CPU Upgrade

Arelem · 08 Sep 2017

My home built PC currently has a i7 3930K Sandy Bridge-E processor on a Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 motherboard and running Win10Pro. Gigabyte says the motherboard can handle up to a i7 4960X Ivy Bridge E processor.

I have never tried a processor upgrade without building a whole new PC around it. Would it be possible to upgrade just the processor on my system without having to redo Windows? Or does Windows 10 not like seeing its brain changed?

Thanks.

essenbe · 08 Sep 2017

I've done it several times. In your case, you will probably get away with it. It will require new drivers for Ivy Bridge and a bios update as well. If it were me, I would do a clean install. They aren't as bad as they are made out to be. However, I may point out that if you are buying a new CPU, you will be spending a good chunk of money of a 4 generation old chip.

AddRAM · 10 Sep 2017

Yes that cpu is expensive. I don't know if I`d even bother doing the change, the Sandy Bridge is a great cpu

There is no reason to reinstall windows, you are just changing cpu`s.

Intel Core i7-4960X Ivy Bridge-E 6-Core 3.6GHz LGA 2011 130W BX80633i74960X Desktop Processor - Newegg.com

Micro Center is always the best place to get a cpu, that is if you live near one, and they have the cpu you want in stock.

Arelem · 11 Sep 2017

essenbe said:

I've done it several times. In your case, you will probably get away with it. It will require new drivers for Ivy Bridge and a bios update as well. If it were me, I would do a clean install. They aren't as bad as they are made out to be. However, I may point out that if you are buying a new CPU, you will be spending a good chunk of money of a 4 generation old chip.

I'm trying to get the most/best bang for my buck. Going to anything newer probably means investing not only a processor, but motherboard, memory, power supply, possible a CPU cooler. With a processor swap, its the processor only. Also, it may be 4 gen back, but looking at the specs of newer ones, its not that far behind.

The place I really lack right now is my graphics card. My GTX550 Ti is having a hard time with something as basic as Second Life running higher than at medium graphics levels.

essenbe · 11 Sep 2017

I don't know where you are getting your 4960X and what you are paying for it. The going rate for one from most outlets is $1100-$1200. It just seems a lot to pay for an EOL CPU and chipset. The new chipset features have value too and there are a lot of improvements. According to Passmark Performance ratings, you will not see a very significant performance improvement by going to the 4960X. You can get an 17-7820X for half the price of the 4960X which would give you about $600 to buy the MB and ram. That would give you 2 more cores and a significant improvement in performance, much more than what you are planning. These are the Passmark numbers

Code:

3930K   12023
4960X   13863
7820X   18931

Yes, it would cost more money, most likely, but I suspect not much more. And yes, you would need a new CPU cooler. In the end you would have a much better rig with much more performance. You would also have a warranty on it and support for about 3 years, plus the chipset can be upgraded from these CPUs and probably the next generation.

I haven't addressed the graphics card because that is an issue no matter which way you go, or even if you do neither one.

In the end, the decision is completely up to you. Make no mistake, I am not trying to tell you what to do. I am just telling you how I would look at the situation. I am in the same situation as you. I have a 5930K and an X99 board. Both are EOL. There is no way I would drop any more money in this rig. Whatever I spend will be on a newer chipset which has an upgrade path. I will probably do that at some point in the next few months. I did upgrade my GPU, but that can go into whatever rig I may build in the future. Much of this has been about better performance. I don't know what you do with your rig, other than game. I would suspect your current rig will play most any game around quite well with a GPU upgrade. What you have may be a few generations old, but it is still a powerful rig. Just my opinions and I hope you take them as such. What you do is completely your decision.

Arelem · 12 Sep 2017

Thanks, but I gave up buying prebuilt PCs several years ago and build my own now. So no warranty on those.

I use my PC for, like I said, Second Life. I'm also learning how to build in it and I use programs like TurboCAD, Blender, Avastar, Mesh Studio and GIMP for that. The games I play are not real CPU burners, I think the most intensive is Harpoon, for now. Being unemployed for 2 1/2 years hasn't allowed me to do much in the way of game shopping.

I wasn't planning on a 4960X because of the cost. My motherboard is able to handle up to that chip. I might opt for a Sandy Bridge-E 3960X or 70X or maybe an Ivy Bridge-E 4820K or 4930K. I'm just trying to push this box out to its ultimate to get the most life from it, at least another 2 or 3 years.

I appreciate your guidance on all this essenbe.

essenbe · 12 Sep 2017

As far as the prebuilt rigs, I wasn't talking about them and I build my own too. I was talking about the manufacturer's warranty on the components. Most new Motherboards come with a 3 year warranty and the new CPUs do as well. That's what I meant by warranty, no prebuilts for me either. :)