Possible processor upgrade

[DIPPY]

HI,

Right now I have Intel Core i3 4170 @ 3.70GHz on Socket LGA1150 and I was thinking about possible upgrade to i5 or i7. I know these are oldies but the computer is only used for browsing the internet. I would be looking for some possible recommendations on which way to go. I am running 8 GB of Ram DDR3 @ 666MHz (9-9-9-24) which will probably be a subject of upgrade as well so I want my possible processor to cooperate with them.

[AlHill]

You must consult with your motherboard/system manufacturer as to which processors are supported by THEIR bios for your board.  Then, maybe, you can select one of those.

It is not just an issue of socket compatibility.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[If you find any Intel driver you might need, download and save it now.]

[DIPPY]

Many thanks for your reply. The motherboard is MSI H81M-P33 (MS-7817). My BIOS is American Megatrends Inc. V1.9 dated on 30.03.2015

[pressed_for_time · Accepted solution]

There is a list of CPUs supported by your board here . It's quite a long list but it does include i7 processors such as the 4790,  4790S  and 4790K, and i5 processors in the 4590 and 4690 range.

As to recommendations you have one of the later BIOS updates so any of these CPUs can be installed and run without a BIOS update. However MSI did release one further BIOS update after 1.9 and that was 7817v1A dated July 2018. This was to deal with a security vulnerability. You are recommended to install 7817v1A which can be found on this page .

[DIPPY]

Many thanks for your support. I decided to go for i5-4670 as I found it as new in quite an affordable price (approx. 40 Euro)

[AlHill]

I believe you will be disappointed with any processor upgrade.

If you have sata ports, you would do far better performance-wise by upgrading your HDD (if that is what you have) to an SSD.

Just saying.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[If you find any Intel driver you might need, download and save it now.]