Tell me about CPUs

Visti

Hey guys. I have a confession. My main desktop computer that I like to call my "gaming" computer (ha) is fucking awful. There's a 1.7 ghz processor in there and 2 gigs of RAM. This has gone on for too long and I want to replace my CPU first, I think. Thing is, I have no idea what the standards are, what I should be looking for, compatability issues.. any of that. So, somebody please educate me. Is there a standard in CPUs or do they have to be specifically compatible with my motherboard? I'll return with my motherboard model later today, when I can get my hands on the poor thing.

Deicist

Chances are somewhere between 'slim' and 'none' that you'll be able to get a modern CPU that will fit in your old motherboard. You'll probably be looking at a new CPU, motherboard, probably memory and possibly graphics card too. Your best bet is to post up what your budget is and what you use your PC for and let someone here help you out.

edit: for a bit more education.

There are 2 major players in the manufacture of CPUs: intel and AMD. Each of them use their own 'standards' when it comes to sockets (the actual interface between your motherboard and the CPU). To further complicate things, with each new 'family' of processors there's usually, but not always a new socket. For example Intels old Core 2 line of chips used socket 775, whereas the new i5 and i7 chips (also from intel) use a new socket called...something I can't remember right now, but it's different. AMD tend to be a bit better about backwards compatibility, but there are issues there too.

Visti

Dang. I was afraid of that. Well, I guess it's new motherboard time, then.

Michael H

AMD does do better as far as I've seen. A ton of their new processors are AM2+/AM3 compatible, including the new six-cores. More info would be good! A new video card might be more appropriate if you're looking at gaming, but we won't know until we have the specs.

Visti

I think it's an AMD I have, actually. And my graphics card is probably the newest thing in it, the rest of it is seriously lagging behind.

Kazoo

Tallus wrote: »

Chances are somewhere between 'slim' and 'none' that you'll be able to get a modern CPU that will fit in your old motherboard. You'll probably be looking at a new CPU, motherboard, probably memory and possibly graphics card too. Your best bet is to post up what your budget is and what you use your PC for and let someone here help you out.

edit: for a bit more education.

There are 2 major players in the manufacture of CPUs: intel and AMD. Each of them use their own 'standards' when it comes to sockets (the actual interface between your motherboard and the CPU). To further complicate things, with each new 'family' of processors there's usually, but not always a new socket. For example Intels old Core 2 line of chips used socket 775, whereas the new i5 and i7 chips (also from intel) use a new socket called...something I can't remember right now, but it's different. AMD tend to be a bit better about backwards compatibility, but there are issues there too.

Intel uses two socket types for Core i3/i5/i7. LGA 1156 and LGA 1366. AMDs Phenom II line of CPUs is pretty good, but the i5/i7 run circles around them in benchmarks. For gaming, however, a Core 2 Quad, Phenom II x4, or i5/i7 will all be just fine.
I wouldn't look at the Core i3 for a gaming system, it's a budget dual core ship. The difference between the i5 and i7 is the i7 supports hyperthreading. For a gaming focused computer (assuming you're on a budget) I would recommend the Core i5-750. It's an LGA 1156 processor. LGA 1156 motherboards, using the P55 chipset, can be had pretty cheaply. I think some of the budget boards can be found for $100-$115. You'll also need new RAM. You'll want 4gb RAM at the minimum. Currently you can find 2x2gb kits for around $105. G.Skill's Ripjaw line of DDR3 RAM is very popular.
For a video card, the resolution you game at determines what kind of card whoul suit you best. If you game at 1680x1050, then an ATI Radeon 5770 or 5850 or Nvidia GTX470 are you best bets. If you game 1920x1080 then you'd want an ATI Radeon 5870 or Nvidia GTX480. Higher resolutions such as 2560x1600 would need SLI or Crossfire for the best gameplay experience.

Michael H

Good info, Kazoo. FWIW, I run a 5770 and have had no issues running 1920x1080 on everything in my collection, full settings. (COD MW2 I was getting 60 fps+ on full, Unreal 3 runs full no problem).
It might not run Crysis on full (don't know, don't have it), but it's more than capable for the vast, vast majority of games out there.

Karrmer

A 5850 is fine for higher res if you just overclock it a bit, which is very easy to do with the stock fan and makes its performance extremely comparable to a 5870

Synthesis

Yeah, OP, I think you're out of luck, unfortunately. Intel and AMD pretty much introduce a new CPU socket type every two years separately, and while they don't immediately stop support, it's a pretty steady occurrence afterwards.

Kazoo

Michael H wrote: »

Good info, Kazoo. FWIW, I run a 5770 and have had no issues running 1920x1080 on everything in my collection, full settings. (COD MW2 I was getting 60 fps+ on full, Unreal 3 runs full no problem).
It might not run Crysis on full (don't know, don't have it), but it's more than capable for the vast, vast majority of games out there.

Yeah, a 5770 is roughly equivalent to a Radeon 4890/GTX280. More than sufficient for games like MW2 that run older engines. Or engines like UE3 that were designed with consoles in mind and don't support PC specific features such as DX10 and DX11. However, games like Metro 2033 will require the more powerful 5800/GTX400 series of cards to run with with high settings, AA, and at consistently smooth frame rates.