AMD FX-9370 Questions

[Ireland]

Hi guys,

I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to CPUs. I have a few questions about the AMD FX-9370 I'm hoping you can help me out with. A local PC store is offering the CPU for a pretty good deal so I was thinking about picking one up. I find the specs a little confusing though.
I currently have a Phenom II 3.2GHz quad core CPU, 650W power supply, 8GB of DDR3 ram, a Radeon 7970 GPU, and a Zalman cooler (CNPS9900 MAX), and an ASUS A88-V EVO motherboard.

The questions I have are:

Can my current power supply handle this CPU? I'm confused about the 220W TDP is requires, I honestly have no idea what that means.

ALso, Is my fan cooler good enough or do I have to go with a water cooler? (I know nothing about water cooling in general)

Any help would be greatly appreciated. If I need to provide more info just let me know.

 

[Ireland]

If I need to upgrade the cooler, please make any suggestions based on what they have to offer here as it's the most convenient source for me: www.canadacomputers.com

 

[tungureanu]

If you want to pick up that beast I highly recommend getting a better cooler (custom loop, Noctua nh-d14,
Phanteks PH-TC14PE) and a better mobo (asus crosshair v, asus sabertooth,asrock extreme 9).
The thermal design power (TDP), sometimes called thermal design point, refers to the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate. The TDP is typically not the most power the chip could ever draw, such as by a power virus, but rather the maximum power that it would draw when running "real applications". This ensures the computer will be able to handle essentially all applications without exceeding its thermal envelope, or requiring a cooling system for the maximum theoretical power (which would cost more but in favor of extra headroom for processing power).

Hope I helped.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Can my current power supply handle this CPU?

If it's a quality unit yes it will be no problem at stock settings.

I'm confused about the 220W TDP is requires, I honestly have no idea what that means.

Thermal Design Power, it is the max power draw possible at stock clock speeds.

ALso, Is my fan cooler good enough or do I have to go with a water cooler?

Depends on what your plans are, at stock clocks it should be fine. If you're planning on over clocking then no.

What are your intentions of use for it? You should also have a read of this thread. It about the motherboards we recommend for these Fx processors.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I would run an NH-D14 or PH-TC14PE at a minimum.

I would NOT run that CPU on your current motherboard.

 

[RGone]

I would run an NH-D14 or PH-TC14PE at a minimum.

I would NOT run that CPU on your current motherboard.

I doubt that thing would do very well overall on that 8xx mobo.
RGone...

 

[Ireland]

Ok, so I'm likely going to start with everything at stock. Is my current mobo ok temporarily or not compatible at all? I will look into better cooling for sure if that's what I have to do.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

It is not on the compatibility list of your motherboard, nor would I trust that motherboard to even attempt to push that much power.

 

[Ireland]

Ok. I will pick up a new motherboard then and look into coolers. What are decent temperatures for that cpu to run at? I'm having trouble finding that info.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Ok. I will pick up a new motherboard then and look into coolers. What are decent temperatures for that cpu to run at? I'm having trouble finding that info.

That will depend chip to chip, case to case, cooler to cooler.

Just like any FX chip though, it should be kept under 65C.

For motherboards, look at:
-Asus Crosshair V
-Asus Sabertooth
-ASRock Fatality
-ASRock 990FX Extreme9
-ASRock 990FX Extreme4

 

[Ireland]

Ok. Thanks a lot for all the info, guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Ok. Thanks a lot for all the info, guys. I really appreciate it.

You're welcome! Glad you asked before-hand, wouldn't be fun to get home and have a CPU that expensive not work!

 

[Ireland]

Haha... Not gonna lie, I've made a mistake like that before. Learned my lesson!

 

[neo668]

If you are going to get a new CPU, a new mobo and new cooling wouldn't it be better just to get an i7 system? After all the additional add-ons just to support the FX-9370, total costs may not be too far away from an i7 set-up. The i7 does not need the top-of-the-range mobo nor an expensive cooling system.

Just my thoughts.

 

[RGone]

@ Ireland. We have bought and run the FX-8350 cpu and clocked it up to the "default" speeds of the 9370 and they are hot and power hungry and will humble a lesser mobo. So you buy a PRE-overclocked cpu and just at it's default speed and power demands, it is already drawing what we have when we do an overclock of a lesser FX 8 core. Just thought I would make that more clear.
RGone...

 

[Ireland]

I would run an NH-D14 or PH-TC14PE at a minimum.

So, I picked up the 9370. As for the cooler, I was unable to find the two you listed at my local store. Is there another one you might recommend from this website: www.canadacomputers.com ?

Cheaper the better but something reliable obviously.

Here's my current cooler. I'm assuming it's not good enough for the 9370. http://www.zalman.com/eng/product/Product_Read.php?Idx=416

 

[Mandrake4565]

Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL

Here's my current cooler. I'm assuming it's not good enough for the 9370. Doesn't hurt to try it, though I do have my doubts.

 

[ShrimpBrime]

I would go to this store and look at this cooler for that processor.

*after $20.00 instant rebate
$99.99
$79.99 Add to Shopping Cart
Online Store
In Stock

Corsair Hydro Series H110 280mm High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler -- for Intel LGA 1150, 1155, 1156, 1366, and 2011 & AMD FM1, FM2, AM2, and AM3 (CW-9060014-WW)
Part no: CW-9060014-WW

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_135&item_id=057310


Do it right spend a few extra and overclock it. Otherwise you'll have a hard time with it.

220w before OC. Not 125 w before OC like the 8 series users have. I'd say ask Johan about heat with 9 series, but I don't think his even saw an air cooler.....

 

[RGone]

I just completed a 45min g00gle search relating to FX-9xxx cpu cooling and NOwhere was anything but water cooling recommended and then almost always H100ish with many suggesting a full-on built loop.
RGone...

 

[ATMINSIDE]

So, I picked up the 9370. As for the cooler, I was unable to find the two you listed at my local store. Is there another one you might recommend from this website: www.canadacomputers.com ?

Cheaper the better but something reliable obviously.

Here's my current cooler. I'm assuming it's not good enough for the 9370. http://www.zalman.com/eng/product/Product_Read.php?Idx=416

Here's a link to the PH-TC14PE

RGone, a lot of people have been using the H80 for the 9xxx CPUs and the PH-TC14PE and NH-D14 both cool better/equal to the H80.

Edit: Actually the NH-D14 and PH-TC14PE are better than the H80 and H100. The H80i/H100i are better than the two air coolers by less than 1°C.