Upgrade AMD Processor or buy Intel?

[compukid7]

First of all I have a AMD FX-4170 at 4.20GHz, with an R9 270x, and my motherboard is a MSI 760GMA-P34.

I have recently learnt that my CPU is bottle-necking my Graphics a lot. During game play of Grand Theft Auto V, my processors usage is ranging between 86% and 98%, whereas my Graphics card is using about 30% to 40%.

I am in need of a new CPU but I am not in a financial position to be spending a lot, I would probably put the 4170 on eBay to get money for a new CPU. My budget would be around £100, and then however much the 4170 is worth.

Should I upgrade my current processor to one which would match my graphics card, if so, which CPU would be recommended to play games like GTA V on medium to high settings? Or should I rebuild with an Intel motherboard and a new CPU?

Any help is appreciated and thanks in advance!

 

[replay]

http://www.msi.com/support/mb/760GMAP34_FX.html#support-cpu

Looks like the best chip that board supports is the fx 8370

 

[compukid7]

Would that processor do for gaming and would it be future proof?

 

[replay]

I am not a gamer but I would think so.......future proof?? Nothing is really future proof!
U might wanna check how much that processor costs then take it from there

 

[compukid7]

So with a budget of maybe £170 max, is switching to Intel not an option for me?

 

[replay]

U can't install a Intel CPU in a amd board
U would have to buy a new Intel CPU and a new Intel mobo

 

[compukid7]

Yeah I know but I was asking if I could do it for £170

 

[replay]

A decent i5 or i7 CPU would cost all of your budget I would imagine......not really up on prices in pounds tho

 

[renegade600]

Yeah I know but I was asking if I could do it for £170

it will depend upon your operating system. if you are using manufacturers or system builders oem and the os is win7 or older, you will have to also replace the operating system if you replace the motherboard. this is per microsoft's oem license.

 

[compukid7]

I have a Windows 8.1 Pro key which I got through my college which I believe can be used more than once, if not I can request another key.

 

[Triple6]

The FX-8370 isn't going to be a big improvement over the FX-4170: http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/1146944-error-when-try-print-adobe.html

An FX-8350 or better is the recommended CPU, or an Intel i5-3470, the FX-4170 exceeds the minimum requirements.

Have you checked to make sure your CPU is not overheating? Tat you have the latest Radeon beta graphics drivers installed? You need the latest beta drivers that have GTA V optimizations: http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop?os=Windows+8.1+-+64

FYI, high CPU usage is not necessarily a bad thing by itself.

 

[compukid7]

Isn't the FX-8370 a better CPU than the FX-8350?

I don't think it is overheating as I have just recently purchased a new case, and I took off my cooler and cleaned it while moving the components across, and I re-applied thermal paste to the heat sink. In addition, the CPU temperature never gets very high at all.

I have the latest beta drivers for my card. Thanks for your response

 

[Triple6]

Yes, the FX-8370 is a bit better than the FX-8350, its turbo speed is 4.3 vs 4.2Ghz which is practically nothing.

What are the CPU temps?

 

[compukid7]

My CPU will usually sit arround 55C when playing games, and it will idle about 25C to 30C.

 

[jamesx121]

Compukid7
U said U are planning on selling the FX 4170 cpu
I looked on E-Bay from the states
and it shows 2 FX 4170s for sell right now.
1 from England for £45.00 pounds. Brand new
cpu.
the Second was from Germany for €95 Euros
and it was a used cpu.
i'm not sure your going to be able to
get enough money selling your used
cpu to add with the £100 to afford
a brand new cpu.