Upgrading cpu

OnlyAlex · 4 Oct 2021 at 18:50

Hi everyone, I have a PC built by Overclockers that is an ASUS B350 mobo, CPU Ryzen 7 1700 and x2 8GB RAM 2133.

Mum has bought me an AMD Ryzen 7 3700x for Christmas ready for Windows 11.

I was under the impression that it would be compatible but I am concerned after researching about two things:

Is 2133 RAM compatible? I read that it should be 3200 if you want really fast gaming but I only play The Sims 4. Is this RAM acceptable or will I definitely have to upgrade?

Will a Corsair CS550M be compatible PSU?

Someone said CPU will throttle with VRM? What does this mean? I don't do any overclocking or anything. Any advice appreciated as I am a complete noob. Cheers!

Joxeon · 4 Oct 2021 at 19:59

The CPU should use no more power than your old 1700 so if that CPU has run fine then so should the 3700X.

Does the ram have an XMP setting? If not then you could try manually overclocking it.

What GPU do you have?

You will need to make sure you enable TPM in the motherboard settings before you can install win 11.

OnlyAlex · 4 Oct 2021 at 20:02

Joxeon said:
The CPU should use no more power than your old 1700 so if that CPU has run fine then so should the 3700X.

Does the ram have an XMP setting? If not then you could try manually overclocking it.

What GPU do you have?

You will need to make sure you enable TPM in the motherboard settings before you can install win 11.

Thank you. I am not sure about XMP settings, but surely 2133 RAM would be ok for Sims 4, like will the CPU work with that RAM or is physically not possible?

TPM is enabled and BIOS is now in UEFI ready for Wind11, just the CPU is failing because Zen 1 not supported.

GPU is GeForce GTX 980 TI.

Cheers for the help.

Joxeon · 4 Oct 2021 at 20:23

OnlyAlex said:
Thank you. I am not sure about XMP settings, but surely 2133 RAM would be ok for Sims 4, like will the CPU work with that RAM or is physically not possible?

There should be a setting in the bios that says D.O.C.P which you can enable and it will set the RAM at a faster speed if the ram has that option but although 2133mhz is not ideal it should still work.

ANDARIAL · 5 Oct 2021 at 08:30

Probably need to update your bios to run the new cpu

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards-Components/Motherboards/All-series/PRIME-B350-PLUS/HelpDesk_BIOS/
CHECK you get the correct bios if you do or wait for someone to confirm if you need to!

OnlyAlex · 5 Oct 2021 at 12:00

Joxeon said:
There should be a setting in the bios that says D.O.C.P which you can enable and it will set the RAM at a faster speed if the ram has that option but although 2133mhz is not ideal it should still work.

Thank you

OnlyAlex · 5 Oct 2021 at 12:02

ANDARIAL said:
Probably need to update your bios to run the new cpu

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards-Components/Motherboards/All-series/PRIME-B350-PLUS/HelpDesk_BIOS/
CHECK you get the correct bios if you do or wait for someone to confirm if you need to!

Hi, thank you so much for this. I am having lots of problems trying to understand it all. Can I get any old 3200 x2 8GB RAM? 3200 is the max my mobo will support.

I am going to get someone to install the CPU for me and flash the BIOS, I just need to get the parts and I am not sure. Will I need a new PSU? I have a Corsair CS550M and I've heard it's rubbish but it's lasted me 4 years, don't really want to replace it unless I need to. Any further advice really appreciated, cheers.

mickyflinn · 5 Oct 2021 at 12:38

OnlyAlex said:
Hi, thank you so much for this. I am having lots of problems trying to understand it all. Can I get any old 3200 x2 8GB RAM? 3200 is the max my mobo will support.

I am going to get someone to install the CPU for me and flash the BIOS, I just need to get the parts and I am not sure. Will I need a new PSU? I have a Corsair CS550M and I've heard it's rubbish but it's lasted me 4 years, don't really want to replace it unless I need to. Any further advice really appreciated, cheers.

As your only playing sims 4 i would just update the bios and install your new 3700x. Reuse your 16gb 2133mhz memory only upgrade it if you have stability problems or you want more fps.

You need to flash the bios first with your old cpu installed, then reboot your pc to check alls good . Then power down and install the 3700x.

OnlyAlex · 5 Oct 2021 at 12:41

mickyflinn said:
As your only playing sims 4 i would just update the bios and install your new 3700x. Reuse your 16gb 2133mhz memory only upgrade it if you have stability problems or you want more fps.

You need to flash the bios first with your old cpu installed, then reboot your pc to check alls good . Then power down and install the 3700x.

Cool, thank you so much. Do you think my current PSU is ok? Thanks so much for your help, really appreciate it.

mickyflinn · 5 Oct 2021 at 12:55

OnlyAlex said:
Cool, thank you so much. Do you think my current PSU is ok? Thanks so much for your help, really appreciate it.

You know its a budget model but its been doing its job well but only has a 3 year warranty from new. I personally would advise buying a quality psu a a corsair RM or RMX 650w can be had for £70 which is fully modular and comes with a 10 year warranty.

OnlyAlex · 5 Oct 2021 at 12:59

mickyflinn said:
You know its a budget model but its been doing its job well but only has a 3 year warranty from new. I personally would advise buying a quality psu a a corsair RM or RMX 650w can be had for £70 which is fully modular and comes with a 10 year warranty.

Cheers, will get a new PSU then. If in future let's say I want to upgrade GPU, would I just need change to the PSU? Sorry for all the questions.

mickyflinn · 5 Oct 2021 at 13:07

OnlyAlex said:
Cheers, will get a new PSU then. If in future let's say I want to upgrade GPU, would I just need change to the PSU? Sorry for all the questions.

No problem.

If you upgrade the psu that will allow you to upgrade the gpu in the future, a 750w psu that will allow you to use the most poweful desktop gpu available. Dont forget to check your case psu max dimensions and psu size.

OnlyAlex · 5 Oct 2021 at 13:09

mickyflinn said:
No problem.

If you upgrade the psu that will allow you to upgrade the gpu in the future, a 750w psu that will allow you to use the most poweful desktop gpu available. Dont forget to check your case psu max dimensions and psu size.

Thanks again buddy.

Craig_d1 · 5 Oct 2021 at 17:40

Has your mum already bought the 3700x? I know it was your xmas present , but if its anything like us, we say well buy it but then wait and get it when its needed.

OnlyAlex · 5 Oct 2021 at 17:42

Craig_d1 said:
Has your mum already bought the 3700x? I know it was your xmas present , but if its anything like us, we say well buy it but then wait and get it when its needed.

Yes, she's bought it now and has said I can do the upgrade now. We're doing that so if it's not compatible we can return it.

Craig_d1 · 5 Oct 2021 at 17:51

Am only playing devils advocate, but if youre just gaming, wouldnt the newer 5600x be better.. I know 6 cores compared to 8, but the single core performance on the 5600x is better than the 3700x..and they're roughly the same price i believe.

OnlyAlex · 5 Oct 2021 at 17:54

Craig_d1 said:
Am only playing devils advocate, but if youre just gaming, wouldnt the newer 5600x be better.. I know 6 cores compared to 8, but the single core performance on the 5600x is better than the 3700x..and they're roughly the same price i believe.

Thanks for the suggestion but the 3700x is supported with my current mobo and I rarely play any video games, it's just to get it ready for Windows 11 and up to minimum requirements. If I was a hardcore gamer then I would invest.