Railworks America

I thought about getting the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 motherboard and I don't want to replace the CPU right now. But the motherboard says it takes only the i3, i5, and i7 but other people said it would take mine the Intel G640 but i don't know who to believe.

You're best bet is to go to Asrock's website, find your motherboard and see what cpu's are compatible. This way you know for sure.

Here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme4
Edit: It says it does support the G640 that you have. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the help my CPU is compatible with the Motherboard.

Hi

The key thing to look for isn't the i3, i5 or i7, it's the socket the CPU requires. Each generation of Intel chips, i.e. Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, etc use slightly different sockets, each with different contact quantities. For each series, there is an i3, i5 or i7 that all use the same socket.

Example, any Ivy Bridge CPU will work on a Motherboard that has an Ivy Bridge CPU socket.

Another quick bit of info - the main difference between the i5 and the i7 is that the i7 has a graphics processor. I suggest though that for the level of graphics we 'want', apply the money saved by using an i5 CPU toward a better graphics card. I have an i7 and its GPU isn't being used now although I did try it but I do get better results with a graphics card, better frame rates and better quality. The i3 probably isn't a great choice for our simulator requirements although with older software it would probably be ok.

GaryG