Gaming: 4.2 GHz Is A Sensible Ceiling
Once I realized that a loss in efficiency (and not cooling headroom) was limiting the usefulness of my overclocking efforts, I swapped over to a more sensible cooler. The be quiet! Dark Rock Pro is a $90 heat sink. Slap it on top of a $200 processor and you're looking at an expensive, unbalanced combination. So, I gave the same company's $50 Shadow Rock Slim a shot with its fan running at under 600 RPM. Noise still wasn't an issue; I measured 31.4 dB(A) from a distance of 50 cm.
Core Voltage
At 4.2 GHz, we measured an average of 1.18 V. This doesn’t change, even if we drop the BIOS' default 1.215 V setting. However, the system becomes unstable at settings of 1.2 V or less. Avoid undervolting; it's not going to happen.
Power Consumption
We measure a maximum power consumption of 103 W between the host processor and VRM. The FX-8370E’s actual power use is probably just over 90 W. The rest shows up on our infrared pictures as a pretty chain of lights made of voltage regulators and waste heat. It looks a lot like what we already showed you at 4.5 GHz.
Temperatures
The CPU package temperature is 47 degree Celsius, and the heat spreader stays at 51 degrees, according to the FX-8370E’s sensor. That should alleviate the worries of enthusiasts who are afraid of cooling AMD's less heat-tolerant processors. Any $15 budget-oriented solution specified for 90 W or more should be sufficient for AMD’s latest FX model.
Most gamers will happily settle for 4.2 GHz, which yields a "free" 30-percent performance boost. If you want to me more environmentally friendly, that 3.8 GHz is a better bet. re better served by the optimal 3.8 GHz.
