PC build thread

[marlowe221]

I am thinking about upgrading my CPU and motherboard.

The relevant parts of my current rig are:

FX-8320
GTX 970
16 GB RAM DDR3

My budget would be about $250 USD total. I don't live near a Microcenter unfortunately. I have no preferences on AMD vs Intel.

Any thoughts?

[Jmustang1968]

I am thinking about upgrading my CPU and motherboard.

The relevant parts of my current rig are:

FX-8320
GTX 970
16 GB RAM DDR3

My budget would be about $250 USD total. I don't live near a Microcenter unfortunately. I have no preferences on AMD vs Intel.

Any thoughts?

You could probably go with something I just did, or go for an i5

[marlowe221]

Didn't you just get an i7? That would be more than my total budget just for the processor!

[Jmustang1968]

Didn't you just get an i7? That would be more than my total budget just for the processor!

Whoops, I missed the budget line of your post...

Hmm, will be tough getting a mobo/cpu combo for under $250 that would be an upgrade...

What are you upgrading from?

[marlowe221]

An FX-8320. I forget what my motherboard is exactly but it's a Gigabyte AM3+ platform

[Jmustang1968]

An FX-8320. I forget what my motherboard is exactly but it's a Gigabyte AM3+ platform

New replacements of what you seemingly currently have, or something similar, would be hitting your budget

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... bo.2899068

[Xeogred]

I'll take this time to ask, but what should you do when upgrading a GPU and switching from AMD to nVidia? Is there anything you should do before simply switching out the cards?

[marlowe221]

An FX-8320. I forget what my motherboard is exactly but it's a Gigabyte AM3+ platform

New replacements of what you seemingly currently have, or something similar, would be hitting your budget

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... bo.2899068

I kind of suspected that there might not be an easy upgrade in my price range. I thought about maybe an i5-4440 (or similar). That way I can reuse my DDR3 RAM.

If were to do that, would my windows installation freak out? Does Windows care if you change motherboard from an authentication standpoint?

[Jmustang1968]

An FX-8320. I forget what my motherboard is exactly but it's a Gigabyte AM3+ platform

New replacements of what you seemingly currently have, or something similar, would be hitting your budget

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... bo.2899068

I kind of suspected that there might not be an easy upgrade in my price range. I thought about maybe an i5-4440 (or similar). That way I can reuse my DDR3 RAM.

If were to do that, would my windows installation freak out? Does Windows care if you change motherboard from an authentication standpoint?

Yes, to a degree. It probably won't auto-authenticate, but you will most likely have to call MS and get them to do it.

[Jmustang1968]

I'll take this time to ask, but what should you do when upgrading a GPU and switching from AMD to nVidia? Is there anything you should do before simply switching out the cards?

Uninstall the AMD drivers, and that's it