CPU compatibility query

[[email protected]]

I'm looking into getting a new CPU so I jumped on to PC Specialist to see what they could offer me. When I choose to upgrade the CPU however I only get one option of an AMD Athlon X4 860K. After researching other CPUs I feel I can get a better one for a similar price that I believe is compatible with my motherboard by looking on my motherboard manufacturers (Gigabyte) website. An example of a CPU i looked at was the AMD Athlon X4 880K. What I would like to know is if I'm right in thinking I could install the 880 and it would work fine, or are there other factors that I need to consider? If this is the case then why are PC Spec offering me only one option? Is it perhaps a stock related issue?

My motherboard is GA-F2A68HM-HD2, my current processor is AMD A6-7400K and the socket type is FM2+. Any suggestions of better CPUs than the 880 would be welcome.

Thanks

 

[Oussebon]

That socket/motherboard is quite significantly obsolete. The Athlon X4 880k is pretty weak compared to all budget modern alternatives and would be poor value.

If you want more CPU performance I'd suggest you look into getting a new, more modern, CPU, mobo, and RAM (since anything modern will use DDR4) rather than invest more into an obsolete platform.

The above is also probably why PCS aren't offering many options there. It's too out of date for it to be worth it for clients, or for them to keep stock.

 

[[email protected]]

Okay thanks, that wasn't something I'd considered. Do you know if it'd be worth keeping my graphics card and finding a motherboard compatible with that then working from there or should I just try and build a new pc? My graphics card is 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 750 Ti. I dont know how good this is so I don't know if it's massively obsolete like you say my motherboard is.
I'm not looking for a super duper gaming pc, just something which is about mid range that can run most standard games at a decent level.

 

[ubuysa]

You should probably know that these fora belong to PC Specialist Ltd who sell custom-built PCs and laptops. We are not really supposed to give detailed advice on non-PCS builds though we do try to help where we can. If you'd care to let us know what you use the PC for and what your budget is we'd be happy to spec a PCS build that will exactly meet your needs and budget, and with a choice of warranties and excellent after sales care.

 

[Oussebon]

It's a PC Specialist system originally, right?

You can look at benchmarks of the GPU online. In short though it should still run even demanding modern games, albeit it at reduced settings.

In terms of general consumer hardware, almost any GPU will go with almost any motherboard you're likely to come across. So if you bought a whole new system minus a GPU from PC Specialist, for example, you would be able to slot your 750 ti into it. You'd need to make sure the case was large enough and the PSU was suitable, but with a 750 ti almost anything would be fine.

The GTX 750 ti isn't a very powerful GPU. Getting even a state of the art gaming base system and plugging a 750 ti in it probably won't improve your gaming performance much. On the other hand, getting a new graphics card for your old system probably isn't ideal, as the weak CPU would bottleneck your GPU upgrade in many cases.

So you might be best off looking at a new system, and saving up until you're in a position to get it.

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks veylry much guys, your advice has been very helpful and pointed me in the right direction to look for what I need. I've discussed this with a couple of my friends too and they seem to have the same view so I think I will be looking at either a new system or one minus you like you suggested.

Thanks very much again, you've been a great help