Upgrade advice thread no. #6557338

/\ndy · 9 Sep 2015 at 20:17

Hi guys

Would just like a second opinion on this. I have a sandybridge core i5 2500 (non k, turbo boosts to around 3.6ghz). I also have some corsair vengeance ram (8gb). I also have an amd radeon 5850HD which I plan on replacing with an r9 380.

Would this still perform well in modern games at 1080p? Or is it worthwhile getting haswell or sky lake? From what I've read an equivalent haswell i5 is very similar to my sandybridge.

Thanks

phenx · 9 Sep 2015 at 20:29

Sandybridge is only really comparable to haswell/skylake when overclocked. Running at stock the difference will be pretty sizable. If your on a tight budget then your 2500 + 380 will do a decent job at 1080, but I personally would be looking at building a new pc.

/\ndy · 9 Sep 2015 at 20:32

Just thought, sandbridge only supports pci express 2.0, will this be an issue? Does 3.0 provide a sizeable difference?

NoNameNoNumber · 9 Sep 2015 at 20:33

Keep your Sandybridge. Stick a nice GPU in. The r9 380 or maybe a GTX 960 and an SSD if you don't already have one and you're good for another year or two

mickyflinn · 9 Sep 2015 at 20:39

You would be better off puting you money into a new gpu like a 390, the 2500 is still a capable cpu.

/\ndy · 9 Sep 2015 at 21:09

Thanks for the replies. Yeah the 2500 is great, always been a solid performer, just wasn't sure if current i5s would be significantly better. This will only be for gaming at 1080p like I said. The 390 imo is potentially overkill for this res.

mickyflinn · 9 Sep 2015 at 21:43

/\ndy said:
This will only be for gaming at 1080p like I said. The 390 imo is potentially overkill for this res.

It will handle everyting at 1080p on ultra and future proof you options, your saving money by not a getting a new rig so treat yourself.