I'm feeling underclocked

[mackerel]

Am I losing my tech mojo? Trying to get that extra performance just isn't interesting any more. I find myself valuing stability far more now, to the extent I'm not even always using XMP on systems.

In the past I've bought new generational releases just to play with them, but right now, I have no intention to get Zen 3 or big navi to try. Ampere is still on my shopping list, but as something to be used ('cos G-sync), not something to be benched to a clock cycle of its limit. Haven't touched my water gear in a long time, and the chiller that I used twice is nothing more than something I accidentally kick occasionally when walking near it.

I do wonder, with DDR5 having die level ECC if that would help in stability, and a part of me is also curious if it helps with OC. Just a little bit curious. I'd love it for both Intel and AMD to officially support module level ECC on consumer platforms. Not AMD's current it's there but unsupported approach.

I have a Zen 2 system built and basic configured, ready for an Ampere to be dropped in as my next TV gaming system, but I don't feel I can trust it. At that point, I'm wondering if I should use it at all. It's a 3700X currently on B450 ITX mobo. The same CPU sample was previously on X370 ATX which was generally ok, although still had the occasional unexplained crash. It's worse on the B450 mobo, in that it isn't even Prime95 stable with that. Keep in mind with the stock power limit, it shouldn't be any worse than other workloads. Reducing power limit makes it much worse. My theory is that it is something to do with the mobo power delivery, maybe a positive voltage offset would "fix" it, but this is the kind of tinkering I don't want to be dealing with.

With AMD pushing their CPUs close to the limit out of the box, and Intel having to follow to not be left behind, I do wonder what the future looks like.

 

[Woomack]

I guess it's probably because even though we get many new premieres then nothing is actually new. We get refresh after refresh what feels like we've seen it all already. Now is Zen 3 and I literally feel like I wish to hunt for a 4750G more than get anything from 5000 series. Prices are higher than expected and products are nothing really new. It's 4/5th Ryzen which is working in a similar way, just a bit higher clocks. For most users it doesn't really matter if CPU performance will be 5-10% higher as most use it for games where graphics cards matter the most.
Nvidia made a big improvement in performance but availability is a joke. As much as I wish a new graphics card like 3070/3080 and I have some money saved for that, then probably I will wait on RTX3060Ti or something from AMD.
In last weeks I sold 3900X, i5-10500, most spare motherboards, all "modern" graphics cards except GTX1660Ti and some less used memory kits. I was thinking to just save some money on a new graphics card and Ryzen 5000 but now I feel like I don't really want it. Probably I will buy something anyway as I need one more newer CPU and GPU for tests/reviews but more as a must than as a new cool toy.

 

[SPL Tech]

You can have both. I overclock the crap out of everything and I havent had a crash in several months. It doesent have to be one or the other.

 

[mackerel]

You can have both. I overclock the crap out of everything and I havent had a crash in several months. It doesent have to be one or the other.

Your standards may not be the same as mine. To even consider a system as vaguely stable, it must never crash under any workload. I've hunted down instability in the past equivalent to running Prime95 for over a month before showing up.

 

[JLK03F150]

Am I losing my tech mojo? Trying to get that extra performance just isn't interesting any more. I find myself valuing stability far more now, to the extent I'm not even always using XMP on systems.

With AMD pushing their CPUs close to the limit out of the box, and Intel having to follow to not be left behind, I do wonder what the future looks like.

Welcome the the Overclockers.com vintage hardware benching team! (that could be one future path).

 

[Ben333]

Welcome the the Overclockers.com vintage hardware benching team! (that could be one future path).

Hey... I'm IN!!

 

[Daleon]

I hit the stability > OC performance wall few years ago. Haven't even bothered to OC my current 3700X. But this has also made me want to upgrade a little more often as I'm not getting that extra performance out of the older gen making the newer gen that much better because the boost clocks keep improving.

I would say your 3700X instability is likely the B450 itx board. Never card for that gen of boards at all. Are you using parts from your current TV system for this build such as the GameMax Abyss case? If so was there a reason to go itx? Or are you using a sff case now? If your not I would say get a nice quality B550 ATX mb if you want to have real chance at that kind of stability.

 

[mackerel]

I kinda suspect it is the mobo, since I didn't have this much trouble with the same CPU on an older ATX X370 mobo previously. I am reusing as many parts as I can, but I have multiple systems so it isn't in the Abyss case. As posted in another thread, I've apparently won an Intel 6 core in a competition, so waiting for that to arrive. Once it does, I think I'll use that to build a new system. I've essentially lost faith in that gen of AMD parts and just can't be bothered to deal with it any more, and don't want to throw more money at it. Maybe I'll give Zen another go when DDR5 hits but I consider it end of line now, even if it is the current highest performing CPU.