thanks!

 

[Bishoff]

Only upgrade your graphics if you are unable to play any games you want to play to your satisfaction. Try out the CPU first, then you can worry about the graphics later (if needed) and any other upgrades.

 

[ren_kamotekid]

anything next in line to this CPU (budget wise) i am looking at some phenom series that can be unlocked to 6 cores. i am sure what models they are but i read some threads here before that you can unlock some of those. thanks!

 

[Mr.Scott]

No FX processor is unlockable core wise. Yes, they do have unlocked multi's.

 

[ren_kamotekid]

thanks Mr.Scott! i checked this processor and it has some good reviews however, i only got a specific budget so a notch lower than this would cost me will definitely help as i am planning to install 2 more RAMs. Thank you so much! Also, is it a good choice of jumping an upgrade to a much much higher CPU?

 

[ren_kamotekid]

honestly, i was able to unlock this CPU to Phenom B55 but core speed is stuck at max of 800MHz - not 3300MHz per core, this is during stress test of Prime95

 

[ren_kamotekid]

sorry, i am also considerng 955BE or a 965BE? will this work? or is this still available?

 

[Mr.Scott]

How about a FX 6300 then.
The 955 and 965 are generally unavailable new, but you can still find them around.

 

[ren_kamotekid]

so if i can find a phenom II X4 955 (not a brand new one) should i get it instead of getting the FX 6300?

 

[Mr.Scott]

Depends on the price.

 

[chrisjames61]

anything next in line to this CPU (budget wise) i am looking at some phenom series that can be unlocked to 6 cores. i am sure what models they are but i read some threads here before that you can unlock some of those. thanks!

The success ratio of unlocking cores is like playing lotto. I have had probably eight cpu's that had cores I could unlock. Only THREE were stable with the cores unlocked. Sometimes you might get one good core out of two. You will be wasting your money more than likely. It is fun to do but don't do it counting on success.

 

[Mr.Scott]

The success ratio of unlocking cores is like playing lotto. I have had probably eight cpu's that had cores I could unlock. Only THREE were stable with the cores unlocked. Sometimes you might get one good core out of two. You will be wasting your money more than likely. It is fun to do but don't do it counting on success.

QFT!

 

[trents]

I would not use that Asus M5A88-V EVO with an FX CPU. It is listed as being compatible wit the certain models of the FX series but I wonder if you will get full performance if you go that route. Listed FX CPUs will work in that board but will you have down-throttling or other erratic behavior? The 8xx chipset was developed before the FX seriex came out.
http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/M5A88V_EVO/HelpDesk_CPU/

 

[ren_kamotekid]

Hi Trents! I was really hesitant though i have a cooler, any recommendations? not planning to OC but for games and apps purposes. Thanks!

 

[trents]

Recommendations for what? A new motherboard? A CPU?

If you will be keeping your present motherboard I would look for a used 1090T Phenom II or if budget does not permit that you can still get the Phenom II 955 used for reasonable prices. Ebay. Either one would be a significant upgrade to your current CPU.

If you really want to upgrade to an 8 core FX CPU I would go with nothing less than the Asus Sabertooth. But that will be spendy.

 

[caddi daddi]

the 1090t would be great and will not punish your other gear as much as an 8350 would and will get along with 1600 ram just fine, I assume you have either 1333 or 1600 ram.