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Resolved Question

Is my motherboard good enough?

Feb 23, 2016 9:11AM PST

Basically, I have an MSI H81M-E34, which currently holds a Pentium G3258. However, this isn't really powerful enough for me, so I was thinking of upgrading to an i5 4690 (I don't really want to overclock, and it saves me a few quid). As I have a really cheap MOBO, would you recommend that I upgrade it before getting a new CPU, or will my current one be just fine?

Discussion is locked

nanogreen has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer
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Clarification Request
(NT) Did you check the CPU compatibility list for that board?
Feb 23, 2016 9:21AM PST
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Looks fine
Feb 24, 2016 9:34AM PST

Compatability is OK, now it is just a question of whether or not it has enough features. Thanks for your help Silly

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Nod to Bob's answer below.
Feb 24, 2016 10:23AM PST

A long time ago Tomshardware did an experiment changing just the motherboard to see if there would be any improvement in benchmarks. The results were within a margin of error that could only be explained by human error (2001!)

This is why if your board works and you can pop in a compatible CPU, you usually never change it.

Post was last edited on February 24, 2016 10:23 AM PST

Best Answer

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Mobo
Feb 23, 2016 10:29AM PST

If the mobo works and has the features you need leave it alone.

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Answer
one other thing to consider
Feb 25, 2016 3:17PM PST

if you get a different motherboard and if the os is oem, then the oem must be replaced. that is an additional cost. So imo, if you are able to do everything you need to do with the current motherboard, then that is all you need.