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What CPU/motherboard combo ?

Subzero85

Subzero85

Subzero85

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Joined
16 Jul 2011
Posts
2,003
Location
Northern Ireland
Ok, so after buying myself a GTX 970, im wondering if my phenom quad core will be a bottleneck ? I'm now considering getting new processor and board, would an amd 8 core be a good improvement ? or be better going for an 15 or i7 from intel ? or wait for the next line of cpus ? thanks for any help, budget ? nothing 2 crazy, but last maybe 2 - 3 years if possible, phenom quad core is am3 im nearly sure
 
will only be used for gaming on a 20 inch monitor, maybe last me 2 -3 years ? last gpu I got was a 6950 back in 2011 for battlefield 3, which has lasted me till now, but games are starting to struggle now, especially new releases and big AAA releases like witcher 3 and batman, quad core will not cut it
 
Subzero85 said:
but games are starting to struggle now, especially new releases and big AAA releases like witcher 3 and batman, quad core will not cut it
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Look at the Witcher 3 CPU benchmarks in this section of the forums and you'll see. Hex core i7 isn't any better than a quad core i7. The Z97X-SLI bundle is great, the motherboard has all the features one would need and the i5-4790k is a great gaming processor. If you still don't think it's sufficient, go with an i7 bundle instead like...
YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7 - Devils Canyon Core i7 4790K CPU & Motherboard Bundle **£25 Saving** £393.98
Total : £403.58 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).


It costs roughly £100 more, but is more future proof and pretty much the best CPU one can get for gaming right now.
 
You could save some money by going for an fx 8320e + Asus Evo 2.0 mb (~£190), but you will compromise performance in most games for this saving, as well as lack some features (pcie 3.0 etc). Some games will not take advantage of the extra cores anyway, so could still come up short. It is also essential to OC these chips too (4.5+), which will probably mean a better cpu cooler is needed.

I really would recommend saving for the i5 setup in your case. Coupled with a 970 should be a nice combo that should last a fair amount of time.
 
but overall, I shouldn't notice 2 much of a difference ? resolution at 1680 by 1050, and I wont have all settings maxed anyway
 
Subzero85 said:
but overall, I shouldn't notice 2 much of a difference ? resolution at 1680 by 1050, and I wont have all settings maxed anyway
Click to expand...

For that resolution I doubt youd notice a difference. Of recommend investing in a new monitor next, and you should be able to Max all games at your current res with a 970 and 4690k :)
 
Shivy011 said:
For that resolution I doubt youd notice a difference. Of recommend investing in a new monitor next, and you should be able to Max all games at your current res with a 970 and 4690k :)
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Thanks, any reccomendations on a new monitor ? I was also planning on getting one soon, currently have a 20 inch Samsung, would like to consider maybe a 24 inch or similar, would I notice a good improvement, what kinda monitor, 4k etc ?
 
How much would you like to spend?

A GTX970 can do 1080P easily and 1440P well, 4K will be too much for it.

YOUR BASKET
1 x BenQ GW2765HT 27" Widescreen LED Gaming Flicker FREE Monitor - Black £319.99
1 x Dell UltraSharp U2515H 25" QHD IPS Professional Widescreen LED Monitor - Midnight Grey £269.99
1 x AOC G2460PQU 24" Widescreen 144Hz 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Gunmetal £199.99
1 x AOC G2460FQ 24" Widescreen 144Hz 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Gunmetal £179.99
1 x AOC E2460SH 24" Widescreen 1ms Gaming LED Monitor - Black £119.99
Total : £1,129.43 (includes shipping : £32.90 Ex.VAT).



A cheap 24" 1080P screen with 1ms response time.

Two 144Hz 1080P screens.

Two 1440P IPS panel screens.
 
Any budget at all? A 24" 1080p or even 25-27" 1440p would be a nice way to go - 4K isn't a great idea atm
 
those AOC options, around 24 inch, at around the £200 mark, that's what I would be after, 25 - 27 maybe 2 big, 1080p or even 1440p, im guessing 1440 is better ? :)
 
Subzero85 said:
those AOC options, around 24 inch, at around the £200 mark, that's what I would be after, 25 - 27 maybe 2 big, 1080p or even 1440p, im guessing 1440 is better ? :)
Click to expand...

1440p are certainly very nice, especially the IPS ones :)
They do look better (I'd go to say considerably better) than 1080p, and yes they are harder to run but worth toning down the settings *slightly* as it'll still look great in games

I believe for the moment 25" is the smallest 1440p you can get here, but I may be wrong
 
Subzero85 said:
those AOC options, around 24 inch, at around the £200 mark, that's what I would be after, 25 - 27 maybe 2 big, 1080p or even 1440p, im guessing 1440 is better ? :)
Click to expand...

1440P looks better and being IPS the colours will be better.

But 144Hz is better for fast action gaming.


I have the £200 one and it differs from the £179 by having a fully adjustable stand and a USB hub.

It looks good to me.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys, really appreciate it :) will have a think on it, and decide soon, I play anything from counterstrike GO to starcraft, racing/adventure games, rpgs, strategy etc, thanks again !!!
 
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