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Changing CPU - Enough Power/Worth it?

benn

benn

benn

Associate
Joined
5 Jun 2013
Posts
26
Hey all :)

I'll just explain the situation first! I'm on a bit of a budget so when I built the rig I went for an A10-5800k because of the decent onboard graphics. However, I later added a superclocked GTX 650 Ti, and now get the feeling the cpu is bottlenecking it a bit (understandable as it's designed to be a discrete solution).

I was considering (money still a bit of an issue) swapping to an AM3+ Mobo and throwing in an 8320 or 8350. (Yes - I would go for an i5 if I had the money :)).

This leaves me with a couple of questions, do you guys think it's actually worth it? Would I see quite a difference in performance? My current rig runs most things on high/ultra, but on games where it gets a bit intense in multiplayer can grind away a bit.

Other question is.. atm I have a Corsair 500w psu in there, would that still be alright? It's only an extra 25w cpu as far as I'm aware, plus I think the cooler I have atm would pop straight onto it (CoolerMaster TX3).

Here is my setup, to get an idea of the power consumption it has:
- CoolerMaster TX3
- 2x120mm case fans
- Bog standard DVD-RW
- 1TB Seagate HDD

Thats about it :).

P.S. Regarding the power situation, if that PSU would handle it, do you think it would be ok with an SSD added to the rig as well?

Thanks a lot and well done if you've made it this far :D

Ben
 
I'll leave it to others to discuss the merits of the switch.

On power: SSDs use very little power. How much varies depending on what you get, but significantly less than a HDD at load. While having an additional drive will increase max possible power draw by a couple of watts (insignificant addition really) having it will most likely actually decrease the power use of your machine almost all the time, as the HDD will be used much less.
 
Frankly with only a 650Ti, I wouldn't bother upgrading.

A clocked Trinity and a 650Ti will be a decentish match for each other, a 650Ti isn't exactly a power house, certainly not worth investing 200 into for it.

With B-Grade motherboards, an Intel i5 costs nigh on the same as an FX8350 set up (But I still wouldn't upgrade, because the 650Ti isn't worth doing it for)

I'd overclock the CPU and get an SSD personally.
 
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Ah cool, thanks for the advice :). It really runs everything how I'd want it to anyway - just one game which is a particular bug bearer (which is notoriously badly optimised anyway).

Probably just kick on with getting an SSD and a better monitor instead then :D.

Cheers lads!

On another note, the TX3 is ok for overclocking? Case has good airflow, and CPU rarely goes above 40c even in the middle of gaming, runs about 30c idle. Picked the TX3 cus it's about the biggest I could get to fit the mATX I've got.
 
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What game might that be? :D

TX3 is a pretty decent cooler, you should be able to overclock fairly decently on one of those.

An SSD will make a huuuuuge difference, I put one into an age-old system and it worked great and made a massive difference!
 
It would be a certain GuildWars 2 :D (FPS drops happen pretty much only in World vs World if you know the game).
 
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