I'm still using a very old gaming PC with an Intel i7-3770 and DDR3 memory. I recently added an inexpensive 12GB graphics card, and the system has handled games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Witcher 3 surprisingly well at high settings. However, the newer version of Assassin's Creed Black Flag refuses to run because the i7-3770 does not support AVX2. I'd like to find the least expensive used CPU and motherboard combination that supports AVX2 while offering performance at least comparable to my current i7. Keeping my existing DDR3 RAM would be ideal, although I could move to DDR4 if the price difference makes it worthwhile.
1 Answer
AVX2 starts with Intel’s Haswell generation, so an LGA1150 system is the cheapest practical Intel upgrade while allowing you to keep DDR3. A used 4th-generation Core i5 or i7 with an LGA1150 motherboard should meet the requirement. The i7-4770 or i7-4790 would be a straightforward upgrade, but even a decent Haswell i5 may be enough depending on your graphics card and games. Don’t assume that an i3 is automatically worse than an i7—the model generation matters a lot. For example, a 10th- or 12th-generation i3 can outperform a 3rd-generation i7 in both single-core and overall performance.
LGA1150 is newer than LGA1155, which is why Haswell supports AVX2 while the i7-3770 platform does not. Used LGA1150 i7 processors can sometimes be found for around $30, with compatible boards around $50, so that can be a good budget solution.
I’m fine with moving to DDR4, but keeping the existing DDR3 would definitely make the upgrade cheaper. It’s confusing that newer i3 chips can beat older i7s, especially since the computers at work with newer i5s sometimes feel slower than this old system.