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Should I upgrade my motherboard, processor, or both?

post #1 of 50
Thread Starter 
Hello Folks!

I am looking to upgrade either my mobo, processor, or both. My question is, what should I do or get?
Currently I am using M4A785TD-V EVO (mid-range) motherboard from ASUS with overclocked 1055t Phenom II.

I was looking at getting a FX-8120 with an ASRock 990FX motherboard.
How much of a difference do you think this would make? Currently the FX chips are so inexpensive that it seems like it would be a potential upgrade.
The alternative is if I get the motherboard only, and move my current processor chip to the new motherboard. I would still get some increase in performance.
Lastly, I could always just completely wait for AMD to make new chips. I would go Intel, but I can't afford anything they make. I would need the processor and mobo to be
under 300$ total. I've already got all the other components, obviously.

I am running liquid cooling and I use the machine mostly for gaming.

Any ideas?
glaDOS
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post #2 of 50

If you are buying a new proc and mobo, for that amount of money you could go with intel which is faster in just about every way. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=288


Edited by nvidiaftw12 - 7/31/12 at 9:23pm
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post #3 of 50
You probably won't notice much difference if you upgraded both.
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post #4 of 50
Id recomend upgrading your mother board at this time your not going to much of a improvment in performance over what you have to go with the current FX line up but upgrading your board now will put you in a postion to upgraded to the new Piledriver when it comes out at the end of the year with just a new cpu alone and not a mobo and cpu
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post #5 of 50
The FX's aren't really an upgrade from what you have. I think the 1055T and 1100T are the best AMD really has to offer at this point in time. Save up until you can at least afford an Intel 3570.
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post #6 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by truckerguy View Post

Id recomend upgrading your mother board at this time your not going to much of a improvment in performance over what you have to go with the current FX line up but upgrading your board now will put you in a postion to upgraded to the new Piledriver when it comes out at the end of the year with just a new cpu alone and not a mobo and cpu

this^ is a nice idea...
 
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post #7 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by truckerguy View Post

Id recomend upgrading your mother board at this time your not going to much of a improvment in performance over what you have to go with the current FX line up but upgrading your board now will put you in a postion to upgraded to the new Piledriver when it comes out at the end of the year with just a new cpu alone and not a mobo and cpu

I wouldn't even invest in a motherboard until you know how Piledriver is really going to perform. There's a good chance that you will still be better off to go with Intel.Also, the next gen Intels won't be all that far after Piledriver and even without that, it's likely that a 3570 will still be a better buy than PDs. Not to mention that the AMD's tend to come out of the gate overpriced for the first couple months until they settle in to a more reasonable level. I am admittedly a bit of AMD fanboy, but the smart money is on Intel for now, and unless AMD pulls a rabbit out of their @ss, it might be that way for the next couple years.
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post #8 of 50
Hold off for now.
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post #9 of 50
I belive that the FX line is beter then the Phenom line becase its at the end of being improved on. I admire AMD for going out on a lime to bring a whole new architecture to the market and not just try to recycle a architecture that has gone as far as it can
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post #10 of 50
Quote:
Originally Posted by truckerguy View Post

I belive that the FX line is beter then the Phenom line becase its at the end of being improved on. I admire AMD for going out on a lime to bring a whole new architecture to the market and not just try to recycle a architecture that has gone as far as it can

Maybe, but I still wouldn't buy one. They should have held off production when they saw the IPC go down like it did. There had to be a better choice to make.

I had a Phenom 955 and didn't consider the FX enough of an upgrade to bother spending money on it myself.
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