- Joined
- Sep 28, 2015
So here's the thing. I've been pretty happy with my system, running my Phenom II X6 1090T @ 3.7-3.8 GHz for the past year or so. Considering its age, the Phenom II is a very impressive CPU. Ever since I bought a GTX 1060 last fall, I've been able to most play games @ 1080p/50 FPS with almost everything except anti-aliasing turned on. However, the symptoms of I-want-an-upgrade-itis are real. A natural successor for the Phenom II would be something like an R5 1600, but I don't have the funds to build a Ryzen system at the moment. Besides, there still seem to be some issues with the CPUs and motherboards, so I'd probably wait until next year anyways. So, since the sensible option is not an option, I've set my sights on something some people would consider nonsensical: an FX-8370E.
Now, I think I know the two biggest arguments against the switch:
1. My motherboard has a 4-phase VRM and one simply does not use 8-core FX processors with weak VRMs, regardless of what the CPU support list says.
2. The FX-8370E is not much of a performance upgrade. In some workloads it's actually worse than the Phenom II.
3. The CPUs aren't even that cheap considering you can now buy a Ryzen CPU.
The first argument is why I'm considering an FX-8370E. My motherboard's VRM has been able to handle the Phenom II @ 1.4125 V, so even though voltage is only part of the story, I think the VRM might be able to hande the FX - at least at stock voltages (~1.2 V ?). Note that my CPU cooler blows air downwards at the motherboard and the VRM, the southbridge and the northbridge all have heatsinks, so things could be worse when it comes to cooling other components on the motherboard. The second argument is a tougher one. Single thread performance should in principle be better in the FX processor, at least if it's overclocked to the same 3.7-3.8 GHz I have on the Phenom II (might be achievable with near stock voltages, I'd probably turn Turbo off from the BIOS). In addition, the newer CPU supports a lot of instruction set extensions the Phenom II doesn't. I'd finally be able to run Timespy! However, in some cases the Phenom II might still perform better, as can be seen in these benchmarks. In the same article it can also be seen how the FX fares better in games, which at the moment is the main use I have for my computer. In any case there's a risk that my VRM will catch fire and there's a risk I won't see any benefits. However, the mere idea of trying is intriguing, which bring me to the third argument. It seems that a new FX-8370E would set me back around 120 e, which is not an insignificant amount of money to pay for something that has essentially been EoL for a few years and might not be much of an upgrade. However, if the new chip would keep me happy for, say, a year, then I think it might be worth it.
What I would like to know is this: Has anyone happened to have an E-series FX CPU running with a motherboard with a 4-phase VRM and if so, did you experience any VRM throttling or severe issues when overclocking (even with stock voltages)? Also, what about switching from a Phenom II to an FX-line CPU? I know some people have done it, but did you notice any clear benefits or did you instantly missed the Phenom II?
Now, I think I know the two biggest arguments against the switch:
1. My motherboard has a 4-phase VRM and one simply does not use 8-core FX processors with weak VRMs, regardless of what the CPU support list says.
2. The FX-8370E is not much of a performance upgrade. In some workloads it's actually worse than the Phenom II.
3. The CPUs aren't even that cheap considering you can now buy a Ryzen CPU.
The first argument is why I'm considering an FX-8370E. My motherboard's VRM has been able to handle the Phenom II @ 1.4125 V, so even though voltage is only part of the story, I think the VRM might be able to hande the FX - at least at stock voltages (~1.2 V ?). Note that my CPU cooler blows air downwards at the motherboard and the VRM, the southbridge and the northbridge all have heatsinks, so things could be worse when it comes to cooling other components on the motherboard. The second argument is a tougher one. Single thread performance should in principle be better in the FX processor, at least if it's overclocked to the same 3.7-3.8 GHz I have on the Phenom II (might be achievable with near stock voltages, I'd probably turn Turbo off from the BIOS). In addition, the newer CPU supports a lot of instruction set extensions the Phenom II doesn't. I'd finally be able to run Timespy! However, in some cases the Phenom II might still perform better, as can be seen in these benchmarks. In the same article it can also be seen how the FX fares better in games, which at the moment is the main use I have for my computer. In any case there's a risk that my VRM will catch fire and there's a risk I won't see any benefits. However, the mere idea of trying is intriguing, which bring me to the third argument. It seems that a new FX-8370E would set me back around 120 e, which is not an insignificant amount of money to pay for something that has essentially been EoL for a few years and might not be much of an upgrade. However, if the new chip would keep me happy for, say, a year, then I think it might be worth it.
What I would like to know is this: Has anyone happened to have an E-series FX CPU running with a motherboard with a 4-phase VRM and if so, did you experience any VRM throttling or severe issues when overclocking (even with stock voltages)? Also, what about switching from a Phenom II to an FX-line CPU? I know some people have done it, but did you notice any clear benefits or did you instantly missed the Phenom II?
