CPU MB combo

TSimpson · 10 Sep 2015 at 12:26

I looking to update my CPU and MB but have no idea where to start. At the moment I have as follows:

ASRock P43 Twins 1600
Q9650
2 X 4Gb DDR3 1333
Arctic Alpine 11 Pro Rev.2
Asus GTX 470
Crucial MX100 250 Gb SSD
Antec Eco Neo 620W PSU
Nexus Silent case

I am currently looking for a used R9 280X or R9 290 with a budget of £110 and may spring to £130.

At some point I will have to update my MB and CPU but have no idea where to start. I plan to use all the parts I have to keep the cost down so a used CPU and MB may be my best bet.

It will be mainly used for gaming. The types of games I like are like Fifa 15, Need for speed, GTA V. A Intel CPU would be nice but I could be willing to look at AMD. At the moment I would like to spend no more than £200

Would you say I'm being realistic with the budget? What CPU do you think I should be looking at?

TSimpson · 10 Sep 2015 at 12:28

I forgot to mention I use a HDTV and a HDMI cable so the idea of giving in 4K is something I don't see myself doing in the near future.

Armageus · 10 Sep 2015 at 12:35

One option might be worth to wait until the lower end Skylake Intel CPUs are released (should be available by the end of the month I think)- there are some Skylake motherboards that still take DDR3 so you can keep your existing RAM

e.g.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-644-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=3078

That would still leave you ~£120 for a Skylake based I3 processor, with the option to upgrade to an overclockable I5 in the future if needed.

TSimpson · 10 Sep 2015 at 23:12

Thanks, I'm not in a rush at the moment to purchase a CPU and MB at the moment.

I must ask, have motherboards always been that expensive?

Armageus · 11 Sep 2015 at 08:45

TSimpson said:
Thanks, I'm not in a rush at the moment to purchase a CPU and MB at the moment.

That's fine - be worth looking again in a couple of months, as the lower end Skylake chips will be available then and more motherboards will be available from different manufacturers (e.g. some slightly cheaper, lower end boards)

TSimpson said:
I must ask, have motherboards always been that expensive?

A bit mixed really, the higher end boards (e.g. with more features and overclocking chipset - like the one I specced) tend to attract a premium, but they also tend to be a bit more future proof (e.g. extra ports, newer technologies, more ram slots, Overclocking options). Lower priced boards are available but they don't have the same features and longevity.

teenwolf · 11 Sep 2015 at 08:51

dreamcat4 · 12 Sep 2015 at 08:20

The Haswell choice would be something like this:

Mobo: Gigabyte Z97 SOC ~ lets say about £105

2nd hand (ebay) Haswell CPU (e.g. i3 £60, or i5 £100)
or
Pentium G3240 £30 new
Pentium G3258 £50 new

Then you could keep your DDR3 ram.

I'm not sure if you can really keep your RAM with Skylake. You probably can but the problem with DDR3 Skylake is they aren't necessarily DDR3 but DDR3L. Which may mean running your DDR3 sticks at a slower clockspeed in order to get them to work at the lower voltage.

Actually there's already some DDR3 skylake boards out. So it's something that can be looked into.

And a Skylake i3-6100 processor will probably cost about £100 - £120 when it comes out.