Clarifying, FX-8320 Bottlekneck R9 290 GPU

ljs251 · Aug 17, 2014

So I've seen the few threads on this topic and I'd would just like to clear it up really quick, will I have any issues with having a FX-8320 and an R9 290 GPU side by side? I won't be doing any overclocking at all. Any answers are much appreciated!

-Thanks!

ingtar33 · Aug 17, 2014

well... forgive me for asking this question. is there a reason you're pairing a $400 gpu with a $140 cpu?

listen, i have a 8320... i have it paired with a r9-280x... and i've overclocked the snot out of the 8320... so my first instinct is to tell you no, it won't be an issue. However since you've no plans to overclock that 8320, then yes... it will be a bottleneck most of the time.

Piledriver cpus need to get up to around 4.4ghz before they stop being a "noticeable" bottleneck on everything. if you have no interest in overclocking, get an intel.

ljs251 · Aug 17, 2014

ingtar33 :

Well, I've considered overclocking but this is my cooler, it just seems like a hassle to overclock and all that but if I were to overclock, what would be a safe range with my current cooler?

-Thanks!

ingtar33 · Aug 17, 2014

mmm.. the t4 isn't a great cooler... but you can overclock it a bit with it. I can't really answer that question because every chip is different.

My experience with my fx8320 was i needed the fx8320 up to 4.7ghz, at 4.5ghz it still was a bit of a bottleneck in some cpu heavy things, by the time i hit 4.7 that simply stopped happening. currently it's at 4.8ghz (it's too warm in phoenix in the summer to run it faster right now... winter time i'll pop it up to 5.0ghz) and nothing i've played has been bottlenecked in any way by either part. ultra settings, 1080p... i've had to turn on vsync cause the framerates get a bit crazy really. i've never seen the r9-280x hit more then 70% utilization (most titles it rarely scratches 50%), only a couple titles will spike the fx8320 close to 90% on a single core... but nothing over 90%. so i'd say i'm pretty much set at this point. I was planning on getting an r9-290 but the price for this r9-280x was way too good to pass up. i'm glad i chose to moderate my spending, because it's proven to be MORE than enough gpu for my needs.

I think what i'm getting around to saying is do what you can to get your overclock up, or you'll be bottlenecking that r9-290

ljs251 · Aug 17, 2014

ingtar33 :

mmm.. the t4 isn't a great cooler... but you can overclock it a bit with it. I can't really answer that question because every chip is different.

My experience with my fx8320 was i needed the fx8320 up to 4.7ghz, at 4.5ghz it still was a bit of a bottleneck in some cpu heavy things, by the time i hit 4.7 that simply stopped happening. currently it's at 4.8ghz (it's too warm in phoenix in the summer to run it faster right now... winter time i'll pop it up to 5.0ghz) and nothing i've played has been bottlenecked in any way by either part. ultra settings, 1080p... i've had to turn on vsync cause the framerates get a bit crazy really. i've never seen the r9-280x hit more then 70% utilization (most titles it rarely scratches 50%), only a couple titles will spike the fx8320 close to 90% on a single core... but nothing over 90%. so i'd say i'm pretty much set at this point. I was planning on getting an r9-290 but the price for this r9-280x was way too good to pass up. i'm glad i chose to moderate my spending, because it's proven to be MORE than enough gpu for my needs.

I think what i'm getting around to saying is do what you can to get your overclock up, or you'll be bottlenecking that r9-290

Awesome, and don't ask me why I got the T4 over the Evo.... So what would be a safe range for me with my cooler, in your opinion. And would upgrading to a 212 Evo be worth it?

ingtar33 · Aug 17, 2014

safe range is based on temps under load. in a prime95 burn, or intel burn test stressing situation, your cpu temp shouldn't ride up over 65C... as long as it's under that point you should be good.

i wouldn't bother with an evo... the improvement is nice but not enough to justify tossing your old cooler away. if you're going to upgrade upgrade big... with a nh-d14/d15, or h100/h80i/h100i/h105/h110

ljs251 · Aug 17, 2014

ingtar33 :

So what I've decided to do is clock my 8320 to 8350 speeds and call it a day, an 8350 can handle a 290x so it shouldn't be an issue. And an upgrade from T4 to an Evo isn't worth it?

ingtar33 · Aug 17, 2014

ljs251 :

well it's a $/performance issue.

an evo gives great $/performance, however if you replace the t4 you're not just paying for the evo are you? no... you paid $20 or so for the t4 also... so that's $50 worth of cpu coolers there... the performance you'd get out of the 212 isn't worth $50; the nh-d14 has been on sale recently as low as $50 as mechants clean out inventory for the new nh-d15, that's a $70 air cooler. if you can get your hands on a nh-d14 at the $50 mark you'll be getting your $$ worth from that investment.

ljs251 · Aug 17, 2014

ingtar33 :

ljs251 :

well it's a $/performance issue.

an evo gives great $/performance, however if you replace the t4 you're not just paying for the evo are you? no... you paid $20 or so for the t4 also... so that's $50 worth of cpu coolers there... the performance you'd get out of the 212 isn't worth $50; the nh-d14 has been on sale recently as low as $50 as mechants clean out inventory for the new nh-d15, that's a $70 air cooler. if you can get your hands on a nh-d14 at the $50 mark you'll be getting your $$ worth from that investment.

That's possible for me to do that too, one thing I've noticed is that the FX-8350 comes with the same stock cooler as the 8320 so my T4 will probably do fine on it

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