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CPU Advice

Leezor

Leezor

Leezor

Associate
Joined
24 May 2010
Posts
220
Location
Birmingham
Ok well ive been thinking of getting a quad core as ive heard BF3 will run better on my system. My pc is going to overclockers to be repaired tomorrow, do you think if i buy one they would install it for me while its there?

or

Am i best off waiting closer to the release of BF3 and buying one then installing it myself? ive never installed one but im decent with computers, is it hard?

Also is my motherboard limited to certain Intel processors? im thinking 3.3ghz quad.

My Setup:-

Titan Xenomorph Intel Core i3 530 2.93GHz @ 4.00GHz Dual Core
Motherboard: GA-H55M-UD2H
Card: ATI 5830
RAM: 4GB
Power Supply: 600w

Im guessing this system left alone wouldnt play BF3 on high?

--------------------------------------------------
Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance.
 
Hi there,

I'm sure OCUK will install the CPU for you, but they will charge you for the labour.

Please bear in mind that as you are using a H55 board, then this isn't as good as a P55 board for overclocking quad cores like the i5 760 (which is the chip to get), so you probably can't expect to hit 4GHz.

Also, if the system works fine for what you are currently using it for then I would suggest putting off the upgrade until you need it - as faster tech will be out and prices of older tech will be cheaper.

Personally I wouldn't consider buying an i5 760 new - the price is mad (although for second-hand they regularly go for ~£100 which is more reasonable). If you don't want to go second-hand then you would be better off selling the H55 board, and buying this P67 board and this CPU - much faster and better overclocking for not much more money overall.
 
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Lets say i wasnt to bothered for OC'ing, could my H55 run the i5 3.30ghz you said?
Or without OC'ing would i not gain much?

Id prefer to wait as you said untill the prices come down but id have to install it myself, i watched a video and it didnt look to complicated.

Would i just be better off buying a better graphics card to play it on high settings?
 
Looking at this review that gigabyte H55 board of yours should actually be pretty good at overclocking an i5 750/760. Personally, I would get hold of a second-hand i5 750/760 ASAP, sell on your i3 540 and have some fun.
 
TBH, if you go for an i5 2500K then I would still suggest overclocking - it is ridiculously easy due to the unlocked multiplier, just make sure you get a P67 or Z68 board - as these support overclocking.

However, the cheapest option for you to do a CPU upgrade is to pick up a second-hand i5 750 or 760.

If you only want to buy a new CPU then please don't buy an expensive retail i5 750/760, since the sandy bridge CPU is actually cheaper (£164 for the i5 760 vs £156 for the i5 2500K) and the total cost of selling your H55 board and buying this nice quality £90 P67 board will be around £40 (you can also reuse your RAM). Hence for that £40 extra you would get a much faster, more overclockable and upgradable system (since the new Ivy Bridge CPUs are expected to work with existing s1155 boards)
 
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Leezor said:
i5 760 if im planning on overclocking and i5-2500K 3.30GHz if im not?

Thanks for the help btw.
Click to expand...

No. Those cpu's are two completely different sockets. i5 760 is the correct socket for you (1156). i5-2500k is one of the new Sandybridge cpu's on socket 1155 and not compatible with your motherboard.

Buying a i5-760 new is not really a good idea as the current prices are ridiculous. Try to pick one up second hand for around £100.
 
Cheers, ill keep my eye out for a i5-760 on the cheap, is £120 new a good price?
and is an i5-760 much faster then dual core @ 4.00ghz?
 
Leezor said:
Cheers, ill keep my eye out for a i5-760 on the cheap, is £120 new a good price?
and is an i5-760 much faster then dual core @ 4.00ghz?
Click to expand...

If you can find a i5-760 brand new for £120 then that is a very good price.

If the stuff you use can make use of the extra cores then it's a worthwhile upgrade. If they don't though you will see no difference.
 
Ok thanks, ill probably just wait until BF3 comes out and upgrade then if needed as the prices will be cheaper.
 
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor
MSI P67A-GD53 Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION **

^ £275

or

Intel Core i5 760 2.80GHz (Lynnfield) (Socket LGA1156)

and keep my current motherboard?
 
Like we said before, if you can get that i5-760 brand new at £120 it's a good deal or second hand for £100 or less. The this week only price is'nt too bad at £149 but it's still a hell of a lot more than i paid for mine back in December.
 
Gonna go for the i5-2500k as ive heard nothing but good things about it. For the mobo im thinking the P67A-C45 as stated above or getting this
"OcUK Motherboard Bundle - Intel Core i5 2500K & Asus P8P67 Intel P67 Mainboard **B3 Revision**" which will cost £30 more.
 
The C45 is a good board, but personally I would spend the £10 more for the MSI P67A G45 as this supports both Crossfire and SLI - so you could add a second HD 5830 in the future in crossfire with this board (this board will run the two main PCI-E slots at x8/x8 speed for crossfire/SLI).

As for the overclocked bundle - the board it uses hasn't got the best reputation, it's second main PCI-E slot only runs at x4 speed and it doesn't support SLI (which is nice to have for future graphics card upgrade flexibility).

Also, overclocking an i5 2500K with it's unlocked multiplier is really quite easy and there are loads of guides that will walk you through how to clock it to 4.4 - 4.5GHz yourself. Also, we on OCUK are happy to help you overclock.
 
Ok thanks. The MSI P67A G45 says "- 4x DIMMs with support for DDR3 1133/1066 up to 16GB MAX"
but i have "Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz" if i remember correctly, does that mean its not supported?
 
That's due to Intel's spec only officially supports memory frequencies up to 1333MHz (with four sticks), running memory over this speed is technically overclocking the memory controller (which is on the CPU). However, we all well know that if you are running two memory sticks in a P67 boards then you will have absolutely no issues running them at 1600MHz - so your kit will work fine at stock speeds.

In the detailed spec for that board it says:
Main Memory

• Supports four unbuffered DIMM of 1.5 Volt DDR3 1066/1333/1600*/1866*/2133*(OC) DRAM, 32GB Max
- Supports Dual channel mode
Click to expand...
 
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