Faster processor for computer

yorkshire_grafter

My son wants a faster processor in our computer because he likes to play games (eg Skyrim) on it and the current one is slow.

Can anyone recommend a new AMD quad core processor with a built in graphics card and motherboard socket AM3?

Is there any difference between AM3 and AM3+ ?

He has a budget of £120 to spend.

Many thanks a parent who has absolutely no clue about computers.

Mobeer

Improving gaming performance often needs a faster graphics card rather than a faster processor.

Could you find out the details of the PC (make, model, any specification details you have) Or use something like:
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/pc-wizard.html

Then people can give you some better advice.

poppy10_2

As Mobeer says, for most games upgrading the graphics card will have a much bigger effect than upgrading the CPU. The £120 would be much better spent on getting a decent GPU which will be a huge upgrade on the onboard graphics.

yorkshire_grafter

Hi
I have a few more details: -
Made is Dell
Model is Inspiron 570
Processor is a AMD Athlon (tm) II X2 240 processor 2.80 GHz
8GB RAM

Many thanks

forgotmyname

If you have onboard video that is where the bottleneck is. Upgrade that.

Cycrow

if it was me, i would stretch that budget bait and go for something like an Nvidia GTX 660, or AMD 5850. Both are around £150 and are decent, able to play most games at highish settings

that is, assuming it'll be compatable with the current pc. Need to check it has an available PCI-Express slot and good enough PSU

Mobeer

I think your PC will have a PCI Express x16 slot and a 300 W PSU

An AMD Radeon 260X would be in budget and would seem a reasonable match for the processor and power supply you have. But I can't guarantee sure it would work ok, so you might want to buy from someone willing to accept a return; maybe discuss this possibility with the supplier before buying.

Maybe try a live chat or call back with Scan:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-sapphire-radeon-r7-260x-oc-28nm-6500mhz-gddr5-gpu-1150mhz-896-streams-dport-dvi-hdmi

Cisco001

Get an amd 7750 if you already got 300W PSU.

If you have less than that, get Corsair CX430/ Antec VP450 with AMD 7790

7790 = R7 260X. But 7790 can be found at £93, R7 260X is over £100.