How much will an fx 4300 bottleneck an r9 280

wutangfan · May 28, 2014

I have an r9 280 on its way and still need to wait a couple weeks to get some money together for an fx 6300 w/after market cooler. Until then I'm stuck with my fx 4300.

I want to know how much of a bottle neck will the fx 4300 be on the r9 280 and if it will noticeably out perform my hd7770 while I'm using the fx 4300 (not the fx 6300).

I'd rather wait for the fx 6300 and just replace everything all at once if the performance is very little.

AgentTran · May 28, 2014

There will be a bottleneck, but it shouldn't be to major. You will see a difference from the 7770 to the 280 for sure though, a CPU bottleneck on the 4300 isn't THAT bad.

However, even though saying that the bottleneck is still a significant one. You should be looking forward to your 6300 for a substantial bottleneck removal. (plus you should be overclocking it.)

i7Baby · May 28, 2014

The 4300 will struggle. You'll probably miss the top 20% of the 280's performance. But it'll still run better than the 7770.
You can overclock the 4300 to help out. But only if you've got a good motherboard and cooler.

A 6300 will let the 280 run full hard.

Swordkd · May 29, 2014

If you own the fx4300 and are buying an fx6300, I wouldn't do it. The performance increase isn't worth the added cost. If you were buying new, that would be another story. I'd hold out for an fx8320 actually. 30-40 dollars more but worth it.

wutangfan · May 29, 2014

AgentTran :

Thanks for the quick reply. Once the 280 arrives which will hopefully be this week but probably next, I'll being switching out my hd7770.

Oh and I'll definitely being overclocking the 6300. ;D

i7Baby · May 29, 2014

Make sure you've got a good power supply - for the 280 - and a good cpu cooler - for the overclock.

wutangfan · May 29, 2014

Swordkd :

1. The more I spend on the cpu the less I spend on a cooler and I want a good/quiet cooler.
2. My psu is 550w and an overclocked r9 280 and 8320 I feel would put too much stress on it. Even if it could run I'd prefer to have the longevity over performance. Yeah I could probably just do a mild overclock on the 8320 but then it wouldn't be worth it since I could get the same results with more heavily overclocked 6300.

Swordkd · May 29, 2014

My point though, was spending money on an fx6300 as an upgrade to the fx4300 simply isn't worth the money spent. The difference in tdp between the fx6300 and fx8320 is 30w, which I doubt is going to make or break your overclocking wattage *budget*. Assuming you have a quality Psu, it shouldn't be an issue. Also, what motherboard are you going to be doing the overclocking on? I'm hoping you have a 990fx chipset, but at least a 970 will do.

WhiteSnake91 · May 29, 2014

what brand is your PSU and exact motherboard you're going to use? The fx6300 would be an improvement but the fx8320 for 30-40 more bucks is the better choice.

wutangfan · May 30, 2014

Swordkd :

I have a 970 mobo and my psu is an XFX pro550w.

EDIT: Oh and why isn't it worth the money spent? Everything I've checked says the 6300 has a higher price/performance ratio than the 8320.

i7Baby · May 30, 2014

The power supply is good. The 970 is OK but a 990fx chipset mobo would be better.

wutangfan · May 30, 2014

i7Baby :

I'm having trouble getting the 40 bucks to go from a 6300 to a 8320 so a new mobo would just be out of the question. Especially since I have an OEM windows so that's another $90.

i7Baby · May 30, 2014

The 6300 would be the best investment. It won't choke the 280.http://cpuboss.com/cpus/AMD-FX-6300-vs-AMD-FX-4300
You shouldn't have to overclock the 6300.

If you want to overclock and heavily though, you should get a 990fx chipset mobo.

MostWantedSoulRider · May 30, 2014

I was using 6300 before with R9 270X. I observed the bottleneck as the frames drop so often. But when I got i5, the performance became way too better.

wutangfan · May 30, 2014

MostWantedSoulRider :

A 6300 bottlenecking a 270x? Something must have went wrong there. I don't know if a mobo can bottleneck a gpu, but that could have been the problem.

wutangfan · May 30, 2014

i7Baby :

I'm not going to heavily overclock the 6300. I just want to try overclocking since I've never really done it before.

i7Baby · May 30, 2014

Or just get an 8350 and don't overclock or have to get a good cooler.

MostWantedSoulRider · May 30, 2014

wutangfan :

I had frames dropping at few spots of a game like under heavy smoke or viewing over a bunch of plants i.e., this processor couldn't handle when the graphics get little bit intense.

But when playing with i5, the fps is constant and never had the same issue again.

Update 1: I don't think a motherboard would affect the graphic performance.

wutangfan · May 30, 2014

i7Baby :

The cooler isn't just for the temps but also the sound. I'm going insane hearing my loud as hell stock cooler.

CooLWoLF · May 30, 2014

wutangfan :

FX4300 may not be the strongest CPU, but its not exactly weak either. Have you tried overclocking it yet? You should be able to get 4.5ghz out of it.

If you are set on getting a new CPU, save up more $$$ and go up to the 8320.

wutangfan · May 30, 2014

MostWantedSoulRider :

wutangfan :

I had frames dropping at few spots of a game like under heavy smoke or viewing over a bunch of plants i.e., this processor couldn't handle when the graphics get little bit intense.

But when playing with i5, the fps is constant and never had the same issue again.

Update 1: I don't think a motherboard would affect the graphic performance.

pcie x16 running at x4 speeds might be able to do it. It's very unlikely that a 6300 would bottleneck a 270x.

Swordkd · May 30, 2014

I agree with overclocking the fx4300. Regardless, you were planning on overclocking the fx6300 with a better cooler anyways, so why not just buy the cooler, o/c the fx4300 and see how well that works for you. I just don't think it's worth the money spent upgrading from an fx4300 to an fx6300. Even Tom's monthly cpu chart doesn't recommend upgrading unless you are moving 3 tiers above where you currently are.

wutangfan · May 31, 2014

CooLWoLF :

Swordkd :

What exactly would 3 tiers be?

Swordkd · May 31, 2014

Take a look at this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html Your Cpu is the 2nd one from the top for Amd. So the only upgrade tier for you would include the FX-9590, 9370, 8350, 8320, 8150, 6350, 4350,Phenom II X6 1100T BE, 1090T BE, Phenom II X4 Black Edition 980, 975. Even the fx6300 is on the same tier. There is a higher tier than that, but it's only for Intel Cpu's since for gaming there isn't really an Amd equivalent performance wise.

Pcbuilder123 · Jul 17, 2014

wutangfan :

CooLWoLF :

Swordkd :

What exactly would 3 tiers be?

Is it here? I have a 4300 w/ a 2gb hd 7770 and will be doing a psu/gpu upgrade to either a 270x or an r9 280.

How much will an fx 4300 bottleneck an r9 280

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