Affordable CPU and MOBO upgrade solution Upgrade your system with a budget-friendly CPU and MOBO package
Affordable CPU and MOBO upgrade solution Upgrade your system with a budget-friendly CPU and MOBO package
Consider a budget-friendly yet powerful CPU and motherboard combo for gaming. Upgrade with an affordable quad-core processor like the AMD A6-3670K or similar models. Pair it with a mid-range motherboard such as the ASUS F1A75-M or similar options. Add a decent CPU cooler like the CC2402-usa to keep things cool. For memory, you can use the 4 GB DDR3 modules listed at reasonable prices. Storage upgrades like the Western Digital RE 2 TB drive will help too. This setup balances cost and performance for gaming needs.
The most affordable option for gaming would be the i3-8100. I was able to play Far Cry 5 with a GTX 1060 3GB card at medium settings and 1080p. Later, I upgraded to an i5-8600K and got my 2070 Super tonight, but the i3-8100 still performs well.
anything ddr4 is over budget because I'd have to rebuy ram And as cheap as possible while being an upgrade. This cpu was about 30 on ebay when I bought it and so was the motherboard. I went with these specifically because I was upgrading an old HP prebuilt that had an a6-3600 (the a8-3870k was out of budget at the time) soI'd say cheap is sub 100 but hopefully sub 80
I recommend checking out this chart: http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/AMD/A6-S...3670K.html. It shows CPUs with the same socket as your current model, so you won’t need to modify your motherboard. If a upgrade is necessary, consider moving to DDR4. Currently, there are two options (A8-3850 and A8-3870k) that offer better performance than what you have, fitting your existing board and RAM. As for their cost, I haven’t looked yet, but older CPUs should still be affordable today.
Avoid spending on DDR3 components. Opt for a longer-lasting DDR4 setup instead. Since your currency is USD, I’m guessing you’re in the U.S. Seek a pre-owned 1600/b350 unit and a 2x8 DDR4 2666 or higher module. You should be able to find it for under $175, around $150 if you negotiate well. It’ll outperform most DDR3 options and won’t be a costly used Haswell part.
I'm not sure if the 3870k really improves over the 3670k by much—unless it's only a small jump like 200MHz. These older APUs lack many modern instruction sets, and the IPC isn't very strong. The thermal limit is also 75°C, which restricts overclocking. Still, thanks! I think I'll have to wait a bit before settling for the B550.
Upgrading to my latest configuration meant switching to DDR4, which limited the choices I had due to my existing motherboard and location. Finding reliable, affordable parts in Mexico proved difficult because the used tech market isn’t very trustworthy. I managed to secure my current motherboard for about $3,200 MXN, a CPU for roughly $5,100 MXN, and a 16GB RAM package for around $2,400 MXN—a combined total of approximately $501.05 USD at the current rate. It was a solid investment despite the price, especially after searching for the best value.