From AMD FX(tm)-6300 to AMD FX-8350 Black Edition

IntrinsicValor · Jun 30, 2017

I've been reading How-To articles online and I've been seeing a lot of chatter about upgrading my BIOS before any CPU upgrades are made.

I need to know two things.
1) Will the FX-8350 fit in the current socket?(They are both AM3+ but that may not mean anything. I'm CPU-stupid)
2) Will I need to flash my BIOS before making the switch?

If you need any additional information from me, let me know and I'll post it as soon as I can get it.

Thanks in advance!

clutchc · Jun 30, 2017

Must know the motherboard you have. But usually there is no BIOS upgrade required for going from the 6300 to the 8350.

IntrinsicValor · Jun 30, 2017

CPU-Z says

Manufac.: MSI
Model: 760GM-P34(FX) (MS-7641) 4.0
Chipset: AMD

Anything else?

clutchc · Jun 30, 2017

IntrinsicValor :

Nope, that's enough. That board isn't designed for 125W processors like the FX-8350. It is strictly a 95W board.
Here are the supported CPUs and the BIOS required. Bear in mind this is the retail version of that board. You have an OEM version designed according to the PC manufacturer's specs.

IntrinsicValor · Jul 1, 2017

So, in your expert opinion, would it be better to get another motherboard along with the new processor, or should I find a CPU that -is- compatible with the current motherboard I have? I do have a bit of experience with tinkering inside my computer so removing the old motherboard is not a problem. I just need to know which would be more reasonable to do.

Karadjgne · Jul 1, 2017

Imho, since you will be spending money either way to have any upgrade, I'd forget about trying to revive 6year old technology and instead concentrate on something newer, which not only performs better, but costs relatively the same.

CPU: AMD - FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($118.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $202.87

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M PRO-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws 4 series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($59.92 @ Amazon)
Total: $198.80

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($135.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $418.85

Of course with any increase in budget, it's proportional to increase in performance/ability.

IntrinsicValor · Jul 1, 2017

(I didn't see your edit until after posting this.)

The black label processor only costs $120, and I'm not sure what a motherboard would cost, but I can't imagine a NEW gaming PC to be cheaper than those two components. The PC isn't bad at all.

GPU: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Bout in April)
The power supply from my old rig was better than this one so I swapped it out.

All in all, it's a good PC, I just need to upgrade the processor.

After changing out the video card I had in it, I expected Diablo III to run smoothly. Ultra graphics and all that. It doesn't. Also, when playing multiplayer with my brother, when I pulled up the inventory, it would take about 20 seconds for the items IN my inventory, in my stash, and the items I had equipped on my character to show up. I could hover over them and they would tell me what I was pointing at, but the items in my inventory weren't visibly there. Him and two other people, knowing I swapped out for a good GPU, told me, emphatically, that it was my processor. Having swapped out anything else that could have been the problem, I drew the same conclusion, and here I am.

Any thoughts? If it -isn't- a CPU issue, then I don't have a clue what the problem is. My Internet is great. My GPU is great. I have enough RAM. CPU? Don't know.

--------
(After reading your edit)
Can you see if there's a combination of MB and CPU on NewEgg? I have a credit card with them and would love to stick with 'em.

Karadjgne · Jul 1, 2017

That doesn't sound like a cpu issue at all. If anything that sounds like you have the game loaded on a hdd, and your brother is using an SSD, either as a cache drive or straight load. That alone can change load times significantly, with a hdd all that info is being read directly, repeatedly. With an SSD as C drive, with games on an hdd, everything is stored in temp files, on the SSD, so things like loading inventory screens are run at ssd speeds, not hdd-search-read-process speeds. I'm guessing that when changing maps or loading new areas, you also suffer long wait times compared to bro.

IntrinsicValor · Jul 1, 2017

I don't -think- he has an SSD, but what would his SSD have to do with my own inventory loading time? Yes I do have to wait about 3 seconds longer than him for loading screens. I just don't see what his hard drive has to do with my loading times. Could you explain why this is the case please?

clutchc · Jul 1, 2017

IntrinsicValor :

Probably better to invest in a new board and CPU platform. The FX-8300 would be a minor upgrade, but hardly one that would be worth the cost. You'd basically be ending up with the same processor you have now plus 2 extra threads.

IntrinsicValor · Jul 1, 2017

Well, -that's- why I'm here. Anyone on this site knows FAR more about the things that I'm talking about than I do. Is there any combination that anyone can come up with, relatively cheap, that can be bought from NewEgg? I don't have the income to outright buy this stuff but with my NE credit card, I can pay it off in time. That's why I don't upgrade often enough.

clutchc · Jul 1, 2017

Total budget for this upgrade?

IntrinsicValor · Jul 1, 2017

Not really a budget. Just a good upgrade from what I have, cheapest you can find?

Karadjgne · Jul 1, 2017

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($215.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($135.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $434.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-01 18:48 EDT-0400

An SSD is flash memory, read speeds are @500MB/s, whereas hdds are @50-120MB/s. So in a game where you have clicked the mouse on inventory, what takes the hdd about 5 seconds to read takes an SSD about 1 second. And that's if it's just open code. Opening those files an SSD is @30% faster. A good hdd has a cache of 64MB, that's where pre-read files are stored before being called on by the cpu, an SSD has a cache that can reach 64GB in size, far in excess of what can be loaded into most ram and used by the cpu. So data transfers are almost instant by comparison to what a hdd can do. Since it's been read and used, your inventory would remain in cache, not having to be re-read, whereas with a hdd, it needs to be re-read every time you click on it.
In many games, this doesn't make much of a difference as the game is so fluid, it's always changing what needs to be read, but in games with a lot of repeating, like the same gun, same bad guy, same explosion, same tank etc then the amount of work the storage actually has to do is severely curtailed, which while not really affecting fps, does affect speeds at which things like loading times rely on. Online games take a big hit with hdds because not only does the cpu have to deal with your flow of info, but also any other players flow from the server, and combine them into a playable game. Can greatly increase lag times independently of ping.

IntrinsicValor · Jul 1, 2017

Wow. That's a lot of money for the Ryzen processor, but you wouldn't have put it unless it's awesome.

I was also just playing Diablo 3 and the inventory lag just happened to me, no one else in the game. I've played other games too (WoW, mainly) that don't take time to load the inventory. I see what you're saying about an SSD loading it much quicker, but I've never had an HDD take this much time to load. IT's just crazy.

Karadjgne · Jul 1, 2017

As games get more complicated, as the OS takes up more background tasks, updates, anti-virus checks, Aero, live tiles shop drops etc, all that is using the hdd, some reads, some writes. When you are gaming, not only is the game competing for cpu bandwidth, but the game is also competing with everything the OS is doing, so when you pull inventory, that's a separate command from what's happening with an area. So now there's 2 things trying to read/write at the same time. It's a lot faster when done on an SSD that's not limited by moving armatures over separate disks. It might not be much of a slow down, fractions of a second per byte read/written, but when all those fractions are added up, you get lag that's visible.

IntrinsicValor · Jul 2, 2017

Okay. -That- makes complete sense and now I understand. When you say SSD, that's an acronym for Solid-State Drive, correct? What's your opinion of swapping an HDD for an SSD? Do you need special cords or accessories to make the switch?

Karadjgne · Jul 2, 2017

Don't swap, add. You use the SSD as basically C drive with OS and anything OS related like Adobe, Photoshop, steam etc, and keep the games and steam libraries on the hdd. There's several ways to accomplish all that without loosing personal data or game saves etc, but you will have to reinstall some stuff, as parts will be written to windows, like drivers etc. This allows full ssd speeds for what's important and cache speeds for anything in mass storage. I run a 128GB ssd and 1TB hdd, but it's an older system and I have to maintain working space, about 80Gb is currently used. 250Gb is recommended now for less hassle. Makes a considerable difference in anything windows related, even loading things such as browser and video windows, and can help speed games up, especially load times. I generally boot to full operating ability in @20 seconds, but I have a bunch of startup stuff. Vanilla windows can be fully operational and online in as little as 8 seconds from button push.

IntrinsicValor · Jul 2, 2017

20 seconds? I am in awe. I want that. What do I need (aside from the SSD) in order to add it to my PC?

Now, if I get the motherboard, processor and RAM, will it include a heatsink along with any/all cords and whatnot that I need to install/use them (aside from screwdrivers, etc...)? I don't want to have to buy a new heatsink or case if I can't use the ones I have because of space limitations.

Karadjgne · Jul 2, 2017

An SSD uses Sata (serial-ATA) power and data cords, exactly the same as the hdd (unless you have a really old system). Most cpus have an included heatsink, only some don't, such as any new Intel 'K' cpus and the 'X' versions of Ryzen. New components generally come with bare minimum needed cables, but regardless of that, the only thing you'd actually need would be a Sata data cable for the SSD, as power comes from the psu already and your old components already have sufficient wiring. That is a Sata mobo, not IDE, so you'll be fine.

IntrinsicValor · Jul 2, 2017

Alright. I'll give all of this a try. I may have some more questions about setting up the SSD (If and when I get one) but I'll post another thread. Thanks so much for all of your help. You and clutchc!!!

From AMD FX(tm)-6300 to AMD FX-8350 Black Edition

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