thinking of upgrading from i3 550

xpuresdr · 4 Jan 2012 at 18:59

hey guys, at the moment i have a intel i3 550 3.20ghz, i have just bourght the cooler master 212 hyper plus cpu cooler, the problem i have is my motherboard is rubbish; i cant overclock with it.
so iv come to this dilemma. should i upgrade my motherboard to a good lga 1156 p55 that is great for overclocking, or should i buy a i7 processor / i5 2005k and get a suitable motherboard for overclocking.
thank you.

Shadz · 4 Jan 2012 at 19:04

Personally if I was in that situation I would get myself a new CPU & Motherboard,
then all the guts are new and you can overclock till your heart is content m8.

Then you can sell you other motherboard and CPU and make a bit of money back for
your old stuff.

xpuresdr · 4 Jan 2012 at 19:19

ok thanks, ill do that. do you know of any cpu/motherboard bundles? or suggest any affordable cpus / motherboards.

CinderzFTW · 4 Jan 2012 at 20:23

i would go for the i5-2500k and the asrock pro gen 3

xpuresdr · 4 Jan 2012 at 20:55

hey, thanks for the advise. do you mean this motherboard? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-053-AK&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990
because i dont think i can afford both, my max spending limit on a motherboard is £100-£120.

moody89 · 4 Jan 2012 at 20:59

What are the rest of your system specs? Will help in choosing a suitable motherboard, for example you may need SLi or Crossfire support etc. You should be able to get a very decent motherboard in that price range to go alongside an i5 2500k. Your current cooler should also fit that socket.

xpuresdr · 4 Jan 2012 at 21:20

my specs are:
CPU
Intel Core i3 550 @ 3.20GHz
Clarkdale 32nm Technology

RAM
Crosair Vengeance 8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 1600MHz

Motherboard
MEDIONPC MS-7658 (CPU 1)

Graphics
ATI Radeon HD 6870 1GB (at gpu clock 1000Mhz, memory clock 1200Mhz

Hard Drives
1465GB Western Digital WDC WD15EARS-00MVWB0 ATA Device (SATA)

Optical Drives
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S223C ATA Device
DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device

Audio
AMD High Definition Audio Device

Power Supply
650w

TigerUK · 4 Jan 2012 at 21:43

lol @ dameon tools DVD drive.

[WU-TANG]GZA · 4 Jan 2012 at 21:47

What brand PSU is it?

I would get this mobo:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-364-GI

and this i5:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-360-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=1275

If you decide to get a new CPU and mobo ofc.

xpuresdr · 4 Jan 2012 at 21:48

Thanks guys for all the help, what if i decide just to upgrade my motherboard? what motherboard would you recommend?

beejjacobs · 4 Jan 2012 at 21:48

xpuresdr said:
my specs are:
CPU
Intel Core i3 550 @ 3.20GHz
Clarkdale 32nm Technology

RAM
Crosair Vengeance 8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 1600MHz

Motherboard
MEDIONPC MS-7658 (CPU 1)

Graphics
ATI Radeon HD 6870 1GB (at gpu clock 1000Mhz, memory clock 1200Mhz

Hard Drives
1465GB Western Digital WDC WD15EARS-00MVWB0 ATA Device (SATA)

Optical Drives
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S223C ATA Device
DTSOFT Virtual CdRom Device

Audio
AMD High Definition Audio Device

Power Supply
650w

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £173.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
Total : £270.37 (includes shipping : £9.50).

That should be fine then, and will allow enough of an overclock. Unless you want/need a new CPU cooler too? Or need SLI/Crossfire support?

EDIT: too slow! I'd consider going second hand if you wanted a 1556 motherboard. Overclocks don't stock them anymore.

xpuresdr · 4 Jan 2012 at 21:53

guess that's my birthday present sorted

, iv just bought a cooler master 212 hyper plus, came today in the post. just fitted it.