Do I need a CPU upgrade? AMD FX-4350 vs. FX-8350

[falarious]

Here is my mobo:
MSI 760GMA-P34 (FX) AM3+ AMD 760G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130722

I currently have 2x4GB sticks of RAM installed. Do I also need to upgrade this to two 8gb sticks?

Well, my main question was the processor.

I currently have a 4350, would upgrading to a 8350 be much of a difference?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[monkeydelmagico]

It really depends on what you are trying to achieve. This anandtech review on vishera shows small gains for some games and bigger gains for CPU dependent workloads. The bench function on the anand website is also useful: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1273?vs=697

 

[The Stilt]

That motherboard won't be sufficient for any FX-8K (and probably even FX-6K) CPU, so no.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

That motherboard won't be sufficient for any FX-8K (and probably even FX-6K) CPU, so no.

Not sure where you are getting that info from but MSI indicates all versions of vishera as compatible : https://us.msi.com/file/test_report/TR19_2887.pdf

 

[frozentundra123456]

I dont consider Anand's gaming tests over the last few years to be the most useful. They use a strange combination of gpus and settings, that IMO dont really isolate the variables well. You could look at comparisons on sites like techpowerup or game.gpu.
Anyway, I am not an expert on motherboards, but if an 8350 is a drop in replacement, I think it would be worth it. Some games that use a lot of threads will show a decent benefit, while others will probably not. If you plan to keep the system for a while, newer AAA games are making better use of cores, so the 8350 would be more useful. OTOH, if you plan to do an entire system upgrade soon, it may not be worth it.

Edit: just looking at a few games at game.gpu, looks like the gain in well threaded games is in the 30% area, while some single threaded games show basically no difference.

 

[laamanaator]

Not sure where you are getting that info from but MSI indicates all versions of vishera as compatible : https://us.msi.com/file/test_report/TR19_2887.pdf

I think that what The Stilt is saying the vrm is not sufficient on that motherboard. The VRM will throttle down, because it can't keep up with the power requirements of an FX-8K CPU. Or the VRM will burn, if it isn't properly protected.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

True, it is on the cheaper side of the spectrum for motherboards. If the OP wants to OC the 8350 there is a real risk of melting down http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/11/06/amd-fx-8350-review/7

 

[SlowSpyder]

That motherboard won't be sufficient for any FX-8K (and probably even FX-6K) CPU, so no.

The FX4350 is a 125w TDP CPU. I imagine an FX8350 will be ok so long as the OP runs nothing more than a moderate OC. An FX 8320E might be a good option too.

Edit - Also a fan and / or some heatsinks on the VRM's wouldn't hurt.

 

[The Stilt]

The FX4350 is a 125w TDP CPU. I imagine an FX8350 will be ok so long as the OP runs nothing more than a moderate OC. An FX 8320E might be a good option too.

Edit - Also a fan and / or some heatsinks on the VRM's wouldn't hurt.

They generally don't pull more than 60W, despite the TDP. They are the lowest harvest bin for Vishera, so the TDP is usually overstated to prevent the need for further binning (i.e all dies meet the specs).

 

[superstition]

The 8320E will probably run on that board but your board is so old and weak that unless you plan to keep an 8320E or 8370E at stock I don't see the point. And, even with that I would have a fan blowing quite a bit of air to the VRM sink.

If you have a Micro Center around your best budget bet with AM is to get an 8320E and a UD3P board (or similar) and aim at 4.2 GHz or so with a 140mm single tower cooler. You're looking at roughly $130 plus tax for the board and CPU and another bit for the cooler. Have a fan blowing onto the sink. You can use the 8320E's stock fan for this. If you go for a bigger CPU cooler you can get to 4.4 without a lot of trouble, too. However, you'll need good case airflow and a good PSU.

 

[SPBHM]

at this point I would only recommend this upgrade if you clearly do something which benefits from the extra cores easily, like VMs or something

for gaming.... well, it helps for some but not for others, I would just look at Intel or wait for Zen in this case.

unless you are really looking at maximizing what you have (the platform) and you can get the 8 core FX cheaply

 

[Abwx]

They generally don't pull more than 60W, despite the TDP.

That s about it in regular MT loading, besides the 4350 not only has 10% better perf/watt than the other FXs but contrary to the 4300 it benefit from a full 8MB cache.

Given its high frequency a valuable 95W upgrade would be eventually a FX8300 if it can be found, it has better voltage/frequency curve than a FX8320E (10% better efficency) and has higher turbo frequency, also it is often at the same price.

 

[DrMrLordX]

I would be wary of an FX-8xxx chip on an MSI 4+1 board. Those VRMs are not top-notch.

 

[superstition]

a FX8300 if it can be found, it has better voltage/frequency curve than a FX8320E (10% better efficency)

Hmm... One site found that the 8320E draws around 86 watts, not 95. Anandtech found that theirs could be significantly undervolted, too.

My understanding is that the E chips are better bins than a chip like the 8300 which is pretty low in the binning tier, only above the 9000 series as far as what I recall The Stilt having said.

Also, I may be confused but it's also my understanding that the lower leakage E chips may need more voltage but actually draw less power.

I'm also a bit dubious about the value of Vishera's turbo. It seems that disabling turbo and going for a better static clock/voltage is the best option.

 

[Abwx]

Hmm... One site found that the 8320E draws around 86 watts, not 95. Anandtech found that theirs could be significantly undervolted, too.

My understanding is that the E chips are better bins than a chip like the 8300 which is pretty low in the binning tier, only above the 9000 series as far as what I recall The Stilt having said.

Also, I may be confused but it's also my understanding that the lower leakage E chips may need more voltage but actually draw less power.

I'm also a bit dubious about the value of Vishera's turbo. It seems that disabling turbo and going for a better static clock/voltage is the best option.

Both 8370E/8320E use the same power, 80W, under prime 95 at stock, wich point to the former being better voltage binned, thing is that the 8300 use the same voltages than the 8370E and is as well binned up to 4.2GHz..

On regular MT loading the 8370E use 65W, the 8300 should be at the same level given that it use the same voltage at 3.3GHz.

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Bulldozer/AMD-FX-Series FX-8300.html

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Bulldozer/AMD-FX-Series FX-8370E.html

http://www.hardware.fr/focus/99/amd-fx-8370e-fx-8-coeurs-95-watts-test.html

 

[superstition]

Both 8370E/8320E use the same power, 80W, under prime 95 at stock

I've seen reviews putting the 8370E's consumption more around 100W. I think one said 107. One review tested both the 8320E and the 8370E. The 70 had significantly higher power consumption.

The 8370E ships with a significantly thicker fan. If it doesn't actually use more power why would AMD do that?

 

[guachi]

I picked up an 8350 for $90 a month ago and had no problem undervolting it .1 volts. And it gets used at 100% for hours and hours at a time doing video encoding.

It's also quite good at video encoding being about 100% faster than my old 965.

Given you don't actually need to buy anything else for the upgrade - no RAM, no motherboard - it's probably a good value, especially if you have tasks that require multiple cores. You'll probably be able to get a few years use out of the chip.

Is your financial situation such that you can't afford lots of money for an upgrade? Or is it that you don't want to spend the money?

 

[Abwx]

I've seen reviews putting the 8370E's consumption more around 100W. I think one said 107. One review tested both the 8320E and the 8370E. The 70 had significantly higher power consumption.

The 8370E ships with a significantly thicker fan. If it doesn't actually use more power why would AMD do that?

100W is about the comsumption of a FX8350 but certainly not of a E variant, all sites with reliable measurement gear put the 8370E at 65W or so in regular MT loading and 80W with Prime 95.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-fx-8370e-cpu,3929-2.html

And in Cinebench at Computerbase.de :

https://www.computerbase.de/2014-09...mm-leistungsaufnahme-volllast-cinebench-x-cpu

 

[Loser Gamer]

Here is my mobo:
MSI 760GMA-P34 (FX) AM3+ AMD 760G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130722

I currently have 2x4GB sticks of RAM installed. Do I also need to upgrade this to two 8gb sticks?

Well, my main question was the processor.

I currently have a 4350, would upgrading to a 8350 be much of a difference?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Here is the CPU support list for that MB you have. It will run plenty. I'd upgrade if I was you and enjoy it for some time. I wish I could drop a 8350 in my MB but mine is older than yours. Just make sure the bios is updated before taking out the old chip.

https://us.msi.com/file/test_report/TR19_2887.pdf

 

[superstition]

100W is about the comsumption of a FX8350 but certainly not of a E variant, all sites with reliable measurement gear put the 8370E at 65W or so in regular MT loading and 80W with Prime 95.

The chart you posted shows otherwise. It has five peaks well above 100W, nine more at 100W, and a lot above 80.

I bet the 8320E's chart would show less power consumption, especially if paired with the 8370E's fan.

 

[Abwx]

The chart you posted shows otherwise. It has five peaks well above 100W, nine more at 100W, and a lot above 80.

I bet the 8320E's chart would show less power consumption, especially if paired with the 8370E's fan.

Not at all, peaks are normal, the dotted line is the average, any CPU power drain look like this seen from the 12V rails.
The 8320E consume the same amount given that its voltage is 1.5% higher than the 8370E.

 

[The Stilt]

The motherboard has a naked 4+1 phase analog VRM, which uses legacy D-Pak mosfets. Unless MSI has disabled the protections (which they do time to time) the motherboard will definitely throttle with any FX-8K and most likely even FX-6K series CPUs, despite undervolting. I wouldn't use anything higher than 65W rated CPUs (which of course aren't even available) with this board.

 

[Erenhardt]

OCed 6300 on a cheap board (this asus is 3+1, while OP has 4+1 VRAMs) is great compromise:

But, it the OP doesn't overclock fx8300 and fx8320E a viable alternatives

 

[Abwx]

The motherboard has a naked 4+1 phase analog VRM, which uses legacy D-Pak mosfets. Unless MSI has disabled the protections (which they do time to time) the motherboard will definitely throttle with any FX-8K and most likely even FX-6K series CPUs, despite undervolting. I wouldn't use anything higher than 65W rated CPUs (which of course aren't even available) with this board.

8320E, 8370E use 65W on MT, 80W with Prime 95, so any 4+1 is adequate, including for the 8300 as well as for the 6300 and of course all FX43xx.

 

[Leyawiin]

I would just keep saving my money for a platform upgrade.